What I Ate Wednesday #97: 100 Meals

About that Barry’s Bootcamp class last night.. if you follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed that I missed the class. And it was totally Beyonce’s fault! I left my place around 5:15 for a 6:30 class, drove into the city, looked for parking, and at 7 p.m. decided to head back home. Damnit, Beyonce! You ruined my burn! I’m definitely going to have to try to go back another time, preferably when there’s no concert or Giants’ game.

Anywho, maybe 100 meals is an exaggeration, but working a 5 a.m. shift always ends up with at least 3 breakfasts. I, of course, want to sleep as late as possible so my real breakfast was prepped Sunday night and I decided to pack a couple snacks too to hold me over until my “lunch” break.. at 9:30 a.m. haha.

[Breakfast #1]
A Detour Cranberry Flax SMART Bar with a little macadamia cashew butter. I have to say, I’m not a fan of this bar. I was hoping that warming it up in the microwave for a few seconds and putting some nut butter on top would help it out, but it really just ended up being.. well, weird. People rave about the Apple Cinnamon and Blueberry so I have high hopes that those are truly delicious.

[Breakfast #2]

Recycling a picture but this was essentially what I ate. Just swap the bloobs for figs.

[Breakfast #3]

Here we go. This was the real deal! A sweet scramble with egg whites, spaghetti squash, banana, cinnamon, and coconut peanut butter. That hit the spot!

[Lunch]

I was seriously craving a hot lunch so I whipped up some spaghetti squash [best idea to roast one on Sunday!], a little southwestern black bean salad, Trader Joe’s jalapeno chicken sausage, buffalo sauce, and nutritional yeast. And it was so good!

[Afternoon Snack]

The peanut butter mug cake made a reappearance! Always a delicious option.

[Dinner]

I knew Nathan was going to want something nice and light for dinner after 4 days in Vegas so I was happy to make the California chicken, veggies, avocado, and cauli rice bowl. Chicken for him, salmon for me. The avocado was like a fake-out guac and it was really good.. so easy too! Another Half Baked Harvest win!

[Evening Snack]
I ended the night with the usual apple and a dark chocolate berry protein bite. Those bites are super chocolate and definitely hit the spot for my chocolate cravings.

Food for Thought

Have you ever been to Barry’s Bootcamp?
What’s your favorite breakfast?

An Ode to Oatmeal: Protein-Packed TVP Oats

Have you entered my Chobani giveaway?

I’ve recently gotten a few requests for my go-to oatmeal recipe. I may be a bit obsessed [read: eat them every single day] but I just can’t stop! And frankly I see nothing wrong with that. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? 😉

Protein TVP Oats

Serves 1

Ingredients
– 2 egg whites
– 1/2 banana
– 1/2 cup almond milk + splash at the end
– 1/2 cup water
– 1/4 cup rolled oats
– 1/4 cup TVP* [If you don’t have TVP, just substitute another 1/4 cup of oats]
– Cinnamon. Lots of cinnamon!
– Your fave nut and/or seed butters [Optional.. but why wouldn’t you?!]
– Your fave granola [Optional.. see note above]

Directions
In a small pot, scramble your egg whites and put them off to the side. I add cinnamon to mine as they’re cooking, but you can just leave them plain.

Break up the banana into the pot and toss it with a sprinkle of cinnamon to coat. Add almond milk and water. Mash up the banana into the liquid until there are almost no chunks. Add the oats and TVP and bring to a light boil, then turn down to a simmer.

When the oats are almost finished cooking, add the egg whites back in with a splash of almond milk. This will make it creamier and help to incorporate the egg into the mix. When they’re done, top with 1 tbsp nut/seed butter [and another sprinkle of cinnamon!]

I can never decide which nut/seed butter to use so I typically split my tablespoon into 3 teaspoons of different ones.. it makes it that much more exciting 😉 I also throw a little granola on top for a some crunch! [Michele’s is the best!]

*You can purchase TVP from iHerb.com. Use discount code ZAF482 at checkout for up to $10 off your purchase!

Nutritional Information

Per serving, without optional toppings

254 Calories  /  4g Fat  /  31g Carbs  /  5g Fiber  /  11g Sugar  /  24g Protein

Food for Thought

What is your favorite breakfast? What’s your favorite way to dress up oatmeal?

A Marvelous Weekend

Don’t forget to enter my Chobani giveaway!

I’m definitely sad to see my 4-day weekend go, but it ended on the right note. This past weekend was just what I needed!

