National Peanut Butter Day

Happy National Peanut Butter Day!!

Brad Pitt loves peanut butter.

When someone says they don’t like peanut butter.

Peanut Butter Fun Facts!

(Source)

By the Numbers

• There are enough peanuts in one acre to make 30,000 peanut butter sandwiches.
• Delta Airlines purchased 69.6 million packs of peanuts for its passengers in 2013
• By law, any product labeled “peanut butter” in the United States must be at least 90 percent peanuts.
• The world’s largest peanut butter factory churns out 250,000 jars of the tasty treat every day.
• Four of the top 10 candy bars manufactured in the USA contain peanuts or peanut butter.
• Americans spend almost $800 million a year on peanut butter.
• Peanuts are the #1 snack nut consumed in the U.S., accounting for two-thirds of the snack nut market.

Consumption Facts

• The Huffington Post (Sept. 2014) asked, “What makes the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich?  Results show, 36 % say strawberry jam is favorite (grape is 31%); favorite bread is white bread (54%); favorite type of peanut butter is smooth (56%) and a whopping 80 % like their PB & J with the crust left on the sandwich.
• The average American consumes more than six pounds of peanuts and peanut butter products each year.
• The amount of peanut butter eaten in a year could wrap the earth in a ribbon of 18-ounce peanut butter jars one and one-third times.

Peanuts Made Famous

• Two peanut farmers have been elected president of the USA – Thomas Jefferson and Jimmy Carter.
• Astronaut Alan Shepard brought a peanut with him to the moon.
• Peanut butter was the secret behind “Mr. Ed,” TV’s talking horse. Spreading peanut butter inside the horse’s mouth created a natural talking movement every time the animal moved his sticky jaws.
• Former President Bill Clinton confessed that one of his favorite sandwiches is peanut butter and banana; also reported to have been the favorite of Elvis “the King” Presley.
  

World Records

• Grand Saline, TX holds the title for the world’s largest peanut butter and jelly sandwich weighing in at 1,342 pounds.
• Adrian Finch of Australia holds the Guinness World Record for peanut throwing, launching the lovable legume 111 feet and 10 inches in 1999 to claim the record.
• In August 1976, Tom Miller, a University of Colorado student, pushed a peanut to the top of Pike’s Peak with his nose(14,100 feet!). It took him 4 days, 23 hours,47 minutes and 3 seconds.

How do you like your peanuts?

• People living on the East Coast prefer creamy peanut butter, while those on the West Coast prefer the crunchy style.
• Sixty percent of consumers prefer creamy peanut butter over crunchy.
• Peanut butter is the leading use of peanuts in the USA.
• “Boiled peanuts” are considered a delicacy in the peanut growing areas of the South. Freshly harvested peanuts are boiled in supersaturated salt water until they are of a soft bean like texture.

Nutrition Facts

• Peanuts have more protein, niacin, folate and phytosterols than any nut.
• Peanuts and peanut butter contain over 30 essential nutrients and phytonutrients.
• Peanuts are naturally cholesterol-free.

In our Language

• Goober—a nickname for peanuts—comes from “nguba”, the Congo language name for peanut.
• There are over 700 known phobias. Archibutyrophobia (pronounced A’-ra-kid-bu-ti-ro-pho-bi-a) is the fear of getting peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth.
• “Peanut Gallery” became popular in the late 19th century and referred to the rear or uppermost seats in a theater, which were also the cheapest seats. People seated in such a gallery were able to throw peanuts, a common food at theaters, at those seated below them. It also applied to the first row of seats in a movie theater, for the occupants of those seats could throw peanuts at the stage, stating their displeasure with the performance.

Wanna hear a peanut butter joke?  Nah…you’ll just spread it around.

What’s your favorite peanut butter candy?  Mine is a Reeses Cup

What flavor jelly do you prefer on a PB&J?  I know it’s weird but I love apple butter.

Crunchy or Smooth?  Smooth

What’s your favorite brand of peanut butter?

