Candy Bar Biking

Hey hey guys! Reading through the lists of Top 5 Summer Screaming Foods is making me wish I had a big ol’ plate of grilled veggies, watermelon, and fro-yo…and how on earth could I forget the corn on the cob?! That is a definite must in the summer! Has anyone ever tried it grilled? That’s next on my list!

So to continue on with part 2 of the Weekend Update, I’m so excited to show you guys some pics from my bike ride on Sunday. I think I just found a new favorite route!

There’s a strip of highway in town where a lot of factories and other large companies are located that used to be several, SEVERAL acres of farmland. I’ve driven by it so many times, but it never dawned on me to be a good bike route until Sunday!

 A peaceful strip of highway

A field that seemed to go on forever

Two seconds before I grabbed my phone for a pic, there was a gorgeous stork-looking bird in the pond!

“stork-looking” <- can you tell I know absolutely nothing about birds?

Am I the only one who loves the look of railroad tracks?

Before heading out for my ride, I got all decked out in my new bike shorts and top!

Walmart special baby!

I rode for just under two hours. It was a hot day, but there was a good breeze and some occasional downhill parts helped a bit too! I only actually intended to ride one loop around, but after I found more side streets, I was having too much fun exploring to call it quits.

Wanna know the only bad thing about long impromptu bide rides? Not having fuel when you need it! Luckily, there was a convenience store nearby where I was able to grab some water and an “energy bar”.

Ok, the only difference between a Snickers and a Snickers Marathon Bar is…ummmm, 10 grams of protein?!

I spent 10 minutes in front of the tiny energy bar section until I thought the cashier was going to burn a hole in the back of my helmet. I THOUGHT I went with the lesser of evils here, but low and behold, I ended up buying a CANDY BAR! 🙁

Luckily I only needed half the bar to give me the boost sugar high that I needed to make it back to the car. I swear this was the ONE time, I didn’t have any sort of emergency food with me…lesson definitely learned!

I’ve really been loving my bike rides lately. Running is great, but I tend to get bored easily…I’ve actually been avoiding my workout DVD’s like the plague…so it helps to change things up a bit!

How do you change it up a bit when you’re in an exercise rut?

Any good recommendations for REAL energy bars that aren’t to heavy for a hot afternoon bike ride/run?

Posted in Workouts | Tagged | 16 Comments

Weekend Update

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Ahh, the good ol’ days of SNL…before Tina Fey left Amy Poehler in all her prego-ness for dreams of 30 different kinds of rock or something…

Wait, where was I going with this?? Oh yeah, MY weekend…

I actually had one of the best weekend’s that I’ve had in a LONG time even though it didn’t seem like it was going to be in the beginning. Remember how I said I was going to “try” to sleep in on Saturday? Ha! Well, guess who rolled over at the stroke of 6:ooAM?!

Yeah, this girl!

All was not lost though…I decided to make the best out of my morning! After a fueling breakfast I went on a long walk before the temperatures got too high and then made my weekly appearance at the farmer’s market!

A pond scum-esce smoothie topped with brown rice crisps and flax, toast with coconut butter and blooby jam, and of course my daily java!

Why oh why did it take having to see Megan’s breakfast one morning for me to top toast with coconut butter and jam! I have seriously been missing out!

After my farmer’s market run, I set out on an adventure!

I spotted a Saint Bernard!

I found a Luna Bar for super cheap!

‘Twas delicious!

And I crossed over Lake Barkley!

All on my way to see the people you have to thank for bringing me into this world! 😉

My mom and dad recently placed their camper on a permanent campsite in a beautiful area close to Lake Barkley. It’s about 1.5 drive from my house, but Saturday was the perfect day for a long peaceful drive! Besides the humidity, I couldn’t have asked for a better day for it!

Speaking of humidity, as soon as I got to my parent’s campsite, I dove head first into the nice cold kombucha I had packed!

I let my mom and dad have a taste…yeah, let’s just say they’re not the signing up for the fan club of fermented tea! Oh well, just means more for me! 🙂

After chilling sweating for a while and having more fun than is reasonably allowed with a bug zapper, we had a little visitor!

Meet “Little Bit”, the neighbor’s teacup chihuahua puppy. Isn’t she just adorable?!?!

I seriously wanted to stick her in my purse and smuggle her home!

I wish I could say I got my puppy fix, but I didn’t!

I want one sooo bad!

After trying unsuccessfully to make a squirrel-ish costume for Little Bit in order to sneak her out of the campsite with me, I suddenly realized I was starving!

