Just J.Faye

Hiking & Other Adventures

Superset Tabata Clover Workout

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Hi friends. Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I put together a fun clover-inspired superset Tabata workout that will leave you feeling as happy as a leprechaun… assuming that leprechauns are super happy. I think they probably are. You know, all those pots of gold and stuff.

Superset Tabata Clover Workout

This workout doesn’t require any equipment. Meaning, you can do it anywhere.

It will take you less than 20 minutes to complete. Meaning, you can squeeze this in between work and meeting up with friends for a green beer and a dinner of corned beef and cabbage.

How perfect is that? It’s a lucky day for all of us.

This Tabata features four supersets, one for each lucky clover leaf. In true Tabata form we are going to work really, really hard for 20 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds. We will switch between the first and second exercises in first clover leaf until 4 rounds (4 minutes) has been completed. Then we rest for a minute and move onto the second clover leaf following the same pattern.

Here’s the game plan:

Superset Tabata Clover Workout

Each clover leaf features one strength and one plyometric/cardio exercise. We want our heart to work and our muscles to be sore. Remember, the key to Tabata workouts are to really push it for those 20 seconds so that afterwards you get to experience all of those metabolism-boosting, fat-burning rewards afterwards.

Feel free to progress the squats and alternating lunges by adding weights or biceps/hammer curls with dumbbells; however, drop them when you get to the jumps. I have used the Seconds and Interval Timer apps to keep time, but there are a lot of free ones out there too! If you have questions on any of the exercises or how to progress/regress them, just shoot me a note in the comments!

Do know this, just because this is a St. Patrick’s Day clover-inspired workout you are welcome to do this on other days of the year too. Lucky clovers are applicable everyday. Plus, you could also consider it 4-H themed, which is also relevant year round.

Shout out to all the Irish and 4-H’ers out there!! Have a happy St. Patty’s Day!

PS – If you liked this one make sure to check out these: Superset Tabata, 20-Minute Plyo Tabata, 4th of July Tabata Workout.

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Healthy Almond Banana Bread Bites (vegan, gluten-free, paleo)

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Sometimes it’s ok to eat ugly food, you know? Not every.single.thing you put in your mouth has to be pinterest-perfect gorgeous. These almond banana bread bites are perfect examples.

healthy almond banana bread bites So, no. These little guys aren’t the most attractive things I have ever made, but it’s ok and I will give you three reasons why it is ok:

  1. They are good for you. These are healthy, vegan, gluten-free, paleo “cookies” full of good for you ingredients.
  2. They are super simple. These bites can be made entirely in a food processor and only require 6 ingredients, one of which is water.
  3. They are, most importantly, delicious. They taste like little bites of banana bread (which leads them to be very appropriately named).

Is that enough to convince you to dust off your food processor and find a ripe banana?

Good gracious, I hope so.

healthy almond banana bread bites These healthy almond banana bread bites are perfect for so many occasions: breakfast, morning snack, lunch dessert, afternoon snack, afternoon snack dessert, pre-workout snack, post-workout snack, dinner dessert, mid-night snack. Basically, they are perfect for any time of day.

Now that I am a few weeks into marathon training, I am hungry all of the time. It’s key to have something that I can grab for a quick tie-me-over-until-my-next-meal snack and I already overdose on raw fruits and veggies as it is. Or I’ll just round out my handful of carrots with one of these guys.

These bites seem like sinful cookies, but they are not. They seem like a guilty treat, but they are not. They seem ugly, but they… are.

Looks are not everything, people! It’s what is inside that counts. Inside these we have almond butter, almond meal, banana, flax, and a little bit of maple syrup to sweeten things up – all simple, delicious, good for you, happy ingredients!

After plopping 6 plops onto a baking pan I decided to add chocolate chips to the remaining batter. These are for the days when I’m all like, “I don’t care if chocolate chips aren’t vegan, gluten-free, or paleo. I am none of those things either and today I will eat chocolate. Plus, antioxidants.” Add them. Don’t add them. Find vegan, gluten-free, paleo chocolate chips. Whatever choice you decide to make is the right one.

healthy almond banana bread bites Now let’s talk about how these are made. I essentially made my own almond butter by toasting almonds in the oven and processing them in a food processor. Then I added the remaining ingredients and processed until everything was combined. Ta da! The batter is done.

