Bruleed Bananas and Dates in Chobani

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I used to focus so heavily on recipe posting that my recipe list would grow by 2 or 3 each week. Now? As I focus a bit more on real life, the recipes have been few and far between.

#Oops. I guess this blog is as versatile and changing as real life. #SorryImNotSorry

That said, sometimes I make something that is just so delicious, it pretty much comes out of the oven screaming "SHARE ME ON THE BLOG!" Like a mandrake root kind of scream (Harry Potter for the win). A girl has to oblige.

This recipe is an awesome breakfast, mid-day snack, or even dessert. Don't hesitate to swap out ingredients, like using a different greek yogurt (or regular yogurt, if you must). If you want it a bit sweeter, feel free to use vanilla instead of plain yogurt.

Bruleed Bananas and Dates in Chobani

Ingredients:

• 1 Banana
• 1 tbsp Sugar, for sprinkling
• 3 Dates
• 2 tbsp Organic Shredded Coconut, No sugar added
• 1 tbsp Sliced Almonds (Walnuts, Pistachios or Pralines would be delicious here, too)
• 1/2 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
• Parchment paper

Directions:

1. Slice banana into 1/2-1/4 inch pieces. Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet and sprinkle sugar on top of banana pieces. Broil for a few minutes, until the sugar has browned. Set aside.
2. Chop dates.
3. Scoop yogurt into a bowl or cup. Add banana slices, then sprinkle with dates, shredded coconut, and almonds.
4. Enjoy the heck out of that bowl of delicious goodness.

My Hangover Cure

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...the completely unofficial, and only once tested remedy.

Disclaimer: This is not a normal practice and I don't advocate being in the situation to even NEED a hangover remedy. But, we're all human, and sometimes we wake up with a banging headache that is screaming at us for having one too many drinks.

I woke on on Saturday morning feeling like I took a freight train to the face. Between drinking strong drinks, dancing at a concert, and eating octopus at midnight (why?!?!), my body was pretty angry.

Step One: Go to Brunch. 

If you can handle it, and it's relatively close, WALK THERE. As painful as it is, the fresh air and sunlight will help you a lot. When you're there, order something delicious and filling. I encourage eggs, meat, and bread. I ordered Naan with chicken chorizo and two sunny side up eggs. ALSO, DRINK WATER WHILE YOU'RE THERE!

Step Two: Add Nutrients. Another thing to do at brunch, if possible. We decided to hit up Meli Cafe, where they have freshly juiced beverages. I had a delicious beverage with a ton of freshly juiced ingredients, like oranges, carrots, apples, and beets. If you can't get it at brunch, at least add some fruit or take a multi vitamin. ALSO, WATER!

Step Three: Take A Nap

Now that you've stuffed your face, it's time to fall into a fitful coma for 3 hours. Or as long as you need to sleep. I napped while my fiance watched sports (what sport? no idea. didn't care). I am a strong advocate of napping to golf, because it is by far the most boring sport to me, and I can always nap. Other good options are: Friends Season DVDs, Avatar, any movies that are long.

Step Four: Sweat

This is the hardest one for me. Now that you've eaten and rested, you may feel just a little bit better. No, you're not ready to conquer the world. But, you are ready to sweat a little. Get the rest of that booze out of your system. You will probably want to sleep instead, but trust me, it's worth it. DO NOT FORGET TO BRING A WATER BOTTLE!

If you're worried about balance, stick with a bike or elliptical (don't want you hurting yourself!). I, for one, was brave and hit the treadmill. I ran 4 miles, but it took me a full hour. I alternated between walking (4mph), walking on an incline (3,8mph, 5-9 incline), and a light jog (6mph). 

I know what you're thinking... how on earth will I get myself to work out when I feel like death? Well, the answer, my friends, is water and entertainment. I brought my iPad and started catching up on Revenge (awful show, still have to watch it for some reason) and drank a LOT of water.

Step Five: Get Pretty

Now that you've eaten, napped, and sweated (and PLEASE tell me you've been drinking water), it's time to put yourself back together. I had plans for a friend's birthday party that night, and we were meeting at Blow by Blow to get our hair done, so I showered (had to) and did my makeup, then got dressed. I donned a good old arm party and headed over to Blow by Blow. Before and After pics below... it obviously helped.

Step Six: Have A Drink

Notice I did not say "Get drunk" or "Drink a bottle of wine." Having one drink is fine, but over-doing it will put you in the same predicament you are finally easing out of. So, chill out, have one glass of wine, and don't get too excited about the alcohol. I'm a big fan of red wine when I'm not feeling so hot, because it keeps me warm and feels somehow nourishing (again, this only counts if you're only drinking a little bit!).

