What I Ate Wednesday #129: Snacking the Day Away

Congrats to Danielle C. for winning my MealEnders giveaway!

Phew! These past few days have been exhausting and I am so looking forward to the weekend. Though, I said that on Sunday, too! Monday was a crazy bit of running around and when I went to pack up a lunch on Sunday, I realized I really didn’t have time to eat anything other than snacks. Luckily, we’re always stocked up on snacks and that was just what I did.

[Breakfast]

The trusty egg white oatmeal breakfast. I knew I’d need something to hold me over and I can always count on my oats.

[Snack #1]

An old picture, but essentially the idea. I mixed some Greek yogurt with a little chocolate peanut butter protein powder and chia seed, then topped it with Honey Power O’s. The honey is quite tasty but I really need to get my hands on some chocolate Power O’s again!

[Snack #2]

They just keep getting better! I’m in love with Quest bars and this was my first time trying the S’mores. I expected it to be similar to the Cookies N Cream bar but the little bits of graham cracker are SO good! And this bar was nice and chunky. MMMMM! I had limited time to get from Athleta to the train and get my butt into the city so this was the perfect treat.

[Snack #3]

Once I got into SF, I had just enough time to stop at Tender Greens and get this delicious bowl of roasted veggies and quinoa. Literally just enough time to get it. And then throw it into my bag because I had no time to eat it until after my appointment. Well worth the wait, though.

[Snack #4]

Somehow I convinced myself to hit the gym after all of my running around. Probably because I knew it was best for my sanity this week! But after the rest of the snacks from earlier, I wasn’t too hungry post-workout so I ended up grabbing the last small chicken thigh and topping it with a little ketchup. I’ll call this one #strangebutgood. I also ended up having a few baby carrots while I was prepping dinner.

[Dinner]

An actual meal! And a really tasty one at that. I used this sticky baked chicken recipe as a guide but made it with pork loin instead. I seared the pork in a skillet and tossed it into the oven, glazed it a few times, and then sliced and served. The side dish was inspired by this roasted cauliflower meuniere recipe but I decided to be lazy and nixed the egg and breadcrumbs. Oh yea, and the butter sauce. Sooo it was really roasted cauliflower with lemon-garlic sauteed kale with shallots. And it was something I’ll definitely make again!

[Snack #5]

My apple was soon followed up with some almond butter scrapings. I left just enough to top my oatmeal yesterday but it was tough to leave that much in the jar!

Life might slow down at some point in the future, but in the meantime, I’m working on getting used to being a little more prepared to be less prepared.

Food for Thought

What’s your favorite snack?

Vegging Out

Have you entered my MealEnders giveaway yet?

Happy Monday, friends! I hope you had a great weekend. We stayed local and pretty low-key but definitely enjoyed the beautiful weather that we had.

Friday night, we kicked off the weekend with a trip to the gym…

…immediately followed by beer and delicious food at Cato’s, our favorite bar down the street.

The beet and feta salad with grilled chicken is my go-to. Extra beets, please!

 

Such a wild and crazy Friday! Which lead to an even wilder Saturday.

We saw this super cute dog in a hilarious onesie at lunch!

Saturday was the best. After lunch, we took a nice walk and then came home and totally vegged on the couch for the rest of the day. Dinner in and a movie was the perfect ending.

Sunday, I was making my way over to work around 7:45 when I saw the first Oakland marathoner running down the road. The race started at 7:30 and I was between miles 3 and 4. Holy hell, he’s fast!

And he was followed by lots more runners! It was so cool to watch everyone go by and cheer for them.

After work, it was time for lunch and groceries. Lunch was awesome! One of my favorite things about this restaurant, Southie, is that they will happily make any sandwich into a salad. So rather than the sandwich, I asked for the chilaquiles as a salad. BOOM! They made it happen.

The black bean mash was way more delicious than it looks 😉 And Nathan’s corned beef hash with poached eggs was equally as delicious.

How have we missed out on their brunch for so long? Aside from that whole work thing yesterday, it was quite a nice weekend. And now I’m looking forward to powering through this week. It’s a doozy but I think I’ll make it out alive!

Weekly Meal Plan

Sunday – Seared skirt steak with roasted potatoes and broccolini
Monday – Sticky Baked Chicken Pork with Apricot, Sage and Lemon Zest and Roasted Cauliflower Meuniere
Tuesday – Leftovers
Wednesday – Fennel-Garlic Pork Roast with roasted brussels sprouts and fennel
Thursday – Grilled chicken over Pear and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Maple Sesame Vinaigrette
Friday – Out!
Saturday – Leftovers

Food for Thought

How did you celebrate the weekend?
Have you or would you ever run a marathon?