After running a few errands on Saturday, we decided to hit up the movie theater to see This Is The End but not before a little lunch. Nathan has been raving about porchetta since we went to Italy so I did a little googling and found Isabella’s in Little Italy. Everything I read about this place from the amazing porchetta sandwich, to the tiny area to eat [all of 4 tables], to the super friendly service was on point. And while the porchetta sandwich wasn’t the same as Italy, Nathan was still quite pleased. I, of course, went for the Greek Salad with grilled chicken and it was awesome! The homemade feta was my favorite part.

Greek salad with grilled chicken and homemade feta

Off to the movies! One of my favorite things about our theater downtown is that they have a full bar. It comes in handy when you go to see a movie like This Is The End.. not recommended. But at least it got us out of the house and out of the sun on a scorcher of a day! And I had a super tasty cocktail. Check out that top-notch pic! 😉

St. Germain Elderflower Liquer, blueberries, strawberries, white cranberry juice, and soda water

After a quick run to Whole Foods for sparkling water and figs [the essentials], we vegged at home and watched The Amazing Spiderman on demand. Another winner.. though, it was definitely better than the movie that we paid for! We got lazy and I whipped up a little egg white scramble for dinner which turned out to be pretty awesome! Awesome enough that I repeated it yesterday for lunch.

Egg whites, broccoli, corn, kale, cheddar cheese, avocado, tomatillo salsa, and a little sriracha

Sunday ended up being a bit of later start for us.. I got up and did one of my favorite Tone It Up cardio routines, Bikini Cardio. We were going to head to the farmers’ market, but I needed some food in my belly so I chowed down on my go-to breakfast—oats with egg whites & TVP, topped with Sunbutter, coconut peanut spread, and my homemade pumpkin seed butter.

By the time we got ourselves together to head out, it was 10:30. On our walk over, we decided it was hot, late [for the market], and there would be tons of people there, so we detoured over to Teavolve. Nathan grabbed a bite to eat and I got a delicious matcha green tea smoothie. I had only tried it once before, but it was just as marvelous as I remembered. Matcha powder is so pricey though, I just can’t bring myself to bite the bullet and get some to have at home.

We found ourselves around the corner from Whole Foods again, so we ran in to pick up a few things for some serious food prep when we got home, including these gorgeous beets!

How cool are these beets?!

We got down to business and Nathan was cooking up a storm!

He’s really been jonesing for some good Italian food like we had on the honeymoon, so he made a Tuscan-style ragu. It’s delicious and perfect to serve over pasta, quinoa, salad.. anything really! He also grilled up a flank steak which is going to be great  for sandwiches and salads all week. I roasted my beets which, unfortunately, were not as gorgeous as they were raw. I also made some easy kimchi that I found from Brittany [can’t wait to taste it later this week!], Israeli salad [cucumber, tomato, red onion, lemon, EVOO, & dill], grilled buffalo tofu for my salads, and for dinner I grilled some chicken with buffalo sauce.. plenty of leftovers there too.

We’re set for the week! Lunches and dinners are going to be so quick and easy. It really does wonders to set aside a few hours on Sunday to cook up some food for the week. Hope you have a marvelous Monday!

Food for Thought

Did you do any food prep over the weekend?

Are there any foods that you love but you won’t buy because of the price tag?

Thursday Things {and a Giveaway!}

Happy 4th of July! I hope you’re enjoying a relaxing day off with family and friends. I’m already loving my day off and wanted to take the opportunity to post a quick update and share a delicious giveaway with you!

Quick pic from last year’s 4th of July celebrations.

1. I “slept in” until 7 am. It was glorious. And I’m completely hopeless. I remember the days when I used to refuse to get out of bed before double digits.. I don’t know the last time I was in bed until 10!
2. The best part about waking up so early is that I’m already finished with my workout and had a delicious breakfast of protein TVP oats and a cup of Zeke’s Coffee.
   
3. My arms don’t want to move today. Best Body Bootcamp workouts have been killer this week and I’m loving it! Lifting heavy feels good.
4. The Baltimore Business Journal is running a Social Madness competition. My bosses told us that if we made it to the championship, we’d have July 5th off. I’m officially off of work until Monday. YES! (Feel free to vote for Planit in the medium category ;))
5. Looking forward to going to dinner tonight with friends and sitting outside by the harbor to watch the fireworks. They were last minute plans, but it’s definitely going to be a good time!
6. I have a super delicious giveaway for you. It’s #nothingbutgood. Get it? 😉 My wonderful friends at Chobani are offering one of you a case of yogurt.. GET YOSELF SOME CHO!
   

