The Marin Double

Since I'm off to live in Whistler soon i've been trying to hit all my favorite Marin spots. Cafe Gratitude is a must!

 I convinced my sister to get the BLT i've been meaning to taste and a milkshake. Coconut Maple Bacon is quite delicious. Definitely equal to some of the best tempeh versions.  I will definitely order this in the future, except on a gluten free bun option.  The Mint Chocolate Shake was even better! Their home-made coconut/hemp/chia/cashew ice cream definitely makes it and the cacao-mint-vanilla bean-vitamineralgreen combo tastes exactly the way mint chocolate chip should.

Of course I got my standard I Am Whole Bowl.

As usual, the slightly sweet Teriyaki Almonds balance the Garlic Tahini Sauce perfectly and I love the Sea Kelp, Kale, and Kim Chee (which I stock in my fridge from Whole Foods!).

After the epic mint chip shake  and wanting to try their cacao smoothie (figs and dates sound too good) I had to make one at home for breakfast. Especially b/c I had figs which I went out of my way to get b/c they are so good!

Raw Cacao Breakfast Smoothie

It turned out like an amazing chocolatey creamy smoothie with a hint of berry and pushing the boundaries of smoothie-milkshake without adding ice cream or any dedicated sweetener! A little like pudding and perfectly accompanied by a Bungalow Muncher (think of it like a breakfast muffin, or a dessert cookie, or a granola snack, so versatile!).  I chose one with less carob chips for a more breakfast like cookie and some Herbal Chai as well.

• 1-2T Chia seeds
• Glass of Almond milk
• 1-2T Cacao cacao powder
• 2 Scoops Tera's Bourbon Vanilla Whey
• 2 Fresh Figs
• Handful of Blueberries
• 1 Date
• 1t Vanilla 

I also added a little extra Bungalow Munch on top of the smoothie for some more yummy crunch factor.

It's a little bit expensive and fancy for lunch but I had to do it before I leave. Another Michelin starred restaurant.

Insalatas

 Mediterranean cuisine wins. The Vegetarian Middle Eastern Platter comes with so many goodies.  There's literally so many different epic flavors and spices in each portion it's unbelievable.  Lemony lentils, pistachio in the roasted tomatoes, curry in the sautéed veggies, and possibly paprika in the couscous? I love it. Enough said.

Syrian Fattoush Salad

This isn't just a normal fattoush. It's the best you can buy. The lemon and cumin in the dressing and the mint/cilantro are insane. I did mine sans-pita croutons/feta cheese, so normally it looks like this:

You can sub salmon for chicken and I bet that could be even better. I haven't attempted to make it because I don't think I can do it justice, but the recipe is online. My family has the cookbook as well so I could potentially make the other dish but have the same apprehensiveness. One day...

Is there a cafe gratitude in your area? If so what's your favorite thing?

Bungalow Munchers

As I mentioned before, I needed to try my hand at cookies w/ avocado. Jeri from Bungalow Munch also wanted me to make a Bungalow Munch Cookie recipe. Thus, Bungalow Munchers are born.

Version 1.0: 

 I got a little bit carried away I think with too many ideas trying to fit into one cookie with these, but they are still quite delicious and well on their way to being a solid recipe.

The flavor is superb! If I can get the same flavor but have these present like cookies and not semi crispy granola-mush balls I will be on fire!

Sweet and flavorful yet a only a bit crispy on the outside and pretty mushy like bread pudding (I don't mind at all!) on the inside. The best tasting bread pudding on the planet! Chocolatey (carob) Carroty Granola-y Cinnamon-y Raisin-y goodness! I almost don't even care if they act like cookies or not. 

Version 2.0

I went for more dry ingredients the 2nd go around, and it definitely helped, but I need push it a tad more.  I kept the flavor except with more carrot (yess) and a little less sweet (the middle ground will be best) going from agave nectar to raw cane sugar, so will switch half-half.

(the lighting made them extra yellow, but they actually look more like 2 photos above)

I shaped them how I wanted them to turn out knowing they wouldn't flatten and they ended up much more like cookies! Still a bit soft, not crumbly, but not quite holding together fully either. The changes I'm incorporating below in the recipe should do the trick.