Pumpkin Recipe Round Up

I have to be honest, this past weekend may very well have been one of the least exciting weekends in a long time. Nathan had to work, I had to work, and Friday night was spent exploring Costco thanks to our LivingSocial deal. If that doesn’t sound like an old married couple, I don’t know what does! So because the highlights of my weekend included a brief dinner outing Saturday night and sitting my butt on the sofa yesterday, I decided I’d jump on the pumpkin wagon and share some of my favorite pumpkin recipes and the ones I can’t wait to make.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Proatmeal – Barr & Table

Pumpkin Protein Souffle with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Filling & Frosting – Barr & Table

Pumpkin Pancakes – Nosh and Nourish

Roasted Pumpkin and Brussels Sprouts Angies Recipes – Angie’s Recipes

Roasted Pumpkin Sage Soup – Skinnytaste

Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins – Eating Bird Food

Pumpkin Pie Butter Cups – Healthy Nibbles and Bits

Protein Pumpkin Bars – Moni Meals

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheescake Cups – Ari’s Menu

Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cookies – Ari’s Menu

Pumpkin Pie Protein Chocolate Chip Fudge – Purely Twins

And if you need even more of an excuse to start some pumpkin spicing it up in the kitchen, Taylor from Lifting Revolution wrote a great post last week about the nutritional benefits of pumpkin spice [and included a killer recipe!] My Trader Joe’s hadn’t gotten their pumpkin shipment in the last time I checked but you better believe I’ll be stocking up as soon as they do.. along with everyone else! But hey, I’ve got a list to make my way through and I think you should do the same.

Weekly Meal Plan

Sunday – Chipotle balsamic chicken with grilled romaine, caramelized onions, and blistered tomatoes
Monday – Rotisserie chicken [Costco what what!] with maple sriracha brussels sprouts
Tuesday – Greek Chicken Souvlaki and Cauli Rice Plates with Marinated Veggies – Half Baked Harvest
Wednesday – Leftovers
Thursday – Roasted chicken thighs & roasted eggplant with turmeric yogurt sauce
Friday – Out!
Saturday – Leftovers

Food for Thought

Have you jumped on the pumpkin bandwagon yet?
What’s on your menu this week?

Link Love #51

Have you entered my AMRAP giveaway yet?

Check me out, two posts in a row! It took a few days but I think we’re getting back into the groove over here. I have to wish my oldest brother a very happy birthday. Without him, I wouldn’t have my little Jilly Bean! He’s a pretty great brother and father too though 😉

Health

This is What Dieting Does to Your Body – Better With Sprinkles

This is What Dieting Does to Your Body – Better With Sprinkles
The Importance of DHEA and an Omega-3 Packed Recipe! – Cotter Crunch
3 Reasons You’re NOT Losing Fat – Mussel FIT
Debunking Yet Another Low Carb Claim – According to Elle
How Can You Tell if You’re Overexercising? – FitKnitChick via Carla Birnberg

Fitness

Jump’N Pass Kettle Bell Workout – Lifting Revolution

Jump’N Pass Kettlebell Workout – Lifting Revolution
5 Ways to Transition Your Summer Workouts Into Fall – Trainer Paige
5 to 50 Ab Workout – Pumps & Iron
Protein Intake and Timing for Reducing Body Fat – Run to the Finish
15 minute Labor Day bodyweight home workout purely training #77 – Purely Twins

Food

Slow Cooker Japanese Pork and Ramen Soup – Country Clever

Slow Cooker Japanese Pork and Ramen Soup – Country Clever
Almond Butter Banana Bread Muffins – Fit Foodie Finds
Asian Farro Medly with Salmon – Skinnytaste
Smoky Chipotle Cheddar Burgers with Mexican Street Corn Fritters – Half Baked Harvest
Hidden Veggies Two Bite Brownies w/ Caramel Drizzle – The Healthy Maven

Food for Thought

What are some of your favorite posts recently?

Resting Up and Lobster Red

What a great weekend. Nathan and I were so looking forward to a weekend of exploring new things but also getting some serious R&R and  that’s exactly what we did.

I kicked off Friday with a killer workout that did me in for the rest of the weekend! Between all of the jumping lunges, jump squats, and weighted wall sits, my legs were done-zo. I spent the rest of the weekend waddling around.

…and this was the easy part.

Friday night, we went to Westbrae Biergarten. It just opened up a few months ago and with the weather being so beautiful lately, we were psyched to find such a great outdoor spot.

Who gets wine at a beer garden?!

