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?

What I Ate Wednesday #18 – FitBloggin’ Eats!

This past weekend was spent at FitBloggin’ and it was a weekend full of fun workouts and delicious food. So delicious that I was often going back for seconds. But that’s ok because of all of the workouts, right? Right!

And you bet I tasted everything on the menu!

[Breakfast]

Friday – Sponsored by Weight Watchers Cheese

• Hot breakfast quinoa
• Cheese-stuffed turkey breakfast sausage
• Cheesy quinoa frittata
• Strawberry whipped cream cheese muesli [big time fave! I’ll be creating this one at home!]
• Fresh fruit
• Coffee

Saturday

• Oatmeal and quinoa bar with fruit fixins
• Hardboiled Egglands Best eggs
• Coffee

[Lunch]

Friday

• Puree of Celery Root Soup With Apple Mascarpone and Chive Oil
• Mixed Green Salad With Sliced Almonds, Cranberries and Pears in a Lemon-Champagne Dressing
• Five-Bean Salad With Chickpeas, Soybeans, Kidney Beans, Black Beans and Crisp Green Beans With Red Onion and Tomato in a Sherry Vinegar Dressing
• 15-Spice Slow-Roasted Chicken
• Prairie Grain Baguette with Roasted Turkey, Gouda, Butter Lettuce and Dill Aoli

Saturday

• Mushroom Tea Soup
• Local Greens With Shaved Fennel, Radish, Tomato Confit and Basil Dressing
• Quinoa Salad With Cucumber, Bell Pepper, Red Onion and Cilantro
• Broiled Salmon With Wilted Greens
• Grilled Mediterranean Vegetables on Focaccia With Hummus and Sprouts

[Snacks]

There were so many snacks in between sessions and after workouts that I couldn’t keep track. But they were all delicious and included some of the following:

• Hardboiled Egglands Best eggs
• Bagel thins with The Laughing Cow cream cheeses [Cinnamon cream cheese people! I need to find it!]
• SoyJoy bars
• Popchips! Soooo many popchips!

[Dinner]

We were on our own for dinner, so Friday night I met up with Nathan and we headed over to our favorite bar, Max’s, for German Beer Fest (so FitBloggin’-appropriate, right?!) I essentially had a liter of beer for dinner because I didn’t like the way the food menu looked. NBD.

P.S. Nathan did get another liter after his baby beer 😉

Saturday I went with a bunch of the lovely bloggers over to Blue Agave, a local restaurant with a Mexican-inspired flare, and had a house salad and a skinny girl margarita. Or 3. That gathering was followed by the FitBloggin’ reception, sponsored by Unilever. They passed some delicious bites, but my favorite was the orange-glazed turkey meatballs. They will definitely be making an appearance in my kitchen soon!

[Goals]
While my past few weeks goals have been fitness-oriented in pushing myself for a better time in future 5K races, this week I want to concentrate on food. I’ve definitely found myself falling off the healthy-eating wagon over the weekends (see the liter of beer for dinner above!), so I want to challenge everyone to a healthy weekend ahead! That’s not to say I won’t have a few drinks over the course of the weekend, but like the Tone It Up girls say, weekends make up almost half of the month. That’s a lot to fall off of the wagon! So let’s do this 🙂

Speak Up!

What are your goals this week? Do you have trouble staying on track over the weekends?

What I Ate Wednesday #17 – Holiday Recovery

I love getting together with my entire family for meals. It’s great to see everyone, catch up, and eat good food. Ooooh, the food!

Jewish holiday meals always include brisket, some sort of poultry, whether it’s chicken or turkey, often there is fish, usually salmon, matzah ball soup, vegetables, kugel, an assortment of desserts, and the list could go on and on. To say I overeat at these dinners would be an understatement.

I always tell myself, “1 piece of this, 1 piece of that, a couple little bites of this, a couple little pieces of that… you can always go back for more.” And I do. I take a little bit of everything and always go back for more. What can I say? My family knows how to cook and I’m going to take advantage of it when I can!

So after two Rosh Hashana dinners, I find myself trying to recover and pick up the pieces of my “has-been” healthy eating habits.

[Breakfast]
Tone It Up pumpkin protein pancake topped with peanut fluff and, with all of the benefits of ACV (courtesy of Brittany at Eating Bird Food), I knew I had to have my bombshell spell. Steering clear from the grains for a day or two will definitely help, so I put the oatmeal on the back burner. Get it?! 😉

[Snack] Not Pictured
I found out that I’m not a huge fan of vanilla Greek yogurt without any fruit or granola in it. And unfortunately I had no fruit or granola in sight, so I went for the next best thing. I mixed in a tablespoon of no sugar added Swiss Miss. What, you don’t have a container of Swiss Miss at your desk?!

[Lunch]
The only good picture of the day. Salad topped with veggies and roasted salmon. The salmon was leftover from Rosh Hashana dinner and man, my mom did an awesome job! It’s a little smokey and a little sweet. And luckily I have some more leftovers to hold me over through the week!

[Snack]
It was a sad, sad day as I finished my very last Premier Protein shake. The vanilla is awesome and I will definitely be making my way over to Sam’s Club as soon as I can to get more!

[Dinner]
Chipotle honey lime chicken with coconut oil roasted brussel sprouts and broccoli. This chicken was so good! Nathan tasted the sauce and I got an “oh yea!” in approval and that’s when I knew I’d have to share the recipe with all of you! You know what that means.. check it out this Foodie Friday! 🙂

[Snack]
I just feel the need to apologize for this picture. It’s not a pretty one, but it was so tasty and hit the spot after a hard interval workout, courtesy of Julie at PBFingers! I mixed 1/4 cup Chobani vanilla Greek yogurt with 1 tbsp peanut flour, 1 packet stevia, and 1/2 tbsp vegan carob chips. Then I mixed in a chopped up apple and sprinkled a little cinnamon on top. Yum!

[Goals]
In the spirit of continuing with my previous goal of beating my 5K time of 26:08, I ran my second 5K on Sunday. Unfortunately, this one didn’t have a chip time, only a gun time. But according to MapMyRun on my phone, I had the exact same time and pace as my first 5K. And I have to say, that while I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t beat my time, I’m still pretty pleased that I did just as well. Next up, 5K on September 29th. It’s on!

Speak Up!

What is your favorite holiday meal and what are your favorite foods that go along with that meal?

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)