#choosejoy

Roasted Cauliflower & Mushroom Quinoa

I absolutely love this warm quinoa salad! It includes so many of my favorite foods: roasted cauliflower and mushrooms, quinoa, pine nuts, and feta…all combined with an easy balsamic vinaigrette. It’s hearty, healthy and so simple to make for a weeknight dinner.

Let’s get started!

Chop the cauliflower into florets.

Quarter the mushrooms.  I used baby bellas.

Toss the cauliflower and mushrooms in the olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme.  Spread into a single layer on a baking sheet.

Roast in a 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes mixing halfway through.

While the vegetables are roasting, cook the quinoa.  Start by rinsing 1 cup on quinoa.

I used a red quinoa, but any type will do.

Add 1 3/4 cup vegetable broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the broth is absorbed.  Then let sit for 5 minutes covered.

Next assemble the vinaigrette.

Whisk together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper.

Now all that’s left is assembly!

Add the roasted vegetables, toasted pine nuts, and feta to the quinoa.

Drizzle with the balsamic vinaigrette…

And gently mix.

Garnish with some thyme and enjoy!!

Ingredients:

1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
8 ounces mushrooms, quartered
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon thyme, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup quinoa, well rinsed
1 3/4 cups water or broth (I used vegetable broth)
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup goat, feta or blue cheese, crumbled (I used feta)
1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette (recipe below)
1/2 teaspoon thyme, chopped

Balsamic Vinaigrette:

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/2 garlic clove; minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions:

Toss the cauliflower and mushrooms in the olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper, place on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast in a preheated 400F oven until they start to caramelize, about 20-30 minutes, mixing half way through.

Meanwhile, bring the water and quinoa to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the quinoa is tender and has absorbed the water, about 15-20 minutes, remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes, covered.

Mix everything, garnish with thyme, and enjoy.

#choosejoy

Recipe adapted from: Closet Cooking

Sweet Potato Pomegranate Salad

I love all things sweet potatoes and this salad is so light and fresh. It’s the perfect dish for your holiday table. Not only does it taste great, but it looks beautiful and it’s so easy to assemble!

You can also double the recipe if you’re serving a crowd!

First things first, pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.

Peel and slice your sweet potatoes into 1 inch cubes.

Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Bake for 20-30 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender.

While your sweet potatoes are baking assemble the rest of your ingredients.

You can buy the pomegranate arils or you can just buy a whole pomegranate and seed it yourself.  It’s super easy to do.  Just slice it in half, turn it cut side down,  and smack the outside with a wooden spoon over a bowl.  The seeds will just fall out.  ***I’ll post a video tutorial at the bottom this recipe.

Just look at how many pomegranate arils you get from one pomegranate!

Alright, back to the recipe!  To make the pomegranate dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together pomegranate juice, red wine vinegar, honey, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Once the sweet potatoes are done baking place them into a large bowl.  Add the pomegranate arils, pepitas (roasted pumpkin seeds), and feta cheese.

Pour the pomegranate dressing over the sweet potato salad and gently toss.  Serve and enjoy!  Isn’t it pretty?!

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 teaspoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup pomegranate arils
1/4 cup pepitas
1/3 cup feta cheese

Pomegranate Dressing:

1 Tablespoon pomegranate juice
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the sweet potatoes on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss until sweet potatoes are well coated. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Roast for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until sweet potatoes are tender. Remove from oven.

2. Place the sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Add pomegranate arils, pepitas, and feta cheese.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together pomegranate juice, red wine vinegar, honey, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Drizzle dressing over sweet potato salad. Gently toss. Serve immediately.

***Here’s Martha Stewart’s Video Tutorial on how to easily remove the seeds from a pomegranate:

http://www.marthastewart.com/968034/how-seed-pomegranate#968034

#choosejoy

Recipe adapted from: two peas & their pod

8 Things Runners Should Know About Coffee

Happy National Coffee Day!!!

8 Things Runners Should Know About Coffee from Runner’s World

Caffeine (in coffee or otherwise) improves performance… Hundreds of studies have shown that consuming caffeine before a physical challenge likely helps subjects go farther and faster than when they go without it. This effect holds true in studies of both endurance athletes and sprinters.

…but it works best when timed right… A study last year indicated that the best time to take caffeine for a performance boost is an hour before your event begins.

