As I was wishing Kohy a happy Peanut Butter Lovers Month (nobody loves peanut butter like this man), he got so excited that he may have propositioned marriage to me if I could combine his two favorite foods (peanut butter and pumpkin) into one muffin. Is that a challenge?

Most of the pumpkin/peanut butter bread recipes I found had tons of sugar and oil, but this recipe was more along the lines of what I was thinking. My biggest concern was that the sticky peanut butter and thick pumpkin puree would result in a dry or dense muffin, especially since I was substituting some of the oil with applesauce and using whole wheat flour. My first attempt didn’t work out so well (anybody need some rocks?), so I had to go back to study the science of muffins for the second batch. I added eggs, a little more oil, and sifted my flour. Here’s the recipe I ended up with:

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins adapted from French Fries to Flax Seeds

Ingredients:

1 c pumpkin puree

3/4 c peanut butter

1/4 c apple sauce

1/4 c canola oil

1/2 c brown sugar

2 Tbsp honey

1 whole egg + 1 egg white

1 c whole wheat flour (sifted)

1 c all-purpose flour (sifted)

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp pumpkin spice (or 1/2 tsp cinnamon + 1/4 tsp nutmeg)

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c milk + 2 Tbsp.

1/2 c chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Combine pumpkin, apple sauce, oil, brown sugar, honey and eggs in a bowl.

2. Combine flours, baking soda, baking powder and spices in a separate bowl.

3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir in milk and chocolate chips. Don’t overmix!

If you’re wondering why they look a little flat, it’s a long story. A long story that involves me turning the muffin tin over and dropping my poor muffins on their heads. Yours will look better I promise.

So the verdict? To be honest, I’m not crazy about pumpkin or peanut butter, so these muffins were made purely for the ring out of love. But I was pleasantly surprised! Although you can taste both peanut butter and pumpkin, neither one is overpowering and the chocolate chips give them a nice balance. My second batch was definitely lighter but there is no mistaking these babies for cupcakes. They are sturdy.  I recommend having them for breakfast with a smattering of butter and a glass of milk.

As for my marriage proposal, I will have to wait until tomorrow when Kohy’s model diet allows him some carbs. I’m not holding my breath or anything, but I may be able to negotiate a kitten out of this whole deal. Kittens for muffins!

Feel free to harass Kohy about getting me a kitten at @HDtrainingzone

So, tips yeah. Here we go:

1. Stay away from dairy the night before

If there is even a miniscule chance that you are lactose intolerant, do not eat pizza and gelato the night before a race. I had to stop at TWO porta potties during my half. You do the math.

2. Get your Zzz’s ahead of time

Kohy's going to kill me for posting this picture again.

You may be too nervous to sleep well the night before your race, but do your best to get enough sleep the week leading up to race day. Seven to eight hours per night are ideal. I am usually great at sleeping, but on this night I was rudely awakened by some sort of alarm or horn that went off near our hotel room for almost an hour. We never figured where the noise was coming from, but on a Saturday night on South Beach, it was anybody’s guess.

3. Comfort above all things

I hope she is wearing shorts under that tutu.

I know some of you like to run in tutus and other ridiculous outfits. That’s fine. Just make sure you test these props out before race day. You are going to be running for two hours straight. The last thing you want is deal with chafing from that tutu you just had to wear. If you do wear props, make sure it’s something you can take off and toss aside.

4. Bring fans

I don’t care what anyone says. Running 13 point 1 miles is a big freaking deal. Tell everyone you know and make them wake up at 3 a.m. and drive through two counties to come cheer you on.

And make sure they spell your signs correctly.

5. Don’t forget to brag

Whether you’re running a 5k or a marathon, let your friends and loved ones what you’re up to. Their support will only make your accomplishment that much sweeter.

Good luck!

What tips do you have for rookie runners? When is your next race?

A bunch more to go!

I completed my Rehabilitation rotation last week. Although it wasn’t my first rotation, it was the first time I’d done clinical-type work in years. I forgot how much paperwork is involved! But I’m relieved that I remembered most of what I learned in class. My preceptor was an RD that I’ve known since my days as a diet tech student, and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. To the RDs who have the patience to teach little interns like me: THANK YOU.

