Link Love #13

Have you entered my thinkThin giveaway yet?

If you’re like me, you’ll probably agree that Tuesday is only just a little bit better than Monday. You’re one day closer to the weekend, but not quite halfway through the week yet. That’s why I like to share some of my favorites with you on Tuesday.

Health

Rotten Gut Bacteria, Starving and Weight Gain – Sarah Kay Hoffman

Rotten Gut Bacteria, Starving and Weight Gain – Sarah Kay Hoffman
Women, Food, and Body Image – Galit Breen
WHY You Work Out is More Important Than HOW You Work Out – Nia Shanks
Fight Stress with Food – Lindsay Cotter via LiveWell360
Ditching the Plan – The Healthy Maven

Fitness

The Total Body Pumpkin Workout – Lifting Revolution

The Total Body Pumpkin Workout – Lifting Revolution
Puma Plyometric Workout – Fit2Flex
My Favorite Core Exercises – She Rocks Fitness
Wednesday Workout: 20 Minute Fusion – Femme Fitale
Bodyweight Ab Workout – Pumps & Iron

Food

Vegan Whole Wheat Oatmeal Applesauce Banana Bread – Ambitious Kitchen

Whole Wheat Applesauce Banana Bread – Ambitious Kitchen
Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oatmeal – Eating Bird Food
Smashed Sweet Potato Fritters, Pistachio-Pumpkin Seed Crusted – Lunchbox Bunch
Crockpot Carne Asada Nachos – How Sweet It Is
Peanut Butter Protein Truffles – Peachy Palate

Food for Thought

What was your favorite post from the last week?
What is your favorite day of the week?

My Own Metabolism Experiment

Happy Halloween!

On Friday, I mentioned Alysia’s post about her metabolism experiment. After having considered doing the same thing for a while, I decided to give it a shot. Like Alysia, on rest days I find myself wondering if I’m eating too much so I thought this would be a great way to figure it out. I like knowing numbers and of course, I knew that no matter what, I would compare my number to her’s, but hey, that’s just the name of the game sometimes! Knowing that going into it helped me stay out of the comparison trap.

So how did it go..?

Hmm..

Well, to be completely honest, I was a little disappointed. My day started out strong. I noticed for the first few hours in the morning, I was averaging about 100 calories per hour. I didn’t think that would hold up throughout the day, even though I had some errands to run, but I was definitely surprised by how much it slowed down as the day progressed.

My day looked a little something like this:
7:45 am – Wake up and strap on the heart rate monitor
8:30 am – Time for breakfast!

Carrots ‘N’ Cake sweet breakfast scramble with pumpkin, topped with nut butters and granola

9:30 am – Haircut
11:00 am – Nail appointment [and a little Target shopping..]
1:00 pm – Lunch and baking time!

Awesome huge salad!

Snickerdoodle biscotti with white chocolate drizzle [recipe soon!]

3:00 pm – House stuff.. laundry, dishes, etc.
6:30 pm – Heading out to a fabulous dinner and drinks!

Verde Pizza

10:30 pm – Hit the hay! Yes, we’re old farts.
7:45 am – Wake up and take off heart rate monitor.

That is usually about the amount of activity I have an on rest day. So while Alysia found that an average 2000 calorie/day diet is about right for her, I’m wondering what I could do to help speed up my metabolism on rest days. I feel like 1700 calories is a decent amount, but I’m always looking to improve!

I also wonder if it had anything to do with having a harder week with my workouts. I felt like the quality of my workouts last week were not up to par and it makes me think that if I had a stronger week of workouts, that maybe the results would be different. I may try the experiment again in a few months to see if anything has changed, but in the mean time, I’ll continue to work on listening to my body and feeding it right!

Food for Thought

Have you ever considered trying this kind of metabolism experiment?

If you’ve done this before, was the calorie burn higher or lower than you expected?

Any tips on speeding up my metabolism on rest days?

Are you dressing up for Halloween?