• 4t Egg White powder
• 2T Coconut flour
• 4T Brown rice flour
• 2T Whole Raw Cane Sugar or Brown Sugar
• 2T Agave Nectar
• 1t Cinnamon
• 1/2t Baking powder
• 1 Avocado
• 1/4c Almond butter
• 1t Vanilla
• 1.5c Bungalow Munch Granola
• 1/4c Carob Chips (or chocolate, just didn't have any...) *the more the merrier though!
• 42g Raisins (I had a small kid snack box, didn't measure it)
• 1.75c Shredded Carrot

Mix dry ingredients, food processor/blender/smart stick wet ingredients, add final dry ingredients and bake at 300º at 30-40 min shaped in their final desired form!

Gluten/Dairy Free with delicious carrot, cinnamon, raisins, granola, and carob chips.  The texture of the carrot/chips/granola is so bomb, yummy morsels to bite into in every bite! If you try out this recipe with or without great success please comment/let me know what you think/how it goes because it's one of my only recipes I came up with without really adapting from another one!

Cookies and Cookies

I love all things cookie. Cake, ice cream, pudding, they all don't compare (sometimes ok if they have heavy cookie influence, like Coconut Bliss Ginger Cookie Caramel Crunch!)
Thus:

The Cookies and Cream Parfait!

It's vanilla-y blueberry-nutty banana doughy AND CREAMY. and sweet! Really all I can say is cookies and cream with doughy delicious mushy oats, yogurt, and chewy blueberries / almond butter. Just mix 8 min+ in advance and enjoy.

  And if your a fan of banana, you must add a few frozen slices on top because they are delicious and pair with the almond butter amazingly. I originally made it with bungalow munch but it's just as good with oats if your keeping it healthier. So much protein all around either way at ~30g total!  Also, choco-chai (herbal chai+unsweetened cocoa powder) is officially a good addition inspired by my new favorite morning caffeine tea, Guayaki Mate Chocolatté.
-1/2 serving Tera's Vanilla Bourbon Whey Protein
-100g Non Fat Greek Yogurt
-1/4c Thick Rolled Oats
-2 Tbsp/15g Chia Seeds
-Almond Milk to desired consistency (50g)
-1/4c Blueberries
-1T More AB
-3 Slices Frozen Banana
If your feeling adventurous adding some bee pollen and honey would sweeten and give a nice twist.

So I busted out the Mogul's Cookie Mix. *Edit I found out this is the same stuff. (just add water and ignore the quaker directions)

Pretty stoked on attempt 1! A tad too much water/longer cooking was needed! The key seems to be make 'em real thick and go for lots of fruit. I can't believe how good the mix is so good with few super unhealthy ingredients! The taste is the same as in Whistler just need to master the texture. awesome!

The second time:

YESSS! I can now truly enjoy these Whistler goods whenever I want to.  Fruity-tarty-chocolatey roasted oaty goodness at my fingertips! I am pretty sure the mix is the same as this so I will order some and test it out. More on that soon. And it goes damn well with real Fraiché Froyo and Nonfat greek yogurt.

I shaped them slightly better and cooked a little longer and they turned out dialed (1" thick, 30 minutes at 325º).  This was enjoyed after getting home from a long hard race.  More on the Froyo though:

I checked out Fillmore Street and when I saw fraiche I had to go in (after seeing but not experiencing epic REAL froyo in Sun Valley).  They use local organic yogurt and just add a bit of real organic sugar for taste and freezing qualities and that's it. And all of their toppings are so organic/quality/healthier than normal. I got a pint to take home of Mango and Plain in plans of testing out after my final race of the season yesterday! Combined with the cookie=a quality reward for sure.

Whistler II Home-Mades and More of the Best Ice Cream/Cookies/Burgers

It's so easy to make an awesome creation at Splitz Grill.  I was bummed at first at the no longer avialable gluten free bread, but the wheat wrap slightly toasted actually ended up being delicious.

I got:

• Spicy Lentil Burger
• Baba Ghanoush
• Hummus
• Sprouts
• Cucumber
• Tomato
• Peppers 
• Onion
• Relish

A total Med theme.  Just a bit spicy, it definitely tastes like a burger with just a hint of garden that matches the sprouts. The best additions are the sweet and creamy ones to tame the spice, and the banana peppers were surely too spicy for me, at least on top of the burger.

