Healthful Bites

As alluded to in my Music May post on Tuesday, my birthday celebrations didn’t end with just a playlist. (Thank goodness! That would be a sad day.) Among other fun activities during my birthday week like shopping, a super-awesome SoulCycle class and some out-of-the-ordinary meals, I baked up a sweet treat. This is a rarity for me—since I live alone and don’t often indulge in cakes, cookies, brownies, etc., I don’t have many occasions to whip out the flour and whisk. Thankfully, Chocolate-Covered Katie has a slew of single-serve cupcakes ideal for someone in just this situation!

As a kid, I always thought that the Pillsbury Funfetti cake mix was the most festive, so of course that’s the option I chose. (Next time, I might opt for carrot or coffee cake. Yum!) More reasons to try this recipe? The whole cake, from digging out ingredients to digging in, took less that 20 minutes and the simple ingredient list didn’t require a trip to the grocery store.

The texture was perfect and the sweetness provided by the sprinkles and stevia made it easier to forget that I didn’t top it with frosting! That was one thing that would have required a supermarket stop. :)

Funfetti Cupcake, from Chocolate Covered Katie

Serves 1

• 3 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
• 1 packet stevia
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon water
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 tablespoon sprinkles
• Pinch salt

Mix well, pour in a lined or a nonstick sprayed muffin tin. Cook at 330° for 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the top comes out clean.

Nutrition information: About 125 calories, 1.5 g fat

You could easily multiply this recipe and fool your friends with this lighter dessert swap…or do so if you want stretch out your celebrations over several days! (Store in the freezer if you plan to save them for longer than a day or two, since baked goods made with applesauce tend to spoil quickly.)

For example, for six cupcakes, mix:

• 1 1/8 cup whole-wheat flour
• 6 packets stevia
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup + 1/8 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3 tablespoons sprinkles

What was your favorite birthday treat when you were growing up?

For me, number one will always be a Dairy Queen ice cream cake, but funfetti isn’t too far behind. :) But the real (non-vegan, full-fat) mini red velvet cupcake I had on my actual birthday this week was pretty tasty!

So far during Music May, we’ve had the boys take over the turntables, then the girl groups, and now it’s my turn. In honor of my 25th birthday today (trying not to go all quarter-life crisis on everyone!), I browsed through my iTunes library to pick out 25 of my most-played upbeat songs. The list packs a little bit R&B, a little bit rock and plenty of pop, and is a mix of tunes both old and new!

I’ve definitely overplayed many of them in the past, but now that we’ve had a cooling off period, we’re back on speaking (or listening?) terms. There’s no question I’ll be blasting these as I get in some good workouts this week—and beyond!

Click here for the full playlist or on the individual song title below to sample or download.

1. “Sweet Disposition,” The Temper Trap
2. “Meet In Tha Middle,” Timbaland, featuring Bran’Nu
3. “Survivor,” Destiny’s Child
4. “Titanium,” David Guetta, featuring Sia
5. “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall,” Coldplay
6. “You Make My Dreams,” Hall & Oates (Fell in love during (500) Days of Summer!)
7. “Airplanes,” B.o.B., featuring Hayley Williams
8. “Beautiful, Dirty, Rich,” Lady Gaga
9. “Repeat,” David Guetta, featuring Jessie J
10. “Starstrukk,” 3OH!3, featuring Katy Perry
11. “Toxic,” Britney Spears
12. “Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You),” Carly Simon, Janet Jackson, Missy Elliot & P. Diddy
13. “Knock You Down,” Keri Hilson, Kanye West & Ne-Yo
14. “Animal,” Neon Trees
15. “Be My Escape,” Relient K (On repeat during my high school days.)
16. “All That We Needed,” Plain White T’s
17. “Change of Seasons,” Sweet Thing
18. “Rollercoaster,” Kendall Payne
19. “Maneater,” Nelly Furtado
20. “Runaway Baby,” Bruno Mars
21. “Call Your Girlfriend,” Robyn
22. “Everything’s Right,” Matt Wertz
23. “Us,” Regina Spektor
24. “Shake It Out (SMASH Cast Version),” Katharine McPhee
25. “King of Wishful Thinking,” Karmin

What are your iTunes “greatest hits”? 