Five Things Friday

Whoa, late post here but I just wanted to drop in, say hi, and give you all a quick update 🙂

1. Yesterday I made yet another variation on the pancakes! Say hello to Apple Pie. It was a good call.
   

   Apple Pie Pancakes

   Ingredients
   – 3 tbsp coconut flour
   – 2 tbsp almond flour
   – 1/4 tsp baking powder
   – 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
   – 1 tsp cinnamon or apple pie spice
   – 16 drops of liquid stevia
   – Pinch of salt
   – 7 egg whites
   – 1/4 – 1/2 cup water

   For my layers/topping, I mixed 1 tbsp peanut flour with 2 tbsp applesauce, 4 drops stevia, and water. I also used 1/2 shredded apple in between and on top. And the ultimate was topping it with the best apple quinoa granola from Michele’s.

2. This morning, my company had a little retreat and provided brunch. I wasn’t sure what to expect so, as always, I came prepared with some bars in my bag but I was more than pleasantly surprised to see the catering food truck from The Food Market. Nathan and I had been there once for dinner but I’ve been wanting to go for brunch since I saw their killer menu. It did not disappoint!
   

   I had to try a little bit of everything!

3. Yesterday Alysia shared a metabolism experiment that she tested. This is something I’ve been thinking about doing for a while now but reading her thoughts on this convinced me! Tomorrow is the big day and I’ll be sure to report back.
4. Speaking of which, that means tomorrow is my rest day and to say I’m pysched would be an understatement! My workouts definitely got the best of me this week and I’m looking forward to resting up and feeling refreshed for next week!
   

   I can’t move my arms today.. thanks Tina 😉

5. I can’t believe it’s already October 25th! Where has the time gone?! Halloween is next week and I’m wrapping up my costume for work. It isn’t anything crazy but it’s a fun day at work every year!

Food for Thought

Have you ever tried a metabolism experiment like this?

Do you ever have weeks that your workouts seem extra tough?

Do you have a Halloween costume picked out yet?

Fun Facts Friday

I’m trading in a week of Foodie Friday for a week of Fun Facts. Bear with me while I piece my apartment back together and get everything going again 🙂

1. This has definitely been an interesting week. I didn’t mind having a hurricane day on Monday and getting a late start to the work day on Tuesday, but unfortunately Sandy has left my living room in shambles. Being halfway up a high-rise, I certainly didn’t expect to have any flooding, but below is the scene this morning.
   

   Say hello to the industrial fan and dehumidifier!

2. I’m well aware that things could be worse. Way worse. So because all we ended up with was some flooding, I’m quite grateful and definitely thinking about those without heat, power, etc.
3. My coconut oil giveaway winner never claimed her prize so I’ve selected a new one! Congrats to Jayme Myers!! Please contact me at Brittany@BarrAndTable.com by Monday, November 5, at 11:59 PM EST with you mailing address to claim your prize!
4. I made Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Yogurt Cupcakes(mini style!) from Skinnytaste for my company’s Halloween potluck and they were a rousing success! I plan on making them again very soon! You should too.
   

   Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Yogurt Cupcakes via Skinnytaste

5. Tomorrow is National Sandwich Day which sounds like the perfect day to make some Mango Chipotle Chicken Salad, right? Right!
   

   Mango Chipotle Chicken Salad

6. And of course National Sandwich Day is followed by National Candy Day. But since we’re trying to be healthy here, I might have to whip up some Healthy Banana Peanut Butter Cups😉
   

   Healthy Banana Peanut Butter Cups

7. This Asian Rubbed Turkeymight be happening this weekend. With a little chicken, of course. I really don’t think Nathan would mind at all! How awesome does it look?!
   

   Asian Rubbed Turkey

8. Finally, I’m absolutely loving Barr Bites. If you’re in the Baltimore area and are interested in getting in on this, hit me up!

Food for Thought

What are your plans this weekend? Were you affected at all by Sandy?

What I Ate Wednesday #20 – Fly By Food

I cannot believe it’s already time for another WIAW (and I even missed last week!) Is it just me or have the days been flying by faster than usual recently?

Let’s get back into the swing of things..