We grabbed a bite to eat there and then headed around the corner for some ice cream. The flavor choice after tasting a few was overwhelmingly unanimous.. thai coconut sorbet it is!

This was the longest I was allowed to hold the cone.

Saturday we drove down to Carmel. We picked up some lunch at Bruno’s for a little beach picnic and then completely chillaxed.

Salads galore!

I call this active rest day.. savasana is my favorite post, after all.

A lesson we’ve yet to learn is that sunscreen is always your friend, even when it’s a little cool and foggy. I’m legitimately as red as a lobster and my skin hurtsss! But sunburn means you deserve In N Out on the way home, right?

Just gimme all your fries.

I don’t even like burgers.. this was Nathan’s, but I definitely helped out on those fries!

Sunday, between my sore legs and my crazy sunburn, I opted for another rest day. I made some delicious plantain protein bread

Lifting Revolution

..

I have a feeling these will all be slathered with nut butters.

..we took a nice walk to the grocery store, and had an amazing dinner at Haven. We bought a Travelzoo deal months ago for dinner and never got around to using it. Until it was just about expired! I don’t know why we waited so long!

Chilled melon soup with coconut milk, lemon verbena ice, and frozen melon chunks.

Tomato salad with smoked goat cheese, basil, and bagel crumb.

My salmon with cabbage, turnips, spaetzel, and hot mustard.

Nathan’s flat iron steak with crushed potato, broccoli, and black garlic puree.

Yellow corn budino with cornbread, blackberry jam, and toasted husk ice cream.

Everything was so well executed and very flavorful but the chilled melon soup stole the meal. The combination of the melon and coconut was unlike anything we’ve had before. The smoked goat cheese with the tomatoes and bagel crumbs mimicked the taste of smoked salmon which was unexpected and delicious. My salmon was perfectly cooked and cabbage, spaetzle, and radish added some great textures to the dish. My one comment is I felt like the mustard overpowered the salmon. I ended up scraping most of it off so I still got some of the flavor and I loved every bite.

The crushed potatoes and black garlic in Nathan’s dish were to die for. So chock full of flavor and the potatoes were creamy, but still had great texture, unlike regular mashed potatoes. And finally, the corn budino was again, unlike anything we’ve had before. It was corn 4 ways and the toasted husk ice cream was the winning component of the dish. Overall, I’d go back in a heartbeat.. if we got another deal. It’s a bit on the pricey side but the freshness, flavors, and execution were wonderful.

Like I said, a wonderful weekend. And glad to get back into meal routine again 😉

Swanson Giveaway Winner

Congrats to Anel for winning my Swanson $45 Giveaway! Please email me at Brittany@BarrAndTable.com within 48 hours to claim your prize.

Weekly Meal Plan

Sunday – Haven
Monday – Piri-piri chicken with blood orange and roasted brussels sprouts
Tuesday – Lomo saltado
Wednesday – Leftovers
Thursday – Roasted salmon, sweet potato, and side salad
Friday – Leftovers
Saturday – Leftovers

Food for Thought

What were your fun plans over the weekend?

Surfset, Kombucha Cocktails, and Baseball

More than anything else this week, I’m absolutely most excited about going home on Friday! Since my mom had the chance to play with my niece yesterday, we got to skype and seeing her smiling, giggling, and bouncing around just made me that much more excited to finally get my hands on her. This trip is going to be a short one since we’ll be home for a week and a half at the end of August so we’re not really going to be seeing people other than my family and I’ll definitely be soaking it in. But before I get caught up too much [more] in next weekend, let’s recap this weekend.

Friday night I went to the Summer Solstice event hosted by Sweat Guru and Sweat Republic. It was great to see all of the Sweat Guru girls again and it was a really nice event complete with kombucha cocktails, spray tans, makeup demos, and more.

One of the instructors at Sweat Republic was demoing 15 minute sessions of Surfset. I probably should have laid off of the kombucha cocktails before my turn 😉 And after hearing so many wonderful things about Shauna Harrison in Baltimore and out here, I finally got the chance to meet her. It was her first time on a Surfset board too.. can you tell?

She’s pretty freaking amazing. I’m really good at standing on the board. Ha!

Saturday, Nathan and I went to the A’s vs. Red Sox game and decided to do a little tailgating before.

We picked up some bahn mi for Nathan and I grabbed a grilled pork vermicelli roll. I needed something to wash down the vodka!

One thing we didn’t think about bringing was sunscreen. And you can really tell I was wearing sunglasses. Whoops! Hope it fades soon!