I’ve been waiting for what’s going to happen in the next 5 months (my final round of rotations) for almost a decade. Yes, a decade. Better late than never, right? (More on my never-ending journey to RD-ism in a later post.) I don’t know if this happens to any of you, but when I’m stressed out or trying to concentrate on something, I hold my breath without realizing I’m doing it. As you can imagine, a lack of oxygen to the brain isn’t a good thing when you’re treating patients, so I’m trying to remind myself to breathe. Juuuuust breeeaaaathe.

In other news, I took a very important, big, huge trip last weekend! I visited the place where Steeler dreams come true: Heinz Field.

the view from our hotel room

It was my first time in Pittsburgh and my first visit to Heinz Field. It was everything I imagined it would be.

the view from my seat at the very top of Heinz Field

The best part of the trip was seeing how excited everyone was about the Steelers. They wore Steelers gear even when it wasn’t game day (you do not see this in Miami). I guess that’s what happens when your team wins a bunch of Super Bowls.

The only disappointment of the trip was our visit to Primanti Bros. I got the “cheesesteak”, which consisted of some sort of patty, fries, and too much coleslaw. The cheese was nowhere to be seen and the sandwich tasted like water. Maybe I’m just not a sandwich person?

mehh

Pittsburgh was definitely the breather (breeeaather) I needed to get back into internship prep mode. I have a break in-between rotations, so I’m using this time to work on pre-assignments, blog, and to freak out about my final rotations.

keeping cool and not freaking out

Almost done!

It’s been a while, huh?

I’ll get to that in a minute, but first let me tell you about this dip I made.

I’ve been on a chickpea kick lately. Roasted, as hummus, as falafel… It’s good stuff. But as I was putting yet another can of chickpeas in my shopping cart Monday, something told me to go for the black beans instead. I’m a lover of all beans, so I didn’t hesitate. Since then I’ve been debating what to do with my can of black beans. Black beans and rice was the obvious choice but I wanted to be more creative. On the way home today it finally came to me:

I was going to make guacamole, but with black beans instead of avocados.

How exciting to come up with a recipe all by myself! Then it dawned on me that someone else had surely thought of this before. I’m refusing to Google it though. As far as I’m concerned, this is my recipe.

Black Bean “Guacamole-Wannabe” Dip        by me (and anyone else who has thought of this before me)

Ingredients:

1 can black beans

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 red onion

1/2 small tomato

the juice of 1/2 a lime

1 Tbsp minced garlic

salt and cayenne pepper to taste

pinch of cumin

few sprigs of cilantro

Directions:

1. Put everything in the food processor. Process. Serve.

Easy right?

I would show you a picture, but as it turns out pureed black beans aren’t very pretty.

Ok, ok, I’ll show you anyway…

Told ya.

I added some chopped tomatoes for pizzazz (pizzazz!). Don’t know how much it helped…

Despite its poor looks, this dip was fantastic. It was creamy and spicy, with just a little hint of tart. But really, how can you go wrong with cilantro, lime and garlic? I’m sure you can add those ingredients to just about anything and win.  Make this! And if you’ve seen this recipe before, just let me keep believing that I made it up.

~*~

As for my whereabouts, I have been running up and down the halls of a nursing home/rehabilitation center trying to fulfill my dietetic internship requirements. It’s a pretty demanding job, but I think the most exhausting part is all the concentration that goes into learning (and trying to remember) new things. I’ve been there for a couple of weeks and finally think I’m getting the hang of it. Your grandma is in good hands with me!

I hope!

Him: “ZOMG. We need to buy this! For my oats!”

Me: “Umm. Ok, yeah sure.”

…

Me: “Waiiiiit a second…” *checks ingredients*

Me: “We have all these ingredients at home!”

Him: “It’s not the same! Why don’t you love me!?”

Next thing you know I’ll be monitoring his bank statements for Pumpkin Spice Lattes.