 The Fuji Market is the best Japanese market ever! Inexpensive freshly made sushi/other foods and more Japanese groceries/items than any other market I've been to. Even than Japan town. I go on the regular.

Another Massive Cookie

There was one Apple Pecan Oatmeal Cookie left so I had to give it a try.  Pecan goes with the roastedness of the oats so well! And there were plenty of them (places often hold back). No chocolate chips and not as sweet as the other cookies.  Combine that with the dense mushiness added by the apple (less airy) and it reminded me of a delicious muffin. It would be even better with a kick of cinnamon! 

The only time i've eaten dairy ice cream in over two years! It's that good.  Cow's only.  At first I wasn't used to it (too sweet/creamy) and didn't care for the taste, but then harniced the flavors. 1 split single scoop in a waffle bowl.

• 1/2 Messie Bessie 
• Chocolate Ice Cream, Moo Crunch, Oreo Cookie, English Toffee
• 1/2 Half Gooey Mooey
• Burnt Sugar Ice Cream (Vanilla+Toffee), English Toffee Marble, Caramel Cups, Chocolate Flakes

    The burnt sugar ice cream tasted like yummy brown sugar or roasted maple syrup, caramelized and delicious. Which of course went with all the carmel and toffee elements.  The on the spot made waffle cones definitely taste like almond oil is a key ingredient and I love it. I could easily go in and buy just the cones. They use all real high quality ingredients and you can tell. The vanilla was epic. I was wishing for more cookies though (my true weakness).

   Unfortunately I found that I still can't digest milk or straight dairy well, only yogurt. I felt this ice cream in my stomach for almos 3 hours!  I also hate the taste of butter since I'm not used to it anymore, and could also taste it/cream on my lips for the rest of the night. Not my favorite feeling, but the ice cream was damn good.

 I went for a turkey burger this time, which is different from the buffalo burger but just as good if your in the mood for it. Also non-corn-fed from B.C.!  I did a sort of sweet spicy Mexi theme. 

• Turkey Burger
• Grilled Pineapple
• Baba Ghanoush
• Salsa
• Guacamole
• Tomato
• Onion
• Pickle
• Dijon Mustard
• Cracked pepper 
• Wheat Wrap

The pineapple, pickles and salsa (little spicy) go so well together along with a bit of onion and then some vegginess from sprouts (my favorite sort of rare burger/sandwich topping).  Gotta have the delicious garlic and roastiness from their epic baba ghanoush as well.

I of course need to get my veggies in and threw lots of salads like this together in the room.  Nothing with real prep or complex ingredients. I dress with lemon mostly because it's not worth buying a whole container of olive oil I know I won't finish!

• Sugar Snap Peas
• Tomato
• Mixed Romaine Lettuce
• Sunflower/Pumpkin Seeds
• Kimchee from the Fuji Market 
• Lemon

Another similar salad, except with these additions:

• Avocado
• Corn
• Spring Mix instead of Romaine
• Cucumber
• Hummus

And the main items were Baked Sweet Potato w/ Greek Yogurt of course and some deli turkey breast. Simple and delicious. Hotel room dining at it's finest.

This is where I could almost say I got tricky. No cooked chicken breast at the market = how to cook chicken without buying oil? I used some kimchee and the liquid from the container it comes in with a bit of extra water and sort of sautéed/broiled the breasts in it. Flavor and spice in one simple ingredient (sort of)! Enjoyed with a sweet potato/hummus and another basic lemon salad. The kimchee tasted even better (more sweet/less spicy) after it got cooked with the chicken.

The usual Bungalow Munch Breakfasts! Easy on the go fosho.

The additions I had were generally:

• Blueberries
• Almonds/Sunflower Seeds/Extra Cashews/Pumpkin Seeds
• Dried Cranberries
• Dates
• Crystalized Ginger/Pineapple
• Dark Chocolate!

With Almond Milk every time! This last one was pre race!

The fastest flavor out there: With Team Specialized! Red Meat Included.

After Oregon came a trip with Team Specialized (only the fastest guys in North America, Max Plaxton and Todd Wells no big deal...).

It's pretty cool when you can say Pro XCT Leader Max Plaxton made you dinner.  If that's not flavor to go fast I don't know what is. He won the pro race the next day and I got third in the juniors and third overall expert (meaning $100!).