Step Seven: Eat Again

Eat again, and eat a lot. You're finally in the clear, for the most part. I was at Pump Room and ordered a Kale Salad (read: nourishment, vitamins), a salmon over rice pseudo-sushi (read: healthy fats, light carbs), and some fried polenta (read: carbs and cheese in my belly). 

Step Eight: Learn From Your Mistakes and Just Go To Bed
Don't go out. Don't go drink more. Just go to bed. I cannot even describe how amazing it felt to crawl into a nicely made bed and curl up, knowing that I could drift off into sleep.

Question:

• What's your hangover cure?

Go Big or Go Home

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More than a few times this week, I've made the decision to Go Big. On Saturday, at CostCo, I spotted my favorite white roses. It's not the biggest splurge of my life by any means, but it's still not something I do every week. But, into my cart they went. Now I'm enjoying them in three rooms in my house. Well done, Carly.



Example two... Pizza and wine. On our way home one afternoon this week, we walked past our favorite neighborhood pizza place and saw that they had half priced wine. Delicious coal-fired pizza and discounted vino? Not a hard decision. Done and done.

White pizza with lots of cheese, basil, and extra parm. Winning combination. So worth it. 

Part three... the next day, my fiance got a text inviting us to watch the Cubs game that night from the skybox at Wrigley. Yet another easy decision... free seats, free food, free drinks, and great company? Done.

And then there's the dessert cart. I had a peanut butter cookie (peanut butter with peanut butter cups in it, omg) with a scoop of ice cream on top and a side shot of kahlua in a chocolate shot glass. Yes, I ate the whole thing. Yes, I enjoyed every bite. #GoodDecisions

Do you go big every once in a while?

What are your big "splurge" items?

Absent Minded Professor - WOTDs

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At my gym, there are lockers with keypads you can use to lock them. This means I can no longer just search for my lock and know that my stuff is inside... because all the locks look the same.

Earlier this week, I totally effed up and forgot where my stuff was. I mean, they all look the same. I had to get someone to let me into like five different lockers before we found my stuff. Pretty sure she thought I was some kind of gym locker bandit. 

Now, I have to resort to things like taking a picture on my phone of my locker number, or writing it in pen on my hand. Actually, the above picture is from when I signed up for a spinning bike and thought I'd forget what my number was. 

This is the story of my life... complicated theories? Got it down pat. Logic games? Nail it. Remembering a simple number? Impossible.

Wearing the same pants over and over? Check. Okay, no, I don't wear these Ellie camo workout capris every day... but I have worn them twice this week and taken a picture in almost the exact same pose. Time to throw those babies in the wash...

And finally, an awful "I just woke up, why the eff am I at the gym?" picture. This is real life, folks. Also, I was terribly pale in that picture. Don't worry. The situation has been remedied.

WORKOUTS OF THE WEEK:

Wednesday: Juice Cleanse, No Workout

Thursday: Juice Cleanse, No Workout

Friday: First day off Juice Cleanse, No Workout

Saturday: 20 Min Ab Work, Spin Class

Sunday: CXWORX (Ab Class)

Monday: Body By Science, Muscle Definition Weights Class

Tuesday: Pilates

Wednesday: 4 Mile Interval Run

I've put together a pretty awesome plan for the next few weeks. If you haven't noticed, I'm a huge planner, especially when it comes to food, workouts, and travel. Here's a sneak peak of what the tentative exercise regimen will be: Weights, Resistance, Cardio, Weights, Resistance, Cardio, Weights. 

80 Sips and Post-Cleanse Moderation

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Friday night, my fiance and I had VIP Press Passes to a fabulous wine tasting at the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art. Bordeaux Wines was kind enough to reach out to me and provide the passes to the event, which was hosted by Bottlenotes and dubbed "Around The World In 80 Sips."

I ordered food just before leaving work so that it would be there when I got home at 5:30. Since I'd just finished a cleanse, I'm staying away from cheese and dairy, and trying to keep away from gluten, so sushi seemed like the best way to go.

My fiance and I demolished the sushi as he finished up a few work calls. At 6, I changed into my wine tasting clothes (read: dark colors). There's red wine. Mistakes happen.

We hopped in a cab and headed to the Museum of Contemporary Art. Once we got inside, they looked us up on the list and gave us our press passes. Hello, Carrie Bradshaw and company.

They also gave us engraved Bottlenotes wine glasses.

After checking our coats, we walked upstairs to where the event was being held. The museum has an "Emerging" exhibit, which is where they display new artists whose work they don't feature yet but are considering adding. The event included that exhibit and some open space nearby.

