Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Cookie Dough Hummus and rest days

Oh man, there is nothing worse then bonking out. I woke up Tuesday, hit the gym my usual 6am and about 50 minutes into it my body just totally gave out. Super tired. I can usually push myself if I had to but not that morning. So I just knew something was a’goin on. Listening to my body (most important things I've learned recently) I showered up and just went to work early. I was still sssooooo unnaturally tired. I noticed that I never get sick anymore really, I just get amazingly tired, sleep for hours and then I wake up fine. Its like a fight going on inside my body, I shut down and my body always wins. Yey for healthy eating and exercise! So I did exactly what my body needed. I went home from work early and slept like never before. Ahhh it felt great. I did however  manage to wake up and make myself some delicious tea.
tea
Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, stevia and some almond milk I heated then seeped in some vanilla black tea for a quick mock chai tea. It was really tasty.
Then no kidding, I passed out for like  14 hours. Who does that?! Me I guess. But only once in awhile, when my body is in fight mode. I let myself sleep in and went to work totally refreshed so it was worth it!
I was craving turnips and brussels sprouts. hahaha. Weird food craving!! But I indulged myself.
broc
I also made up some quick oatmeal crackers. The thing I love about these is that there is no recipe. I just dump in some oatmeal, mealy bananers, and spice that up. Roll out and pop in the oven till crispy. So yummy. I like to cut it into strips, throw in the toaster and eat with almond butter.
crackers
For dinner I wasn't overly hungry and just made up a quick shrimp salad. I used some mustard, chipotles and thinned it with some water and apple cider for a dressing.
shrimp
I did however receive an interesting email about a cookie dough hummus. Sounds delish, right?! So I gave it a whirl and adjusted it a bit. This is what I ended up with.
hummus
Cookie Dough Hummus
  • 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup 
  • 1 tsp. maple extract
  • 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
  • 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
  • 1 tablespoon instant oatmeal
  • 1 tablespoon shredded coconut
  • 2 packets Stevia in the Raw
  • pinch of sea salt
Place all ingredients into food processor except for the beans, oatmeal and coconut shreds. Process until smooth. Add in the rest of the ingredients. Season to taste.
I really liked this. I was skeptical at first but dipping into it the maple flavor was really nice against the chickpeas. Yum! It was something different and I think I'm going to be eating this a lot! I have it sitting in the fridge and I think it will be even better tomorrow once the flavors marry up a bit. Would be awesome with some dried fruits or dark chocolate chips pieces maybe.
stevia
I've been really loving Stevia in the Raw lately. I don't really use a lot of sugar or like my foods too sweet but once in awhile I really like adding this for a subtle flavor. Although right now I do have a bit of a sweet tooth and I found these chips that are amazing!
chip
OMG! They taste like churros. So good. They are super crunchy, short ingredient list with all recognizable ingredients and only 110 calories for 27 chips. I used to be a huge calorie counter (Im trying to get away from it..) But it had some good stats I think. I already ate a bag this week. So good! It really curbs my crunchy sweet cravings big time.

I gotta say, I'm a bit glad for my rest days. I was charging ahead a bit too hard and when you bonk I think its just your body’s way of slowin down. But now I feel really rested and am ready to get back in action! Did you ever have days where you hit walls? I've been a bit MIA due to my in-laws in town (which was really fun) and my sleep-a-thon. So I was hoping everyone’s week has been going awesome!! Id love to hear about it! Any news? I'm off to Vegas this weekend which will be fun. Its been raining like crazy here, no kidding it even hailed here. I had no idea L.A even got hail! Crazy I tell ya, I hope it lets up soon…its a monsoon out there!!
I hope everyone is having one fantastic week so far!

Fabulous Jewlery giveaway! 
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40 comments:

  1. sleep is so important! glad you got recharged :) i've had other sesmark flavors but never seen that cinnamon kind, yum! have fun in vegas girl!

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  2. 14 hours is insane! So glad you feel better now.
    Have a great time in Vegas...check out Bobby Flay's restaurant Mesa Grill. It is delicious!

    Thanks for the details on the dates/cashews. I really want to make them asap.

    This rain is crazy. Kind of nice as long as I don't have to drive too much in it!

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  3. "Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, stevia and some almond milk I heated then seeped in some vanilla black tea for a quick mock chai tea." I love cloves and i bet that was just lovely!

    The cookie dough hummus. I am the only blogger who really cant handle too much hummus b/c the beans and I dont get along. If I could handle hummus, THIS would be the one Id check out first!

    And the Stevia in the Raw. Have you had other stevia? Sweetleaf, NuNaturals, etc? Comparisons, please! if you have :)
    oxoxo

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  4. Rest Days are so important- our bodies definetly tell us when they need it, so its good when we listen :)

    Those cinnamon sugar chips sound heavenly! I'm in love with Newman's Own Organics soy crisps. Same calorie count (which I don't really focus on either but was still impressed!)

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  5. Totally agree with you about rest days - our bodies are complex things and we definitely need to give them a break every once in a while...! Glad you're feeling better after some sleep!

    Oh and cookie dough hummus? Sounds strangely delicious...!! Have a lovely day!

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  6. I could use 14 hours of sleep right about now!

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  7. ohh girl your body was def tellign you something!! i think its great that you slept for 14 hours! you needed it from what it sounds like :) I <3 my rest days too, and you know wha tthey say, you make the most progresss from your workouts OUTSIDE of the gym!

    the cookie dough hummus looks INSANE!! omg i want some right now!! I want to get all of the ingredients and def make that soon!

    cinnamon chips sound SO GOOD!

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  8. I love the idea of the cookie dough hummus, yum!