~*~

I have designated Wednesdays as our no-technology dinner date day. No cell phones, no laptops, no TV, no tablets. It’s almost sad that we have to do this, but not really because we love our gadgets (and our documentaries). Last night I put on some 90’s R&B, whipped out the matching silverware, and even put out placemats. This was a good idea.

~*~

Although my better half and I are going on eight years together (!), it was only last weekend that I found out he loves chocolate…

Me: “What? When did this happen? I thought you didn’t like sweets.”

Him: “Duh! Why do you think I always get chocolate protein powder?!”

Me: “Dude… You are seriously deprived. Chocolate protein powder is not chocolate. Let me bake you a nice chocolate cake for your next cheat day.”

Him: “Umm… actually… I only eat my mother’s chocolate cake.”

…

…

Me: “Wha- come again, darling? I don’t think I heard you correctly. It sounded like you said you didn’t want my chocolate cake. Haha! ”

Him: “Umm..”

red wine chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

Oh, we’ll see about that.

**I used this recipe for the red wine chocolate cupcakes. Verdict: WOWWW.

Not if you’re like me and aim to make life as difficult as possible. Does that ever happen to you? You know that a little planning goes a long way, but you refuse to do it. You take the long road, and come out on the other side looking like this:

(where are my clothes?)

I’m here to remind you (and myself) to use what you already know to make your life easier. This applies to more than just food, but let’s start there since this is a food blog and all…

 Easy steps. Except, sometimes I skip the first one and the sequence goes something like this:

I’m a big fan of breakfast for dinner, but oatmeal does not a big man sustain.

My biggest challenge in meal planning is preventing boredom. While Kohy is perfectly happy eating grilled chicken AGAIN, I die a little inside every time I have to put a piece of chicken on our fake grill. I’ve made so many good meals for this blog, but I don’t bother to go back and look at them. And if I don’t blog about it, the meal is forever lost in the cobwebs of my brain (or replaced with fantasy football stats). Solution?

I created this spreadsheet that lists all the entrees and side dishes I’ve made in my short life as a cook. I’m still working on making it extra nerdy, but you get the idea. I can plan meals for every day of the week (except Saturday when I boycott the kitchen), and then decide what I need to shop for. From here, shopping goes smoothly because I know what I’m shopping for. Cooking is… still cooking, but at least I know what I’m making ahead of time. And when it comes to eating, well I have no problem with that.

Perhaps you already know this? Maybe you have your own nerdy spreadsheet or notebook filled with meals? But are you using it? I’m not sure why it’s sometimes easier to forget everything you know and take the hard lazy road. It’s like we seek comfort in our habits, even if they aren’t smart. Or maybe it’s just me. That may be it.

How do you plan your meals? Do you ever make life harder by forgetting the things you already know?

The end.

Ok, ok, I’ll elaborate.

There has been some ridiculously delicious food in my life lately. In an effort to be more social, I have been taking everyone up on invitations to go out, especially when food is concerned. My friend Camille just celebrated her birthday month ( I think she stole the concept from Lizzie), and part of the celebration included two trips to Miami Spice restaurants. For those of you who haven’t heard about it, this is a promotion where fancy restaurants in Miami offer a 3-course meal (“featuring signature dishes created by world-renowned chefs”) for a price that normal people like me can afford. We went to STK on Miami Beach and Azul at Mandarin Oriental on Brickell Key. Fancy pants.

I didn’t take any pictures at STK since it was very dark, but the first two courses were nothing too memorable anyway. I was getting ready to go home disappointed when the final dessert course came.

STK Bag O'Donuts

[source]

That picture really doesn’t do it justice. The donuts were stuffed with dulce de leche, covered in cinnamon sugar, and you could dip them in chocolate fondue or vanilla crème. Oh my, these donuts. Heaven in a lightly fried ball of dough. This made my entire night and I was very sad when they were all gone.

Next was Azul. It was on the water and muy upscale, for a simple girl like me anyway. The funniest thing to come out of the kitchen was this watermelon and goat cheese salad “courtesy of the chef”:

How courteous of the chef to give us watermelon scraps cut into a baby-sized pieces! I’m sure this was one of those “cleanse your palate” deals, but I still think rich people are funny.