Enter my Chobani Rafflecopter Giveaway!

Food for Thought

How are you celebrating the 4th? Are you rocking your red, white, and blue?

What I Ate Wednesday #42: My Current Loves

When I suddenly realized that it was time for another edition of WIAW, I also realized that I have unfortunately not been doing a great job of taking pictures of my food and also of switching up what I’m eating. So because I’ve been eating so much of the same, I thought I’d share the favorites that continue to reoccur on my plate.

[Breakfast]
I’m on an oatmeal kick again and I just can’t shake it [not that I’m trying to..] Here’s my favorite recipe as of late..

– 2 egg whites
– 1/2 cup oats
– 1/2 cup lite coconut or almond milk
– 1/2 cup water
– 1/2 banana
– Cinnamon. All of it. I love cinnamon

Toppings
– 1 tbsp nut butters [I usually do 3 tsps of different nut butters!]
– Sprinkling of granola; my go-to right now is Michele’s Pistachio Lemon.. it’s a seasonal flavor and SO good!

Cook the egg whites separately with a sprinkle of cinnamon and set aside. Add milk, water, banana, and cinnamon to the pot and mash the banana until it melts in. Add oats and bring to a boil, then simmer until almost cooked through. Add egg whites back in and combine. Pour into a bowl and top with nut butter, granola, and a little more cinnamon. I told you, I love cinnamon!

[Lunch]
Spinach and cabbage salads with tons of fresh veggies, turkey quinoa burger

, and the easiest guacamole in the world. I take 1/4 avocado and mash it up with whatever salsa I have on hand. Right now I’m using tomatillo salsa and it’s crazy good!

[Dinner]
We’ve been crazy busy lately [oh, weddings..] so dinners have been out a lot. Or just the usual roasted vegetables and whatever protein I can get my hands on!

[Snacks]
– Pink lady beet juice [out of old coconut oil jars.. it’s normal]
– Apples
– Yogurt [Chobani.. duh]
– KIND bars

Food for Thought

What are you current go-to foods or meals?

What I Ate Wednesday #32: Groupon Date Night

Have you entered my Peanut Butter & Co. giveaway yet?

I don’t know about you, but for me, sometimes Groupon is wayyy off on their deals for months, and sometimes they’re spot on. For months. Which means we end up with a ton of deals! On Saturday, we decided to cash in. Impromptu date night courtesy of Groupon? Sure!

[Breakfast]
Oh, like you really expected to see something other than a sweet breakfast scramble? Of course, my lightened version of it..

I also snuck a Powerball before my workout 🙂 Have you tried them yet? So tasty!

[Lunch]
I had planned on meeting my brother at Panera and devouring another Power Chicken Hummus Bowl [so good!] from their hidden menu, but when I walked around the place for 10 minutes without finding a single seat open, I decided to hit the road!

Off to Cosi! I always like to pretend like I’ll try something new there, but their Asian Salmon Salad is so delicious that I just stick to that. Creature of habit? Me? 😉

[Dinner]
We braved the cold and headed out, Groupon in hand, to Blue Hill Tavern. We started off with some hot, fresh rolls. I snagged the walnut raisin before Nathan even had a chance! I was feeling awfully fancy so I ordered myself an elderflower white cosmopolitan. Sounds fancy, tasted like a cosmo.

Appetizer
Garde Manger – Chicken and pork terrine with spicy homemade ketchup & smoked duck breast with candied orange jam and walnut raisin crostini.

Entree
Seared blackened tuna with grilled baby bok choy, rice, and butternut squash puree. Do you see the size of those pieces of tuna?! Fabulous. I ate it all!

Nathan ordered a rabbit and dumpling stew. It was so full of flavor and definitely very filling! He was lucky enough to end up with some leftover.

Dessert
I really had no choice in the matter. It was being ordered whether I liked it or not! [Spoiler alert: I liked it!] Really though, what’s not to like about a cinnamon butter tart with homemade cinnamon ice cream? Exactly. There is nothing to not like!

[Snacks]
– Carrots & a Laughing Cow veggie wedge
– A piece of black bean powerbake mixed with some coconut peanut spread. It was heavenly!

Food for Thought

Do you make my purchases on Groupon or other similar websites?

Foodie Friday: Toasted Coconut Vanilla Overnight Oats

Recently I discovered a new favorite Greek yogurt from my favorite Greek yogurt brand. Have you ever seen Oikos Toasted Coconut Vanilla? If you’ve seen it, try it immediately. If you haven’t seen it yet, find it immediately!