[Breakfast]
I had a revelation. I always put raisins in my oatmeal because I love dried fruit. So why not do that with my protein pancakes? BUT I decided to step it up a notch. Dark chocolate cherry protein pancakes. To die for and the recipe will be posted on Friday! You don’t want to miss this one.

[Snack]
Organic pineapple Oikos greek yogurt. I always get whatever yogurt is on sale, and 9 times of out 10 it’s fat free. The organic pineapple, however, is 1 1/2% fat and it’s so tasty! It has an extra creaminess to it that you definitely miss with the 0%.

[Lunch]
Leftovers. I have so many leftovers! Not that I’m complaining because the leftover salmon, roasted red pepper hummus, and caramelized onion hummus has been delicious on my salads. I also recently ordered some nutritional yeast and have been sprinkling that on top of my salads and it is very tasty! It has a little bit of a nutty flavor and adds so many nutritional benefits. I also topped off my lunch with a mini Intense Dark Chocolate Espresso Escape Ghirardelli square. YUM!

I got mine from iHerb.com and if you use code ZAF482 at checkout, you can get $5 off your first order!

[Snack]
Guava goddess kombucha. It has to be my most favorite flavor and definitely hit the spot. And I followed that up with a mixed berry granola bar from Eat. Think. Smile. I’d never had their bars before but I would definitely go back for more. It was light and tasty and had just a hint of berry flavor, which was great because the rest was delicious cocoa!

[Dinner]
LivingSocial is our friend and we cashed in! I treated myself to a Old Dominion Octoberfest beer and some amazing homemade baba ghanoush before diving into my salad. I almost couldn’t finish my salad because the app was so tasty, but don’t worry.. I managed 😉

I’ve found that Nathan and I both prefer baba ghanoush over hummus. Thoughts?

[Spooky Snacks]
I’ve not done a great job of actually making spooky snacks for you all, but I did find out that my office is having a Halloween pot luck, so over to Pinterest I went! I found this little gem and they’re just too cute! I hope I get the chance to make them for the party!

Food for Thought

Does time fly faster for you as the year goes by?

What’s your favorite Halloween treat?

What I Ate Wednesday #19 – Road Trip and a Case of Wine

Have you entered my tortilla popchips giveaway yet? It ends this Friday, so don’t miss out! The new tortilla flavors are fantastic!

Ever since Nathan and I took our rainy day trip to Trader Joe’s for the Two-Buck Chuck, we’ve been wanting to go back and get a case. And buy a case (and a half), we did!

On Sunday, we decided to hit the road. But not after a delicious breakfast!

[Breakfast]
Powercakes Power Pumpkin Roll. It was featured in my Weekender Top 5 as well as my Top 5 in Review. I loved it and would absolutely make it again!

[Lunch]
As with our first trip to Alexandria, we went back to Caphe Banh Mi for lunch. I was thisclose to getting the traditional pho that Nathan ordered last time, but at the last minute, I decided to change my order to the pork vermicelli bowl. Definitely the right choice! The pork was delicious and I love pickled carrots and daikon.

[Snack]
This cute little Nutz Over Chocolate Luna mini was part of my swag bag from my last race. I’d never had this flavor before and it was the perfect sweet treat to hold me over until dinner.

[Dinner]
Pan-seared chicken breast, finished in the oven with a general tso glaze and coconut oil roasted broccoli, zucchini, and red onion. It was light and flavorful and hit the spot.

[Goals Update!]
In my WIAW Holiday Recovery post a couple weeks ago, I mentioned having a 5K on September 29th and I was determined to beat my previous time of 26:08. I’m pleased to be able to update you and say that I ran that 5K on Saturday in 25:47 at a 7:51 min/mile pace!

[Halloween Treats]
Recently I made Vegan Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies from Brittany of Eating Bird Food. They were a hit with Nathan, my family, and my coworkers! If you’re looking for a healthier tasty treat during the Halloween season, this is a great way to satisfy that craving!

Food for Thought

What are your favorite healthy treats to snack on around Halloween time?