Most surprisingly delicious:

I wasn’t feeling very steak-y (although the Kobe beef entrée was amazing), so I ordered the risotto  that came topped with a “63º Egg, Lamb Chopper Cheese and Hon Shimgi Mushroom”. I still have no idea what any of this means, but the risotto with the funny egg on top was velvety, cheesy and perfectly seasoned. Two thumbs up. I’m a good food critic right??

And to wrap this all up, I can’t leave without mentioning that blissful milkshake at the top of this post. Here, let me show you again:

[photo courtesy of Tiffany, um, without the hearts]

This, my friends, was a red velvet milkshake. As in, it had pieces of red velvet cake mixed in. As in, holy mother of Moses, yes please. This milkshake has consumed my dessert thoughts and I plan on going back for another as soon as I can compose myself.

I visited food trucks last week with Tiffany and Natalie, which is where I purchased the milkshake of my dreams.

Check out TIffany’s post for the rest of our food truck adventure. I personally can’t talk about anything else but that milkshake. I will be back, Sugar Rush.

Do you frequent fancy restaurants? What’s the best thing you’ve eaten this past week?

***As you may have noticed, the blog is undergoing a bit of a transformation thanks to Kohy’s talented sister, Afi. There are still some tweaks to make, and I’m trying to figure out why things are so slow. Thank you for your patience.***

As promised, I’m sharing the recipe I learned in that Spanish cooking class from a few weeks ago.

I was very excited about these beans because the recipe included bacon and chorizo. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of combining these two ingredients before but I’m sure glad someone did. Without further ado:

Catalan Beans adapted from Chef Ray’s recipe (Aura Catering Services)

Ingredients:

15 oz. can white beans

1/2 medium onion, diced

1/2 cup white wine (I may or may not have used more)

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 oz. turkey sausage

1 strip turkey bacon

1 mint leaf, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a medium-sized pot, heat olive oil and cook turkey bacon and sausage until browned. Add onion and sauté until soft.

2. Add white wine, beans, salt and pepper; simmer for 15-20 minutes.

3. Stir in mint and serve.

The best thing about this recipe is that it was super easy to make. No, I take that back. The best thing was that it was damn delicious. The mint gives this dish a really unique zing, and the bacon and sausage, well they speak for themselves. Don’t even get me started on the wine. Pour in a little extra for good luck.

I substituted turkey bacon and sausage for the pork because Kohy has something against the pig population. Sadly, I couldn’t find any Applegate turkey sausage, but I did use their bacon (my favorite) (aside from real, delicious bacon). I must have been in a good mood that day because I also made Spanish meatballs:

One word on those meatballs: turmeric. This was my first time using turmeric and it totally made these meatballs. If you know of any other recipes that include turmeric you better let me know!

To sum it all up, you should make these beans. If you make it with real bacon and/or chorizo, tell me so I can live vicariously through your taste buds. And if you don’t eat turkey or pork, I think a vegetarian version would be delicious too! A little wine and a dash of mint can only make your beans better.

***

Thanks to everyone who wished me luck on my Nutrition 101 presentation! I presented earlier today and I think it went really well. The audience participated and asked questions, which really helped me out. In fact, it went so well that I was asked to come back! I’m going to recover from this one before I think about doing another. Talking makes me tired.

What’s your favorite way to prepare beans? Know of any recipes that use turmeric?

Some of the topics I will be writing about next week:

1. Oh yea. Cooking.

Remember the Spanish cooking class I took a couple of weeks ago? I fell in love with the Catalan Beans and made them again the very next day.

I took pretty pictures that I planned on sharing with you in a Project EHC post. And then I accidentally deleted the pictures from the camera and my laptop died. All evidence of the actually decent meal I cooked are gone. Bear with me while I make the beans again (absolutely not a problem because they were delicious) and I will hit you back with a post. As I am writing this I realized that I do, in fact, still have the pictures. I need a nap. Recipe coming soon.