We fired up the grill and had a delicious dinner in no time flat!

Beef burger topped with bacon and jalapeno cheese, grilled squash, bread ‘n buttah pickle x 2 and some good ol’ beets!

Mmm, mmm, mmm!

And what better way to end a hot night than with some juicy watermelon!

Oh yeah, I’m a watermelon-eatin’ pro!

On the way home, after all day of sweating outside, I started to wonder…

Good question Big Ben…good question!

To save this post from getting obnoxiously long, you’ll just have to wait for tomorrow to hear about my lovely Sunday! 😉

What are your top 5 foods that just scream SUMMER?
1. Ice Cream/Fro-yo
2. Watermelon
3. BBQ (family tradition)
4. Grilled Veggies
5. Traditional potato salad (oh yeah, that yellow stuff that G’ma used to make! You know what I’m talking about!)


 

Posted in Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 33 Comments

Sweet or Savory Vegan Corncakes

Good afternoon my little pancake stacks! Anyone notice that I went missing yesterday? Well, I “unplugged” for the day and went out to enjoy the fresh (and hot…and humid…and…I’m not complaining, I swear) air! I hope you’ve all gotten the chance to relax this weekend and maybe indulge in a little vitamin D absorption!

So today, I have something a little different for Pancake Sunday

who’s up for some cornmeal pancakes?!

Maybe it’s the thought of my newest sandwich, or maybe it’s that I’m beginning to run out of ideas for Pancake Sunday, but when I woke up this morning, I had corncakes on the brain!

I don’t know about you guys, but I am a texture freak! I love combining textures and finding surprise bites in my food so I thought I’d have a little fun with this recipe and add a little “extra” in the texture department! I also decided to make them vegan AND gluten-free for all my bloggy buddies out there who are dairy or gluten “challenged”! 😉

Vegan Cornmeal Pancakes: (serves 1)
Inspired by this recipe in Runner’s World Magazine

  • 1/2 flax egg (1/2 tablespoon ground flax + 1 1/2 tablespoons warm water)
  • 1/4 cup cornmeal
  • 1/8 cup brown rice flour*
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup creamed corn
  • 1/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used soy) + 1 teaspoon vinegar = “buttermilk”
  • sweetener if desired (I omitted since I knew I wanted sweet toppings)

1. Combine flax and water in a small bowl and allow to set.
2.Pre-heat non-stick skillet to medium heat.
3. Combine dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and stir to break up any lumps.
4. Stir the corn, “buttermilk”, and flax egg together.
5. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
6. Coat skillet with non-stick spray and scoop batter out by 1/4 cupfuls.
7. Cook for about 4-5 minutes per side or until lightly brown on top and bottom.

*whole wheat flour works too for those of you who do not have a gluten preference.

Top as desired, but I highly recommend butter (non-dairy of course for my vegan friends) and maple syrup…simple and delicious!

Or maybe even a few bloobs! 🙂 

For staying power, I amped up the protein in this breakfast with a little Greek yogurt and bloob action!

Anyone tried the Honey Vanilla Bean flavor of Voskos?

It’s amazing!

Now, I said sweet OR savory, right? Don’t worry, I wouldn’t dare leave you hanging on this one!

These babies were so good, I HAD to find a way to incorporate them into my lunch as well! I used the same recipe as above, but I threw in a little bit of Mrs. Dash crack and BAM!…savory corncakes!

I used about 1/2 teaspoon of Mrs. Dash Southwestern Chipotle Seasoning, but you could add just about anything you have in your spice cabinet…chili powder, smoked paprika, or maybe even some turmeric for a fun twist!

After the photo sesh, I also added 1/4 of an (very ripe and un-photogenic) avocado and some nutritional yeast to the previous topping of freshly diced tomato…it was absolutely perfect!!

And since the other side of my plate was JUST as tasty, I thought I’d share! A simple combo of steamed kale and a tri-blend bean mix topped with this:

Appalachian Piccalilli

I found this at the farmer’s market yesterday.

Ingredients: Green tomatoes, cabbage, corn, green beans, pinto beans, cauliflower, sweet peppers, celery, jalapenos, sugar, vinegar, salt, spice, turmeric, citric acid

Could they fit any more deliciousness into one jar?!

I think I’m in love!

Ok, I seriously can’t think of a question right now, so tell me what your favorite color is!

Mine is GREEN…are you surprised?

Posted in Breakfast, Entree, Pancake Sunday | Tagged , , , , , | 29 Comments