Simple clean cooking when resources are limited (rental house) and putting a ton of energy into cooking doesn't fit the bill with trying to focus on racing, but this was delicious anyways. Chicken Breast BBQ'd with Olive Oil, S & P, a Summer Salad of Romaine Lettuce/Mixed Greens, Mushrooms, Red Pepper, Avocado, and Strawberries dressed with basic but dialed Olive Oil, Lemon, S&P, and Mustard. And a baked Sweet Potato. I am definitely down with berries and mushrooms in summer salads now!

More Bungalow-To Go Munch Granola for Breakfast. Had to go with the water-protein powder combo for my binding agent, and since I didn't use a lot I went for a ton of berries which was quite delicious. More crunchy and fruity than usual and I didn't mind at all. Blackberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, and Banana for the win pre race (well, at least the 3rd)!

 The second night some friends from Minnesota BBQ'd Venison.  I'm introducing a slight shift to my diet after some knew knowledge. I'll eat red meat occasionally in moderation ONLY if it is free range grass fed etc.  I am digging an idea that was brought to my attention that the reason things like red meat, dairy, and egg yolks have unhealthy aspects is because of our unnatural farming techniques.  My basic healthy ways still apply to most conventional eating, but when there is all natural food available, things change. The main thing to take away is you are what you eat BUT also you are what IT eats.  Aka corn, pesticides, and medical injections as opposed to all natural grass. thank you Specialized Marketing Manager Sean Estes!

This meal fit that bill perfectly. Sean's friend Rich shot and gutted this deer himself. We had meat from the ass (literally labeled 'Big Ass' in a freezer bag) in a loin and some leg turned into Brats.  I had a little bit (moderation still key) and it was pretty good, yet i'm still not a massive fan of the red meat taste.  We all cooked a bit that night so had some more of a similar Summer Salad, a delicious Mexican Black Bean Salad which i'm definitely going to be making more of, Pico De Gallo, BBQ'd Aspargus, and Baked Sweet Potatoes.  The Cilantro-Onion-Lemon-Lime-Tomato combo for the black bean salad and Pico is bomb.

I'm starting this book to explore in detail this new idea to bring to healthy eating (Sean recommended).

Mega Ashland: Grilla Bites, Standing Stone Brewery, Bungalow-To Go Munch

I love Ashland. As a healthy living foodie this comes naturally with all the available alternative and green markets (Market of Choice=Whole Foods times 4), coffee shops, cafes, and restaurants. Then add in the first taste of summer with some of the most epic trails, and a massive race around it all with a huge industry gathering and there's nothing better.

We ate two nights in a row at the Standing Stone Brewery. No this wouldn't be cheap bar food. First night I had the Tempeh Stir Fry!

Organic Tempeh, Cashews, Bok Choy, Napa Cabbage, Mung Bean Sprouts and Seasonal Veggies in a Pan Asian Black Bean Sauce over Lundberg Organic Rice

Tons of good stir fry vegetables and delicious tempeh and brown rice, all cooked perfectly and accompanied by as much or as little of a sweet Asian Ginger-Chile like sauce that has just a hint of spice. And crunchy cashews!

Chicken Marsala:
Free Range Natural Chicken Breast in Mushroom Marsala with Polenta
The next night I went with the chicken over polenta with mushrooms and some of the same vegetables. I love the texture of polenta. It was meant to be made with butter but the request for olive oil substitute was perfect! The vegetables did work a little bit better in an asian stir fry setting however.

I'm finding that my go to breakfast that's fast and easy for travel is Bungalow munch granola!
With both/or (based on availability):

• Almond milk or water
• Whey or plant fusion protein powder
• Dried / fresh blueberries

It's tasty, nutritionally balanced, and goes down easy. You can't go wrong!

Last but not least, my favorite spot in Ashland from last year: Grilla Bites!

At first my developed taste from then to now let me down eyeing the menu as nothing stood out to my new ways and standards...

They have many delicious sandwiches but I wasn't stoked on eating wheat and not so sure about rice bread as a gluten free bread. It sounded kind of lame.

Little did I know! Toasted it holds together nicely and tastes awesome. I even bought a loaf from the Market of Choice and have been enjoying it already.