2. Country Cooking

A recent houseguest of ours saw that I spent a lot of time and the kitchen and gifted me with this book upon his departure:

I’m not sure what gave him the impression that I was a country gal, but here I am with my first country cookbook. I thumbed through it and found a few recipes with MSG as an ingredient, as well as step-by-step instructions on chopping up and cooking a “Kentucky Country Ham”. There are a few more gems so I’m dedicating a post to what I find, and maybe I’ll be inspired to cook up my first country meal.

3. Nutrition 101

My most time-consuming project has been a Nutrition 101 Lunch-N-Learn seminar that I will be doing for the employees of the Children’s Services Council. Saying that I’m nervous is a gross understatement. On the bright side, I poured my country heart and soul into the slide show and I’m really proud of the results.

I have until next Tuesday to get my act together and find the proper words to go with these slides. I’m a hot mess in front of a crowd, but practice can only make me better. At least that’s the plan.

I’ll see you all next week!

Do you have any public speaking tips? What is your favorite country cooking recipe?

I don’t do much of it these days (or at least that’s what I tell people), so it took me a while to gather up finds for this post. I’m going to show you the new gear I bought, one item that I probably should’ve tried on first, and my favorite pair of workout capris. Let’s go.

Most of the items here came from Target. Their stuff is cheap(ish) and I can buy a bunch of other things I don’t need when I shop there.

1. Champion C9 Tee in Party Purple (!)- Target $9.99

Pardon the wrinkles

This shirt is soft, comfortable and cheap! It runs big so go for a smaller size if you want a more fitted look. I wear it on days I do weight training or yoga. Although it’s part of the “Duo Dry” line, it’s still mostly made out of cotton, so sweat stains are going to show. I’m not really concerned about sweat showing on a top because it just means you’re working it! Ladies, I do recommend moisture-wicking pants though. I’ve seen some unfortunate things at the gym… Look for pants made mostly of polyester. Let’s go right ahead and extend this warning to the men too.

2. Asics Fitted Shorts- Sports Authority $27.99

I couldn’t find these online (although I did find these), but you may still be able to find them at Sports Authority.

These are…. short. As a height-challenged girl, short shorts work to my advantage since they make my legs look longer. Even still this is probably the shortest pair I own. I use them solely for running. If you are blessed in the booty area, these may not work. It always comes back to the booty on this blog, doesn’t it?

3. Champion Running Capri Pants (link is for a different color, but same style)- Target $24.99

I hate trying clothes on at the store, so I bought these without trying them on thinking they were just like another pair I had. I was mistaken. These babies are so tight that if I actually tried to workout in them I would probably have to cut them off afterwards. If they did fit, they would probably be awesome. Moral of the story: just try it on. Of course, now this pair is still sitting in my closet 3 months later because I keep forgetting to take them back. Giveaway maybe?? If you’d like a pair of Medium (truly a SMALL) running capris, never been worn, hit me up at eunicefood4fit@gmail.com. The first person to email me wins them! How’s that for a giveaway?

UPDATE: Faith emailed me first so she is the winner of my pants that don’t fit! Congrats Faith!

4. Champion Yoga Capri Legging (Out of stock! Boo!)- Target $24.99

I’ve looked for these pants everywhere and can’t find them anymore. They are super comfortable, flattering and versatile. Even though they are called yoga pants, I also use them for weight training and running. That is the kind of love I have for these pants. I’m surprised they have held up as well as they have. If you find an article of workout clothing that you really love, go back and buy at least one more. For me, comfort is the main priority. The last thing I want to do is worry about anything riding up, bunching up, being too tight or anything other than my workout. If you love the way it fits, it’s totally worth it to buy one more.

So there you have it. My fitness fashion finds for the past couple of months. To summarize,

Buy anything recently that you really love? Tell me so I can buy it too! (After trying it on.)

On a related note, I’ve decided it’s time I learn how to dress myself outside of the gym. Do you read fashion blogs? I’m looking for some new blogs to read. I’m a rookie so nothing too fancy or expensive looking. Thanks!