Sunday was a quiet day. We were both busy with work so other than braving the grocery store, we just stayed in and watched the World Cup and some baseball. It was nice to have a quiet day with all of the running around we’ve been doing lately. I rounded off the day with a delicious bowl of baked turkey meatballs and brussels with a little feta. It was pretty perfect.

These meatballs are awesome; I always get 2 lbs of turkey so we have some to throw in the freezer just to have in the house but we always end up eating the whole batch within just a few days. This time I got 3 lbs of turkey.. let’s see how long that’ll last us! Hopefully we’ll be able to freeze some so we’re not completely out of food when we get back after our trip.

Weekly Meal Plan

Sunday – Baked turkey meatballs with honey balsamic roasted brussels sprouts
Monday – Turmeric chicken with grilled veggies
Tuesday – Leftovers
Wednesday – Mexican grilled chicken and cauliflower rice bowls with black beans, salsa, guacamole, and baked tostones
Thursday – Leftovers
Friday & Saturday – HOME!!

Food for Thought

Did you do anything fun over the weekend?
What’s on your menu this week?

Because I Can.

I can run. But I’m not a runner.

Moving has been a lot more difficult trying than I expected. Don’t say “I told you so” Mom! I’ve really learned a lot without even really noticing; a lot about my relationships with people, a lot about what I want [or have no idea what I want..] out of life, and most importantly, I’ve really learned a lot about myself.

Without a job, I have a lot of time on my hands. That’s not to say I’m not filling that time—blogging, job searching, side work, studying for my personal training certification—I definitely keep myself busy. But that’s a lot of time by myself and it’s a lot of time thinking, whether I like it or not. It’s brought me to think about being comfortable with myself. It’s brought me to realize that I can throw my old routine to the wolves and still make it out alive. I also think about the things that truly make me happy.

I’ve really learned more about myself in these past few months than I thought I would. Last week was kind of rough [read: I was rough on myself.] It seemed like no matter what I was doing, who’s method I was trying, what workouts I was doing, the scale went up [I know. Toss the scale.], my clothes felt tighter, and I just didn’t feel great. I took an extra rest day because my legs legitimately hated me and the thought of moving. So Saturday night, I decided that Sunday would be a run day. I wanted to prove to myself that I can still run.. at least a 5K. Because everyone runs, so why shouldn’t I?

So I ran. I ran a 5K, then I walked a little, and ran a little more. I totaled 5 miles on the treadmill and then met Nathan for a quick run over to get some coffee. And in that time I realized that I can run, but I’m not a runner. I don’t enjoy it. My body doesn’t enjoy it. It doesn’t clear my head. It’s just not fun for me. But you know what? That’s ok. I don’t have to be a runner because other people are. Hell of an idea, right?

I enjoy lifting—I enjoy Best Body Bootcamp [darn this being the last one!]—and there’s nothing wrong with that. I’ll still do 5Ks because I like the feeling of finishing. And I’ll still run when I feel like it every now and then. Because I can. Not because it’s what good for other people. It’s crazy that it took so long to figure out.

Weekly Meal Plan

Sunday – Chipotle Mango BBQ Chicken Salad [this one got pushed from last week]
Monday – One Pot Moroccan Chicken + Chickpeas with Pistachio Couscous and Goat Cheese
Tuesday – Baked Turkey Meatballs, Honeyed Cauliflower, & spiralized veggies
Wednesday – Chicken and Asparagus Lemon Stir Fry [with added mushrooms. Because why not?]
Thursday – Pork Carnitas tacos with roasted red pepper, pineapple salsa, and rice
Friday – Out!
Saturday – Buffalo chicken, baked onion rings, and roasted brussels sprouts

If you’re ever looking for help with meal planning, shoot me an email!

Food for Thought

Do you enjoy running?
What’s on your menu this week?

Foodie Friday: Bourbon Banana Cheesecake

Planning a Valentine’s Day dessert is always a struggle for me. Everything I see is always chocolate, understandably, but Nathan is more of a fruit dessert kinda guy. I don’t discriminate. Any kind of sweet is good by me! I played with a few different ideas over the past few years; chocolate raspberry truffles, blackberry cobbler, chocolate strawberry cups.. they were all good, but I wanted to do something different this year. I’m also a fan of doing something a little healthier. That way I don’t feel so bad when I eat all of it 😉

I’d seen a few cheesecake recipes floating around the interwebs and thought that might be fun, but I wanted to make it a little more special than just a regular cheesecake. One of Nathan’s favorite recipes is bananas foster [if you recall our wedding cake] so I played around and had a little fun [read: broke out the alcohol!].