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  9. i like sweet things...and must have sugar, stevia, maple syrup, honey, etc :)
    That hummus sounds great! And the chips looks yum.

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  10. MMMMM cookie dough hummus. AMAZING!

    i need to try!

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  11. Way to go with listening to your body and I'm glad you were able to get the sleep you needed! It's so tempting to ignore those cues and push through a workout or busy day, but I always end up paying for it in the end.

    BTW, cookie dough hummus sounds divine!

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  12. sooo important to rest your body..especially when it is tired! glad you are resting up :)
    umm that hummus!! i need that ASAP!

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  13. Woh! Your hummus sounds AMAZING. I normally don't like hummus, but that's because it has tahini and doesnt taste like cookies, so I'm sure I'd LOVE that

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  14. Good for you for listening to your body. I really need to do that more often! I used to tell myself that I would just run/sweat out any viruses or bacteria. And it worked. but it definitely still made me tired.

    That hummus sounds delicious! I have a super huge sweet tooth. I bet it would be great on sandwiches....

    Have fun in vegas! I've never been, but I hear its awesome.

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  15. I would have never thought of cookie dough hummus/ I'll have to try it out!

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  16. that hummus sounds awesome. i've been meaning to try out a dessert hummus, maybe this will get me to do it :)

    sounds like you needed the rest, glad you listened to your body!!!

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  17. I like the oatmeal cracker idea!

    I'm not sure about sweet hummus though....

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  18. Glad you listened to your body and got some rest! I rarely get sick any more too and I totally think its due to all the veggies and fruits I eat!That cookie dough hummus sounds out of this world. I bet apples dipped in this would be innnncredible!

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  19. ahaha thank you kindly ! it means a lot coming from a hot mama such as yourself!
    glad you liked the banana pic. i think it's great too. lame? nOPE!
    GIRL- FOUR A WEEK! NO WAY! hahha i can't eat that much! it's hard enough to eat it all by myself! =D
    awww i know, the rain sucks! one day you and i will run out and play in the rain like teeny boppers!

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  20. Lucky girl going to VEGAS!!!!!!!! Wooohooo!!! Love it!!! You will have a blast!!!

    14 hours of sleep!!! Wow!! I wish I could get sleep like that, nope not here, got a pug chewing at my leg, my son asking a million questions, and my fiance wanting love after a long work day! No sleep in my world over here!!!!

    Love the Cookie Dough Hummus, I bet its amazing!!!!

    Yes Whole Foods is my little getaway/vacation! I love going there, its the best!!!!!

    Love ya and have a blast this weekend!!!

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  21. Cookie dough hummus? Wow that sounds interesting! What would you put this on? I actually just saw a choc. chip cookie recipe with garbanzo beans in it the other day, and they looked great.

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  22. so glad you enjoy your rest days :) and omg cookie dough hummus sounds so weird but i be tit tastes really good!! haha..interesting :) ahh have so much fun in vegas lucky!

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  23. Pretty easy to indulge in those kind of cravings. I absolutely love Brussels sprouts. They're up there on my favorite foods list.

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  24. AMEN to sleep=recovery!! I did the exact same thing yesterday and it was amazing! I hate to take off days...but sometimes they are very very necessary! I'm always craving BRUSSELS! :) delicious hummus, thanks for sharing the recipe!!

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  25. Oh wow you needed some serious R&R eh? Glad you were able to indulge it. And hold the phone, cookie dough hummus?! I thought I came up with some bizarre food hybrids, but this one is really brilliant! Oh mah gawd.

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  26. when i get 14 hours of sleep i feel UNSTOPPABLE.

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  27. Wow, cookie dough hummus sounds so cool. I bet it would be a conversation starter at a party! :)

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  28. that sounds like the most crazy hummus!!
    i bet on those oat crakers would be fantastic!!

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  29. really? You make oatmeal crackers that easily? I've never heard of that but they look amazing!!!

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  30. wow, that hummus sounds so good and different!

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  31. Oh wow that hummus sounds delicous!! anything cookie dough flavor is good in my book!

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  32. way to go for going home and sleeping :) so awesome that you just listened to your body and did you thang.

    mmm shrimpies and mustard is one of my favs!

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  33. cookie dough hummus-love that!

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  34. Good for you for knowing when to stop! Sometimes our bodies are just not meant to be pushed.

    That hummus looks AMAZING!

    Have a great weekend, Chrysta!

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  35. I'm glad you were able to sleep off your sickness. And that you listend to your body! It has taken me such a long time to learn to listen to my body...

    The chai latte sounds fantastic! I'll have to "borrow" that recipe...

    Hope you are having fun in Vegas! I'm jealous! :)

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  36. Wow, well im glad your feeling better =)
    One of the most important things ive learned too is to listen to your body.

    Oh and cookie dough hummus - yes please! Hummus and cookie dough are two of my favorite things, so stick them together and you have got to have a delish creation. I will try it soon!

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  37. Glad you felt better after some rest! Sometimes that's just what the body needs. I've been really fortunate this season in the midst of so many colds/flu, and I'm also convinced it has to do with fruits/veggies!

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  38. I'm a big fan of Stevia in the Raw myself! :)

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  39. Cookie dough hummus? Crazy talk! I need to try it :D

    I love shrimp salads. Your oatmeal cracker idea is genius, I will definitely be attempting to make those sometime soon.

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  40. oh you are such an early bird!! 6am in the gym? I wish I can get up that early too and get the day start energetically!

    I slept a lot these days too, maybe as a result of jet lag....but I think it's a good idea to let the body follow its own rhythm-if we feel sleepy,we can just hit the sack. I am sure the body will recover and back to normal very soon.

    Hope your tomorrow is rejuvenated after good rest !

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