Fired Up Friday Jan 18

18 Jan
Image from Fitspro

Image from Tumblr

That little Fired Up quotable up there is for my friend Lauren who did her first 15K last weekend; had never run that distance before, was contemplating changing to the 5K and damned if that girl didn’t stick to her guns and finish the 15K in well under two hours. I think she might be considering a half marathon soon… It’s amazing what our bodies can do if we tell ourselves we can do it and push.

The Hot Chocolate 15K was pretty fun. Atlanta has some fierce elevation changes, so the course was tough. I finished in 1:25.03, which is under 1:30 like I wanted and put me 104 out of 743 in my age group. Not too shabby.

This song makes me sing. Not sing really, but it makes me whoop. I love that dirty bass -whoop! whoop!- Do you have songs that make you do that while you’re running and working out? I’m not going to lie, some songs make me break into a dance-run. I’m lucky I haven’t broken a leg yet on that one.

Side note: I find these dudes creepier than LMFAO. Just sayin.

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Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins

16 Jan

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins | Adventures of a Hungry Redhead
It’s been raining for three straight days in Atlanta. I’m pretty sure it’s been overcast for a full week. While I don’t miss the frozen, snowy winters of Wisconsin, I have to admit a winter buried in snow is at least bright and pretty; as opposed to a winter running to and from your car under a grey sky. I think I’ve even lost track of day time and night time at this point. Oh yeah, and apparently we’re all going to get the flu and die. Wooo! Happy 2013!

You know what’s going to cheer you up? Strawberry chocolate chip muffins. Oh heck yes. I know it’s winter and strawberries aren’t in season and that makes me the enemy of locavores everywhere, but I needed something to remind me that spring would be here eventually. And duh, it needs to have chocolate in it too.

If your frown still isn’t upside down on this one because you’re sticking with your New Year’s resolutions and you’re like “Damnit Red! I can’t be eating muffins right now!” then let me rock your world : these babies are only 140 calories each. Crikey! You could eat two! Continue reading →

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Apple Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

15 Jan

Apple Cream Cheese Bundt Cake | Adventures of a Hungry Redhead
I like big bundts and I can not lie! Oh happy day, the day I bought a bundt pan. What is it about a cake in a round circle with deep crevasses and a hole in the middle? It’s still just cake (ok, no cake is just cake, its always OMG CAKE! to me). But, it’s like a giant donut cake with grooves to hold all the icing! Donuts, my Achilles heel. I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to tell people what your Achilles heel is, but we’ve already established that I’d be a sucky superhero.

I’m also pretty sure that I’ve stated I don’t like cream cheese, and yet, it keeps winding up in my desserts. I guess as long as cream cheese is combine with sugar I’m okay with it. But it can’t be on its own, like a cheesecake. Ew. Yes, I’m from Wisconsin and I don’t like cheesecake. I don’t think they actually make cream cheese in Wisconsin anyway, so my feelings might be socially acceptable in the great white North.  No, if cream cheese is to be in a Hungry Redhead dessert it will be as an icing or mixed in with another flavor, as is the case with this apple and cream cheese swirl bundt cake.

Continue reading →

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Simple Paleo Pancakes

14 Jan

Simple Paleo Pancakes | Adventures of a Hungry Redhead
Oh Pinterest, you vixen. Enticing me with indulgent food, outfits I could never put together by myself,  cute sleepy puppies, inspirational quotes that I forget 10 minutes later, six-pack abs, and deceptive craft projects that require seven trips to Michael’s. Can I believe you when you tell me that two eggs plus a banana equals pancakes?

I’d been eyeing this pin for two ingredient Paleo pancakes for awhile. Seriously? But how do they get fluffy? Well… they don’t. They’re very thin, like a crepe. Which is fine in my book. I love crepes (you heard me Ricky Bobby).

Do you know what Paleo is? It’s short for the Paleolithic diet, which is based on the foods humans ate during the Paleolithic Era (think cavemen). It focuses on naturally raised proteins, vegetables, fruits and nuts (think hunter-gatherer) and eliminates grains, starches, processed sugars and oils (think all of your favorite foods). The Paleo diet and CrossFit tend to go hand-in-hand, so I’ve become more Paleo curious as of late. Just as I see merits in veganism, I see merits in the Paleo diet as well. Continue reading →