The first thing waiting for us at the top of the stairs was a DJ. Yes. Somehow, this just made the whole night better for me. Wine tastings can be stuffy and stale sometimes, so this was a really neat way to keep it fun and casual.

For the next hour, we got to taste the VIP wines before the general public plebeians were let in. I'm happy to say that we didn't taste a single wine we didn't love.

A bit later, we stopped by the Bordeaux Wines table. They had a huge crowd around them, so we chatted with Sherry, who was managing their Social Media. She is seriously the cutest little thing.

Next, Sam was our tour guide through Bordeaux wines. He walked us through the reds we could try (we were trying to keep it simple by staying dark) and gave us a bit of a story about the Bordeaux region.

I was mighty pleased.

After a bit more wine, we hit up the food stations. It was catered by Wolfgang Puck, so naturally, it was utterly delicious. And by delicious, I mean that I ate some nuts and grapes and two bites of bread, while my fiance demolished the rest.

The next day, we also had plans to attend the American Beer Classic, a beer tasting at Soldier Field.   It was freezing and the tasting was outside, so it was kind of rough for me (I'm a cold weather wimp).



I won't get into a ton of detail, but I will say a few things. First, I had a brown ale by Kona Brewery that TASTED LIKE COCONUT. Go buy it. Now.



Second, I'm allergic to wheat beer (am I allergic to gluten? do I need to get tested? #halp) and ended up getting really sick, but before that happened, there were smiles:

Two alcohol events in one weekend is pretty unusual for us, but it just so happened that our friends were planning one and we had free press tickets to another. So, those were my adventures in post-cleanse moderation. Here's to keeping it up... cheers?

QUESTIONS:

• Do you fuel up before wine/beer tastings? Or do you just rely on the event-provided food? I obviously pre-fuel. I never know what they're going to have there (and the beer fest at Union Station charges a hefty price for crappy food - thumbs down), so I just make myself get something good before.
• If you've ever done a cleanse, do you try to keep up the good habits afterward? I'm trying to stay away from dairy, wheat, salt, and sugar as much as possible... I'm trying to limit my boozin', too, but it's about to be Chicago in the summer, so let's be real... there will be some consumption.

GRATITUDE:

Dear Bordeaux Wines,

Thanks for giving us sweet tickets. It was a valuable and special date night with my fiance, and we were thrilled to be part of the event!

Love, Carly

Post-Juice Cleanse Wisdom

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The Three-Day Cleanse I just did has really increased my awareness of my body and its needs. I didn't realize it during the cleanse, itself, but it became readily apparent on my first day without it. Here's the story.


I'm not hungry for as much at once.

• How I learned: For breakfast, I started with one banana and two tablespoons of PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter. I had read that you shouldn't add nuts back in immediately, but my body really wanted it, so I listened. I had roasted a bunch of veggies the night before and was pumped to eat them, but once I finished my banana, I realized I was no longer hungry, so I packed up my veggies and some fruit and brought it all to work. 

Coffee isn't that great.

• My first attempt: I tried to have some coffee with breakfast. I'm trying to stay away from dairy (very hard for a cheese lover), so I just added a few drops of Vanilla Stevia to black coffee. I tried a sip and "icked" out loud. Not for me. I just didn't like the flavor all of a sudden, so I didn't drink it.
• My second attempt: A few hours later, I wanted to try again. I decided to try a Tall Soy Latte from Starbucks. It was definitely delicious and easy to get down... But, a few hours later, I found myself craving my juices from the past few days, and I realized I wished I had done a juice instead of coffee. Maybe I need to start juicing in the morning and bringing it to work as a pick me up?
• What my body told me: I took my juice cravings as an indicator that my body wanted the nutrients it had gotten used to receiving on such a regular basis. This was actually really encouraging to me, because it made me realize how seriously my body takes everything I put into it. Apparently soy milk and caffeine do not count as a quality snack (though it did wake me up). Big surprise there... not.

My body is talking to me... about sodium.

• How I used to feel about sodium: I generally try to stay away from high sodium soups and such, and try not to add salt to my cooking, but other than that, I haven't had a history of looking up sodium counts. 
• What my body's saying about sodium: I had been planning on a quinoa bowl from Protein Bar for lunch, but for some reason the thought of it was making me uneasy. I figured there was something about it that my body knew was wrong for me, so I looked up the stats. Turns out, their menu is fairly high in Sodium (like 40% of the recommended sodium intake for someone on a 2,000 calorie diet... which means even more than 40% for a tiny person).

The moral of the story?

MY BODY WANTS HEALTHY THINGS IN APPROPRIATE PORTION SIZES! It's like the cleanse was a functional "re-set" button on my nutritional habits and now all I crave are healthy items. Let's see how long I can ride this baby out...