By the way, come on back Friday to see how I put those sprinkles (above) to good use!

For some time, it seemed like restaurants were trying to one-up each other to create the least nutritious dish available. (Remember this and this?) Thankfully that trend seems to have cooled off, as chains like The Cheesecake Factory, IHOP and Olive Garden now not only offer nutritional information for their menu items, but also have a section dedicated to lighter options. While hitting up local joints is always fun, I do occasionally visit chains too, so I thought it would be fun to start a “healthy chain reaction” series, in which I report back on items I’ve ordered off of these lighter menus. Since these will mostly be nationwide places, hopefully you can try them for yourself and share your input too!

First up: Ruby Tuesday. The casual family restaurant has had a salad bar for some time, but as you know, the moniker “salad” doesn’t give you a free nutritional pass. (Although since it is a bar, you have the power and can skip the creamy potato and pasta salads!) More recently, Ruby Tuesday added a “Fit & Trim” mark on their menus so diners can easily spot options that are less than 700 calories. There is a wide variation between, say, 200 and 699 calories, so it’s helpful that they also list the estimated calorie count for each FT pick.

For my first visit, I opted for something I wouldn’t generally have the patience to make on my own at home: spaghetti squash marinara.

You may not be able to tell by the photo above, but there is a generous mound of yellow spaghetti squash under the marinara and zucchini! That was one of the things I liked best about this dish—the ample amount of sauce and toppings. I’m a big fan of marinara in general, and this version is chunky and pleasantly spicy. The zucchini was grilled to a nice al dente consistency and added some color (and more vitamins) to the dish.

Some with more adventurous palates than I might find this boring, but overall, I was really happy with my order! The spaghetti squash dish was nicely prepared and is a smart pick for pasta lovers who are also volume eaters. You’ll find a large portion—I’d guess the above bowl included about three cups of veggies—for a bit more than 250 calories, 12 grams of fat and 9 grams of fiber.

What else sounds tasty on the FT menu? On future visits, I might opt for:

• Chicken Bella (454 calories, 22 g fat) Sautéed baby portabella mushrooms and artichokes in a Parmesan cream sauce over a fresh, grilled chicken breast.
• Petite Sirloin (476 calories, 27 g fat) Steak served with fresh, grilled zucchini and roasted spaghetti squash.
• Grilled Chicken Salad (372 calories, 10 g fat) Sliced, grilled chicken tops a fresh salad mix, peas, grated Parmesan, bacon, fresh vegetables and croutons.

It’s also worth noting that Ruby Tuesday offers FT sides that are less than 150 calories each (for example, sugar snap peas and mashed cauliflower) and allows diners to order downsized meals off of their lunch menu. It would be cool if they also offered lighter burgers or sandwiches. All over 800 calories Ruby Tuesday—really?

Related recommended reading: True, restaurants are offering some lower calorie options, but a new study says that a whopping 96% of chain menu items don’t meet full nutritional guidelines for a healthy meal (they’re often too high in sodium, saturated fat or fat). Yikes!

What is the most delicious dish you’ve had dining out recently? And do you have any suggestions for other places I (or we) should try?

You didn’t think I’d let the boys have all the fun during Music May, did you? There have been some pretty rockin’ girl groups over the years too. Sadly, there haven’t been too many since Destiny’s Child went their separate ways…I say it’s about time to change that! Sure, some of this is bubble gum pop, like last week, but all of the songs have great beats. Plus, no one can hear them when you’re wearing earbuds!

Here’s a selection (full playlist waiting for you on iTunes!) of my favorites that are ready to pump you up during your workout.