Bourbon Banana Cheesecake

Serves 9
Adapted from Skinnytaste Skinny Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Ingredients
– 2 medium bananas; mashed
– 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp raw sugar; divided
– 1-2 oz. bourbon
– 2/3 cup crushed cinnamon graham crackers
– 1 tbsp coconut oil
– 8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese; softened
– 6 oz. fat free Greek yogurt
– 2 large egg whites
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– 1 tbsp all purpose flour

Optional Toppings
– 1 can full fat coconut milk; refrigerated
– 1-2 oz. bourbon
– 1 tbsp maple syrup
– Dark chocolate bar [for shavings]

Directions
Place a small pot over medium heat and add the mashed bananas and 1 tbsp raw sugar. When the sugar has dissolved and the bananas are smooth, take the pot off of the heat and add in the bourbon. I say 1-2 oz. so you can do to your taste. Let cool completely.

While the bananas are cooling, preheat the oven to 350°F and spray an 8×8 pan with non-stick spray.

Crush the graham crackers [I used my food processor to make sure they were really crushed!] and mix with coconut oil. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, 1/4 cup raw sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add in the Greek yogurt, egg whites, and flour. Finally, mix in the bananas until just thoroughly combined. You don’t want to overmix. Pour the mixture over the crust.

Bake 30-40 minutes until the center is just set. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for a few hours before slicing. When you’re ready to serve, slice into 9 equal squares and top however you like!

I served ours with bourbon coconut cream.. it was really supposed to be whipped cream, but the coconut milk just didn’t want to whip.. whoops! That didn’t make it any less tasty though. I also used my zester and to add some dark chocolate shavings over top.

Nutritional Information
Per square, without toppings

183 Calories  /  7g Fat  /  21g Carbs  /  14g Sugar  /  1g Fiber  /  7g Protein

Not too shabby for a rather decadent dessert, huh? 😉

Food for Thought

What is your favorite dessert?

Foodie Friday: Tropical Mango Salsa & Cinco de Mayo Recipe Roundup

Cinco de Mayo is this Sunday! And in the interest of continuing on the fun pinning spree from yesterday, I thought I’d share some of my top Cinco pins along with a new recipe.

Tropical Mango Salsa

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
– 4 champagne mangoes
– 1 red bell pepper
– 1/2 red onion
– 1 jalapeno pepper; with or without ribs depending on how spicy you like it!
– 2 cloves garlic
– 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
– Salt & pepper to taste

Directions
Dice the mangoes, bell pepper, and onion into 1/2″ pieces and finely mince the jalapeno and garlic. Add the white wine vinegar, salt, and pepper and stir gently.

You can eat this right away or let it sit for about 15 minutes to let the flavors combine. I love easy recipes 🙂

More Recipes for Your Pinning Pleasure!

Summer Salsa

5-Minute Chunky Guacamole

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Sweet Potato Burrito Smothered with Avocado Salsa Verde

Mexican Stuffed Pepper

Grilled Fish Tacos

Mexican Adobo Rubbed Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Tequila Lime Flank Steak Fajita Salad with Chile Lime Vinaigrette

Alfajores – Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies

Margarita Cupcakes

Talenti Frozen Sangria

Food for Thought

What are your Cinco de Mayo plans?

Foodie Friday: St. Patrick’s Day Recipe Round Up

What would a fun holiday be without a fun holiday recipe round up? I’m pretty sure you said “not fun” and I agree! And while I’ve never been big in partaking in the celebrations, I can certainly hop on board with the food- and drink-based excitement of it all.

[Breakfast]
Breakfast Reuben Sandwich – Closet Cooking
Corned Beef Hash with Carrots & Thyme – Coconut & Lime
Green Monster Spinach Smoothie – Iowa Girl Eats

Alright, so the smoothie might not be a traditional St. Patty’s Day treat, but with all of the treats around, you might want to have this recipe on hand for the next day 😉

[Snacks & Meals]
Honey Beer Bread – Gimme Some Oven
Reuben Rolls with Thousand Island Dip
Avocado Feta Dip – Two Peas & Their Pod
Corned Beef & Cabbage Soup – Skinnytaste

I love the twists on traditional fare, especially turning a heavier dish, like Corned Beef & Cabbage, into something lighter.

[Sweet Treats]
Minty Irish Powerballs – Barr & Table
Creamy Lime & Avocado Tart (Vegan + Gluten Free) – Eating Bird Food
Guinness-Milk Chocolate Ice Cream – Brown Eyed Baker
Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes – Brown Eyed Baker
Skinny(er) Shamrock Shake – Skinnytaste

A few indulgent options and a few healthier options as well. Take your pick! 🙂

Food for Thought

How will you be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day this year?