I don’t typically go for the full-fat flavors, but sometimes it’s necessary. This is one of those times. This flavor is incredible and I knew I would have to try an overnight oats recipe as soon as possible. And the results? This breakfast kept me full for hours and I’ll definitely be incorporating this into my routine more often!

P.S. did you know that January is National Oatmeal Month? It couldn’t be more perfect!

Toasted Coconut Vanilla Overnight Oats

Serves 1

Ingredients
– 1 container Oikos Toasted Coconut Vanilla Greek Yogurt
– 1/2 cup rolled oats
– 1 tbsp chia seeds
– 1/3 cup almond milk [I use Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Coconut]
– 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Optional Toppings
– Unsweetened shredded coconut
– Nut butter [Earth Balance Crunchy Coconut Peanut Spread is highly recommended!]
– Ground cinnamon

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a tupperware container and mix well. Refrigerate overnight. In the morning, top with your preferred toppings and enjoy!

I prefer my oats hot so I pop em in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes. If you do this, you may need to add another splash of milk to get it to the right consistency.

Nutritional Information
Per serving, without toppings

286 Calories  /  11g Fat  /  34g Carbs  /  7g Fiber  /  17g Sugar  /  15g Protein

Food for Thought

What is your favorite flavor of Greek yogurt? Have you ever tried making overnight oats with that flavor?

Riding Out the Storm

It’s National Oatmeal Day and other than a snow storm, I don’t think there’s better weather to celebrate! Welcome, Sandy!

If you’re a North Eastern-er, grab yourself a nice hot cup of coffee (or tea), a big bowl of oatmeal, and hunker down. Speaking of hunkering down, I think I’ve heard the newscasters say that approximately 10 times in the last hour. Sounds like a drinking game if I’ve ever heard one..

A few of my favorite go-to oatmeal recipes are below. Not only are they super filling, they’re also chock full of protein (about 20g per bowl!) which makes them a great pre- or post-workout meal.

Chocolate Protein Oats

Pumpkin Spice Latte Proatmeal

And what else is there to do when you’re stuck inside all day but cook and bake? I did plenty of that yesterday for my Barr Bites clients so I wanted to share a few recipes that I’ve made recently that would be great for a rainy day.. or week.

Baked Pasta with Sausage & Spinach via SkinnyTaste.com

This is a new recipe for this week’s menu, but with tons of leftovers, I’ve been able to taste it and can confirm that it’s fantastic! I love Gina’s recipes; they’re delicious and healthy and are always sure to be crowd pleasers.

Cajun Chicken Pasta on the Lighter Side via SkinnyTaste.com

The Cajun Chicken Pasta is a recipe I’ve been making for a while now. It’s a big hit in my house and I was so excited when it went over just as well for Barr Bites.

Mayan Harvest Bake via Eating Bird Food

Finally, another deliciously comforting dish that was a big hit was Brittany’s copycat version of Kashi’s Mayan Harvest Bake. Having these hearty vegetables over top of a bulgar wheat and quinoa combo makes it a great stick-to-your-ribs kind of meal without being too heavy. I’ll definitely be making this one for myself soon!

Food for Thought

Are you stuck inside as Sandy passes? What are you doing to pass the time?

Foodie Friday: Pumpkin Spice Latte Proatmeal

Lately I’ve been noticing one or two pumpkin recipes popping up on Pinterest. And by one or two, I mean approximately 500. I guess that means fall is here so I’ll just on the bandwagon and embrace the delicious pumpkin-ness that is happening all around me.

Of course, one of my favorite pumpkin treats is the Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks, though I have yet to get one this season as this is the first week out of the 90° temps yet! But when I saw a recipe for Pumpkin Spice Latte oatmeal, I knew I had to try it because, as clearly stated in my last post, I’m oatmeal obsessed.

I put my own spin on the recipe and made it into a protein oatmeal, known, from here on out, as proatmeal. Learn it. Love it. Eat it.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Proatmeal

Serves 1
Adapted from The Oatmeal Artist

Ingredients
3 egg whites
1/2 cup brewed coffee
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (I use Almond Breeze)
1/2 banana, mashed
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup oatmeal (I use Coach’s Oats)
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Optional Toppings
Sliced almonds
Walnuts
Nut butter (Earth Balance Chunky Coconut Peanut Spread is my favorite!)
Cinnamon
Pumpkin pie spice

Directions
Scramble your 3 egg whites over medium-high heat and put into a bowl off to the side. Add your coffee, almond milk, mashed banana, cinnamon, and oatmeal to the pot. Bring to a boil and let simmer until the oats have absorbed almost all of the liquid.