…and it’s possible to have too much. Research shows that about three to six milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight is all you need to see benefits. (For a 150-pound person, that’s roughly 12 ounces of strong coffee.) Higher doses don’t do more to improve performance, and you run the risk of developing negative side effects like dizziness, anxiety, and heart palpitations.

Coffee boosts your brain. A review published earlier this year examined the difference between the effects of caffeine on its own and the effects of consuming it in coffee. Coffee contains a number of substances (including polyphenols) that have been shown to help people with dementia, stave off Alzheimer’s disease, and positively influence brain health.

Coffee isn’t proven to dehydrate you… Studies have found drinking up to about five cups of coffee has little to no effect on hydration. (However, if coffee tends to “get things moving” for you before a run, consider replenishing what you’ve lost with an electrolyte-rich drink.)

…but you may not need to swallow it to reap benefits. A recent study in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism suggests that receptors in your mouth can sense the presence of caffeine and boost your performance, even when you spit out the drink. Might be helpful in the later miles of a long race, when you’re not feeling up to ingesting any more gels.

Coffee may help post-exercise recovery, too. One study had cyclists ride hard for two days in a row to put them in a glycogen-depleted state. Those who drank a recovery drink with carbs and caffeine rebuilt their glycogen stores by 66 percent more than those who drank only carbs.

You can do more than just drink coffee. If a morning cup just isn’t enough, try topping your pancakes with coffee butter, whipping some coffee into a smoothie, or freezing coffee with herbs for a cold, caffeine-laced treat.

Interesting coffee stats…

Some stellar coffee shop signs…

How to order at Starbucks…

Here’s my morning cup of joe…a Nespresso soy cafe au lait:)

And remember…

Are you a coffee drinker? Daily?  How many cups?
What’s your regular order?

#choosejoy

DC Day 3 and the Cupcake Showdown

I don’t really like to repeat restaurants when I’m on vacation, but my husband asked if we could go back to the Founding Farmers.  Our compromise was to have breakfast there this morning since we had already tried their dinner menu.  He didn’t have any early meetings, so we ran there together.

Check out this giant bowl of oats…literally the size of my head (and I have a big melon)!

He headed back to the hotel to get ready for the day and I set out for the zoo.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo opens at 6am and is free.  It was basically a ghost town during the early morning, so it was easy to cover some ground.

**Side note: I typically have a good sense of direction, but I keep getting turned around in DC.  Thank goodness for google maps when I’m out running.  With a few wrong turns, I ended up with 10 miles roundtrip.

I went back to the hotel gym to lift, clean up and set out for lunch.

I had the best of intentions to get a salad at Sweet Green but couldn’t resist the patio at Circa. The weather was beautiful and the patio made for great people watching by GW.

I still had a salad…it just happened to include prosecco and sweet potato fries. It’s all about balance.

I earned those fries by walking back to the hotel instead of calling a car, right? Speaking of walking, DC calls for sensible flats. I have walked my tuchas off!

 

For dinner, we had tapas at Bodega in Georgetown.

I love tapas, because I get to sample a bunch of dishes.  We shared the Field Green Salad with Pears, Spanish Tortilla, Creamy Mushroom Rice, and Green Beans with Almonds.

I did my best to eat lightly, because we decided to have our own (extremely scientific) cupcake battle between Georgetown Cupcakes and Baked & Wired.  Both came highly recommended, so we just had to visit both shops.  Let’s remember that there are no real losers in a cupcake showdown.

Top (L to R): Vanilla Birthday and Chocolate Ganache from GC Bottom (L to R): The Strawberry and Red Velvet

Hands down Baked & Wired was our favorite!  I’m a frosting lover and the hubs loves the cake.  We both preferred Baked and Wired.

After all of those sweets, we rode some bikes along the river back to our hotel.

Check out the gorgeous sunset!

Our last stop was the Lincoln Memorial.  My pictures don’t do it justice.

Lastly and most importantly, my Grandparents are celebrating their 64th Wedding Anniversary today…absolutely incredible!

Are you a sweet or salty lover?  I am sweets all the way!!!

#choosejoy