• 1966: “You Can’t Hurry Love,” The Supremes
• 1982: “Vacation,” The Go-Go’s
• 1983: “It’s Raining Men,” The Weather Girls
• 1983: “Jump (For My Love),” The Pointer Sisters
• 1986: “Push It (Remix),” Salt-N-Pepa
• 1986: “Venus,” Bananarama
• 1997: “Spice Up Your Life,” Spice Girls
• 1999: “No Scrubs,” TLC (Was it really that long ago?!)
• 2001: “Bootylicious,” Destiny’s Child
• 2001: “Lady Marmalade,” Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya & P!nk
• 2003: “Quicksand,” Lillix
• 2009: “Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny),” A.R. Rahman & The Pussycat Dolls

What are your favorite female artists—in groups or solo?

I’m a Beyonce fan and Adele gives me chills…but her music isn’t too exercise-friendly!

If you’ve been reading for a bit, you know that I believe there is no such thing as too much workout music. A new playlist instantly motivates me to hit the gym—almost as much as a cute new exercise outfit! That’s why I’m declaring this “Music May,” and will share a themed playlist every Tuesday this month to keep us all moving.

To get things started, I was inspired by the recent boy band resurgence to create the following lineup. These pop groups seem to come in waves, from the Beatles and the Monkees, to *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys, to current favorites like the Jonas Brothers and One Direction. Download this playlist for a taste of them all—classic to contemporary (click here for the full iTunes list or on the links below to download individually).

• 1963: “She Loves You,” The Beatles
• 1970: “The Love You Save,” The Jackson 5
• 1986: “You Got It (The Right Stuff),” New Kids on the Block
• 1997: “Here We Go,” *NSYNC
• 2000: “Give Me Just One Night,” 98 Degrees
• 2000: “The Call,” Backstreet Boys
• 2001: “Liquid Dreams,” O-Town (Oh yes, don’t act like you forgot about them!)
• 2010: “Waiting For This,” Hanson
• 2011: “Glad You Came,” The Wanted
• 2012: “What Makes You Beautiful,” One Direction

What is your favorite boy band of all time? And are there any topics for themed playlists that you’d really like to see in the coming weeks?

Inspired by my friend Sam—and spurred on by my rapidly approaching 25th birthday (quarter-life crisis?)—I decided to create a “30 by 30” list! I’ve lived an incredibly blessed life. Yet, I’ve realized that it’s a bit too easy to fall into a comfortable routine during busy times. Hopefully this will inspire me to shake it up a bit more often!

Here are two-and-a-half dozen to-dos that I want to tackle within the next five years:

1. Be in a wedding as part of the bridal party (we’ll consider the bride part later!)
2. Run a race for charity
3. Finish a three-day benefit walk
4. Watch the sun set in at least two more continents
5. Participate in RAGBRAI
6. Fall in love
7. Get my personal training certification
8. Swim with dolphins
9. Join a book club
10. Begin a gratitude journal
11. Go white water rafting
12. Eat a piece of cake, brownie, cinnamon roll, etc. with zero guilt
13. Take a nap (this seems to be a skill I lost somewhere around high school)
14. Start learning a new language
15. Spend one week completely off the grid…no cheating!
16. Plan a vacation around a 10K, half-marathon or other fitness event
17. Take a photography class
18. Give a Kiva loan
19. Complete a full month of “photo a day”
20. Go on a trip with my whole immediate family now that we’re all adults
21. Ride in a hot air balloon
22. Do at least one pull-up
23. Teach someone how to do something really meaningful and new
24. Learn how to surf
25. Make one week complaint-free
26. Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity
27. Do something truly spontaneous
28. Take a trapeze class
29. Be able to turn my brain off and just “be” during corpse pose in yoga or be able to meditate without a wandering mind
30. Climb a mountain

This weekend, I’m starting to tackle number one—my sister Sarah and I are co-hosting my sister Amy’s bridal shower/bachelorette party! Since Amy and her fiance Joe are headed to Italy for their honeymoon, we’re having an Italian theme. Salute and talk to you after the festivities!

What is on your bucket list?