Once your oats are at that point, add the egg whites back in, along with the pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix everything to combine and let the oats finish cooking to your desired thickness.

Top with your favorite add-ins and enjoy!

Nutritional Stats
Per serving

316 Calories  /  5g Fat  /  50g Carbs  /  11g Fiber  /  10g Sugar  /  20g Protein

Foodie Friday Fun!

Foodie Friday is my way of sharing some of my favorite recipes from the week for those of you that want to try them out over the weekend and I want you to share yours too! Post your favorite recipe that you made this week and share it with me! Click the link below to add yours.

What I Ate Wednesday #15 – Goals and Giveaways!

I always love a good WIAW, especially when there’s a new theme! This month we’re setting goals and embracing healthy changes. What a great way to kick off a new month and almost a new season!

[Breakfast]
Chocolate protein Coach’s Oats topped with Earth Balance crunchy coconut peanut spread (whoaaa! Changing it up over here!), sliced banana, and cinnamon. What can I say, I just can’t get enough of it! And if you missed it, I’ve posted the recipe to this delectable way to start your day.

[Snack]
I was really, really hungry. I realized a few bites in that I didn’t snap a shot of my apple, so here ya go. A munched on apple 🙂

[Lunch]
My mango chipotle chicken salad made 3 servings, so I am happily eating it in wrap form for 3 lunches in a row. I love the little bit of sweetness you get from the mango and it’s super healthy! (Only 131 calories per 1/2 cup serving!)

[Snack]
Yogurt peanut crunch Premier Protein bar. Do you smell a giveaway?! I do! 😉 Loved this bar. It tastes great and has 30g protein! A little higher in calories than my typical protein bar, as it is created as a meal replacement, but it’s great for your high calorie-burning days!

[Dinner]
Skinny baked chicken milanese over quinoa. I love Skinnytaste recipes and this was did not disappoint. Happy to report that this one was fiancé-approved too!

[Snack]
Cottage cheese with peanut fluff. Don’t know peanut fluff? The wonderful PowerCakes introduced it to me and I’m in love. It’s the perfect topping for protein pancakes, cottage cheese, yogurt.. anything really! Just 2 tbsp peanut flour (I use Protein Plus), 1 packet stevia, & enough water to get it to whatever consistency you like.

And if you’re dying to get the peanut flour and are new to iherb.com, use the discount code ZAF482 at checkout for $5 off your first order! I get a bunch of stuff off this site.. protein powder, apple cider vinegar, agave nectar, and so much more! It’s such a great resource!

[Goals]
In August, I ran my first 5K. I was definitely pleased with my time of 26:08 at 8:26 min/mile pace, but my goal for September is to increase my pace for my next 5K. As it stands, that will be The Color Run on October 21. I’m planning on running at least once a week, unless my legs decide they can handle more, in hopes of killing my time! And now that I’ve shared, I have to get it done!

And now for the giveaway!

Premier Protein was kind enough to send me an amazing package and would like to give 5 of you wonderful readers a package of your own! Check it out!

Being that I love chocolate and peanut butter so, so much, my favorite items in this package were the Chocolate Shake (only 160 calories and 30g protein!), the Yogurt Peanut Crunch bar, and the Chocolate Peanut Butter bar. The Vanilla Shake and Double Chocolate Crunch bar was good too, but I just can’t say no to my peanut butter!

Your winnings will include:

• 6 Premier Protein bars: 2 bars in each flavor (Chocolate Peanut Butter, Double Chocolate Crunch and Yogurt Peanut Butter Crunch)
• 4 Premier Protein shakes: 2 shakes in each flavor (chocolate and vanilla)
• Premier Protein nylon bag

How to Enter

You have up to 4 chances to enter! Be sure to leave separate comments for each entry. Entries will be accepted through Sunday, September 9th, 11:59pm. Winners will be chosen Monday, September 10th.

1. Leave a comment telling me which product and flavor you’re most excited to try. (Mandatory)

2. Follow @premierprotein on twitter and leave a comment telling me. (Optional)

3. Follow me (@beermeamartini) on twitter and leave a comment telling me. (Optional)

4. Tweet “I’m entering to win a prize pack of @premierprotein shakes and bars from @beermeamartini on #BarrAndTable! http://wp.me/p2mo7x-6Z” and leave a comment with a link to your tweet. (Optional)