I got the 'BLT' which has Soy Bacon which I've never had before. It fooled me and tasted good, and I don't even really like bacon. The guacamole, veggies, and turkey all went so well together and the hummus they include is AMAZING. Garlic and herbs for days and not too creamy.  I took the cheese out.

My other epic new discovery was Annie's Goddess Dressing! I asked for no Mayo and was confused why there was still a creamy delicious sauce.  Turns out it's a Tahini, Oil, and Lemon based salad dressing that TJ's offers as well! I've already bought and used it frequently.

Then there's the salad bar! First glance looks like a basic DIY salad bar but once you get into it there's so many surprises:

• Banana chips
• All kinds of beans
• Sprouts
• All kinds of seeds/nuts
• Dried fruit

 Then you get to the end and it get's better! Some mixed salad dressings, basic Olive oil and vinegars, but the stand outs are nutritional yeast, herb mixes, sesame seeds, and Braggs Liquid Aminos! No where else...
I pretty much hit up a bit of everything and it worked out great.  I also bought a Jungle Juice, dialed as well (Beet Ginger Apple Carrot). Can't wait for next year!

Germany Part II: Lunches Dinners and Dessert

So between traveling and graduating high school I've been a bit behind the ball but here's what I got from the rest of my trip and I should be back on to blogging some tasty eats now.

 Friday at the farm = Fresh bread day!

 Wheat Loaves and Nuss bread (sweet hazelnut almond paste bread that tastes like donuts) galore.  All the apartments fill with the best smell on the planet and by mid morning the farm store is stocked.

Especially with my recent shift from wheat/gluten, I'm not a big fan of bread unless it's super quality hearty whole wheat, but this was balanced between sourdough and whole wheat perfectly. I held back from finishing the loaf.

I enjoyed a fatty slice of it with some Honey AB, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, jam, and egg whites!  Along side the usual fruit muesli bowl.  So tasty.

 BBQ Night

Dinner was brought every night by the same people, and changed slighlty from time to time, but a good night (for my diet/taste) consisted of turkey or chicken, some shredded carrots marinated in a vinegar dressing (super sweet!), salad with vinaigrette, sometimes cooked carrots in sort of a gravyish sauce (not the gross kind), and rice.

 Our BBQ night was quite epic though. We celebrated the weekend's racing and U23 riders finishing their stay.  All the best local meat with various delicious seasonings (some Carraway Seed was in their for sure), and yummy vegetable kabobs as well.

Stephen Ettinger and Jack Terry Hinkens do work (BMC MTB Development Team).

Another standard dinner of turkey, the cooked and raw carrots, rice, and salad.

For lunch I'd usually throw some leftovers together with salad from the local vegetables along with some hard boiled egg whites or turkey and occasionally avocado.  We went through so many eggs just for the whites! Farm fresh are so good.  I pretty much just used mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper to dress as there wasn't much else available.

Post Race Numero Uno

A post race bar that seemed common through out German markets, a chocolatey glazed tasty compilation of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, and dried cranberries! Kind of like a trail mix rocky road party.

One night we decided to go for one of the pies that were made on Fridays.  It was like a delicious caramel cheesecake. Along with a Kilo of Nutella and 500g of Strawberries and some Apple Juice.  Doing work! Keegan and I lived downstairs in the dungeon but the other 4 juniors on the top floor went through about 2 kg of Muesli and maybe 700g of Nutella every two days. A bunch of bottomless pits!

Post Race Super Feast Numero 2

After the second race we gathered and sat down to indulge in as much as possible. The rest of the delicious cheesecake pie and a massive bowl of Nutella, Fruit Muesli and Crunchy Nut Muesli (that's basically granola), Yogurt, and Cherries.  All more or less mixed together. I felt like splurging and it was so satisfying.

Casey Williams and Ryan Geiger appearance (teammates)

    This dinner was perfect for the last day and post race.  After eating a decadent feast like the one above I usually feel like just eating a clean plate of chicken and vegetables for dinner and this hit the spot perfectly. The chicken was originally covered in a creamy tan colored sauce but those of us trying to keep our normal diets just rinsed with water, leaving just a hint of flavor which was bomb.  Along with salad, cooked Green Beans w/ Onion, Avocado, some Spaetzle (fried egg noodle pasta), and a rice cake.

Last but not least here's a little video edit with some more food and action from the trip!