When I first began training for my half-marathon, I was worried that after a few weeks, the novelty would wear off and it would get boring, monotonous and no longer fun. But the “Type A” in me loved crossing another run off the calendar and seeing the continual progress as I followed the schedule was extremely motivating! Now that I’ve crossed the finish line, I’ve been brainstorming new fitness challenges to try. Enter #PlankADay!

Started by a couple of friends in Massachusetts in June 2011, the movement asks participants to do one—just one—plank each day for as long as possible. My strength training took a bit of a hit while I was running, so I figured this is the perfect counterbalance! Planks don’t just work your ab muscles, they also improve back, arm and quadriceps strength.

For the month of May, in addition to my regular workouts, I will be completing at least one prone plank daily. When time allows, I’ll toss in some side planks as well! Will you join me?

Photo courtesy of Pinterest user Richard Lipp

Do you like physical challenges or do you prefer to wing it?

Well, maybe the half-marathon (and a peanut butter sandwich on whole-wheat with an apple) was breakfast and the pancakes were brunch…but you get the idea! :)

Not that I slept much the night before, but last Sunday started off bright and early. I had a 5:15 a.m. wake-up call to get dressed, grab my gear, eat breakfast and catch the train to Central Park. You have to love weekend subway work! (Best sign seen on the sidelines during the race: “You run better than the MTA!” Truer words…) Anyway, I was out the door to allow enough time for any travel hiccups and had plenty of time to chat with a few co-workers and friends who were running, check my bag and down a bottle of water before the gun went off.

I was a bit nervous since the forecast called for showers early in the day, but after a few sprinkles right before the official start, we were in the clear and the clouds rolled away. I took that as a good omen!

During the first few miles, I made a concerted effort to pace myself. I knew the excitement and crowds could easily make me go out too fast and I had the hills to contend with later in the race. So for miles one through four, I stuck around a 9:12-9:20 pace or so. I also kept an eye out for the photographers staked around the course (see above and right for evidence of me being a goof ball in my outfit that was a mash-up of the two top vote-getters in my poll!).

Feeling good and motivated by my killer playlist, I picked up the pace for the next couple miles. Around mile six is when the half changed for me. I finished lap one of the course, and while it was slightly depressing to be scooted over so the elites could finish their race, I realized there was a very legitimate possibility that I could reach my pre-injury goal of sub-two hours. Truthfully, I had never stepped foot in Central Park during my training and was intimidated by the hills past racers had warned me about. But I proved to myself during lap one that I could take it, so I picked up the pace!

From there, I took a few sports beans to make sure I had enough energy for round two. I then changed gears and watched my splits tick down to the 8:34-8:50 range. It’s an awesome feeling to have leg strength left and gas still in the tank at mile 11! I glanced at my watch, did some quick math and made the decision to make it happen. It was tough, as the weather was rapidly warming up and my right hip was starting to complain, but it felt SO good to sprint the homestretch and come in at…1:59:31. Talk about a close call!

While there were thousands of strong women who finished before me, I took it as a big personal victory. The ten weeks of training, although full of roadblocks, had prepared me well for the race. The mental games I played with myself (dividing the course into manageable segments, thinking of/dedicating each mile to a family member, friend, etc.) kept me inspired. The food and water I ate leading up to and during the race fueled me to the finish. That deserves a thumbs up…and some pancakes! ;)

It was an awesome experience and I can’t thank you all enough for cheering me on and providing advice along the way. Will I do another endurance event? The race itself was super-fun; the training beat me up a bit. But overall, I think the pros outweigh the cons. I don’t know when it will happen, but I’ll likely lace up for another half sometime not too far down the road. Who’s with me?

Thank you all so much for your support these past three months! It was a neat experience crossing the finish line with a smile on my face and I’m looking forward to filling you in about it later this week. In the meantime, you’ll find me doing plenty of yoga/stretching and treating myself to a much-needed pedicure. Congratulations to all of the other MORE/FITNESS Half-Marathon participants. You looked great out there today!