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Fired Up Friday Jan 11

11 Jan
Image from Tmblr

Image from Tmblr

Holy cow, did you see it’s going to be in the 70’s in Atlanta this weekend? That’s a good thing, because this weekend I am running. Shocker, I know, but I mean I’m running in an actual race this time: the Hot Chocolate 15K. It’s a traveling race that raises money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities. I signed up for it because it ends with food of course. A big bowl of hot chocolate and chocolate fondue! I might not even need it if it’s going to be that warm. So what will music will be powering me up the hills of downtown ATL? Definitely the new Ke$ha album. I’m almost embarrassed to admit that so far my favorite song is “Gold Trans Am”…

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Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

10 Jan

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bread | Adventures of a Hungry Redhead
Did all those flavors just hit you like a ton of bricks? Let’s bring back some redhead math:

Peanut butter = delicious
Banana = yummy
Chocolate chips = yummy deliciousness

Therefore, peanut butter banana chocolate chip bread = delicious yummy yummy deliciousness

Did you see what I did there? I’m like Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind or Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting. No wait, wrong gender…. Ok, I’m like Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich. Wow, still not quite right… Can we get back to the bread? Continue reading →

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Spaghetti Squash

8 Jan

Spaghetti Squash | Adventures of a Hungry Redhead
In keeping with the theme of food that’s crazy easy to make and rather good for you I present: spaghetti squash.

It’s not the sexiest of the squashes. It’s no butternut or acorn and it certainly can’t hold a candle to pumpkin, but don’t keep passing this gem by at the grocery store, especially if you’re on a gluten-free, vegan, low-carb or paleo diet.

Just 40 minutes in the oven and you have an all-veggie alternative to spaghetti. Hence the name, although I’m not sure when it was shortened from “all-veggie alternative to spaghetti squash” to just “spaghetti squash.” Continue reading →

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Honey Almond Granola

7 Jan

Honey Almond Granola | Adventures of a Hungry Redhead
Granola is tricky. It leads a double life. It wants you to believe that it is healthy with its oats, nuts and dried fruit, but you are wise and know its game. You know that where there is crunchy sweetness, there is calorie dense sugar, butter and maybe even some flour, but damn it if you don’t let it seduce you time and again anyway. But you know what? At least you made it. At least you’re in control of how sweet it’s going to be, how crunchy it’s going to be, what kind of flavors you’re going to use and the fact that there’s no artificial ingredients or preservatives in it. And that is why you should make more granola. Continue reading →

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Fired Up Friday January 4

4 Jan

snow run
It’s hard to be fired up this Friday. Not because it’s cold, not because the holidays are over, not because I want to keep sleeping in and eating cookies. Nope. It’s hard to be fired up because this is the time of the year when there is a wave of hopeful people descending upon the gym taking up my parking spaces, my lockers, my elliptical, my weights and my space in the group fitness studio. Yes, I said ‘my.’ I am an only child. I assign possession to many things that technically don’t belong to me, but are in fact mine. Mine!

Some tips, if I may, for those with a fresh gym membership card:

  • Just say no to matching track suits and anything that says “PINK” on the butt.
  • Keep your phone in your locker unless it is how you listen to music.
  • If you can do 20 reps faster than you can do 20 jumping jacks, you need more weight.
  • You need to arrive BEFORE the group fitness class starts, not at the exact start time or five minutes after. When the equipment is gone and the place is packed, you’re SOL.
  • Please don’t sit or hang on a machine while you chit chat with your buddies for 30 minutes.
  • If you bought your shoes at Payless, they are not appropriate for running on the treadmill.

Yes, I’m a gym bitch. My final tip is to put some Cazzette – Beam Me Up on your playlist.

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Almond Butter

2 Jan

Almond Butter | Adventures of a Hungry Redhead
Warning #1: If you do not have a food processor, this post is useless to you. Unless it convinces you to buy a food processor, in which case this could be a pivotal point in your life. I suggest you sit down.

Warning #2: Don’t be a snob and go ‘oh my God, almond butter? What kind of hippie do you take me for. Just pass me the Skippy.’ You sir —eating your peanut dust, sugar and oil—are in no position to judge my choices in nut butter. You need to stop your nut racism and give it a try. A packet of Justin’s Almond Butter at the store costs $0.99 if you want to start slow.

Almond butter is one of the easiest things in the world to make, but yet when you tell people you make your own almond butter, you sound like you have your own Food Network show. And you know what, if you make your own almond butter, you DO deserve your own Food Network show, because  you’re taking something that most people buy in the store and instead you’re making a yummier, tastier and less wasteful version. Watch your back Bobby Flay! Continue reading →

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