If you already have almond butter (peanut butter would also work) on hand you are more than welcome to use that. Just know that oftentimes store-bought brands come with extra oils and sugars. If you have never made your own almond butter before I encourage you to try it out!

I am still pretty new to using almond meal in recipes, but I like it. I found mine at Trader Joe’s, but I am sure they sell it elsewhere. If you aren’t able to find some, throw an extra cup of almonds in the food processor and process them until they become very, very small almond crumbs. Then take out a cup and let the remainder become butter.

Once you’re set, plop rounded tablespoons of the batter on a lined cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. I kept mine closer to the under-baked side of the spectrum so they are nice and chewy.

I like to keep these almond banana bread bites in the freezer, because I like eating cold things. Plus, they will last longer that way; however, if you make these and eat the whole batch (a delightful baker’s dozen) within four days I wouldn’t feel guilty about it.

healthy almond banana bread bites Oh, and you know what!? These would be perfect little snacks to keep in your purse/pocket/backpack for when you need some healthy sustenance in between green beers, assuming that you are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day today. I am celebrating it in Chicago and shortly after I press the “submit” button to this post I will be out the door to go awe at the green-dyed river and partake in some festivities!

If you aren’t celebrating St. Patrick’s Day today, you can still make them and keep them in your purse/pocket/backpack for when you need some healthy sustenance.

Healthy Almond Banana Bread Bites (vegan, gluten-free, paleo)
 
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These almond banana bites are super healthy and easy to make! They only require 6 good for you ingredients and can be made completely in a food processor. These bites are delicious, healthy snacks that will keep you happy and satisfied. Add some dark chocolate chips for an extra treat.
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Serves: 13
Ingredients
  • ½ cup raw almonds (or roasted almonds, almond butter, or peanut butter)
  • 1 tablespoon flax meal
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1 cup almond meal
  • ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat map.
  2. Make the flax egg by combining the flax meal and water in a small cup.
  3. Spread the almonds on a bake sheet and pop them in the oven. The oven doesn’t have to be fully preheated to 350 at this time. Toast them until fragrant, but be careful not to burn them, usually 5-10 minutes. (If you have roasted almonds you can skip this step)
  4. Place toasted almonds in the bowl of a food processor and process until it reaches the consistency of almond butter. This can take anywhere 5-10 minutes depending on the power of your food processor. (If you are using store bought almond or peanut butter you can skip this step too).
  5. Add the remaining ingredients (including the flax egg) to the bowl of the food processor and process until everything is combined.
  6. Drop “batter” by the rounded tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheet.
  7. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let them sit on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  8. Keep almond banana bread bites in an airtight container for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 3 months.
Notes
You can replace the raw almonds and use store bought almond or peanut butter instead. Just skip the 2nd and 3rd steps.

You can make your own almond meal by processing almonds in a food processor until it reaches a fine crumb.

If you don't have a food processor a high-powered blender should work just fine. If you don't have either of those use store bought almond butter and mix everything together with an electric mixer.

healthy almond banana bread bites

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California Things

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California Things My mom, sister, and I decided to take a mother/daughter trip out to California to visit family and go wine tasting. It was glorious.

After talking about muffins, running the Hot Dash, and having my people over for lunch on Saturday, my mom, Jaci, and I headed to the airport and flew west to California! Jaci and I hung out with my cousin and her fiancé (Michelle and Shawn) Saturday night in Oakland and then explored San Francisco all day on Sunday. My mom stayed with my aunt and uncle (Linda and Terry) on Saturday and Sunday. Then on Monday my mom, Jaci, Linda, and Terry went wine tasting all afternoon in Sonoma.

Instead of sharing my normal Thursday Things I am sharing a fun set of California Things.

THE WEATHER.

California Things We couldn’t have asked for more beautiful weather! After weeks (months!) of harsh Minnesota winter it was great to finally feel the warmth of sunshine on my skin and be able to wear a dress without tights. Of course in true San Francisco form it was foggy in the morning, but after it burned off the sun was out and temps reached up to the mid-70s.

The temperature has actually been pretty spring-like in Minneapolis as well, so this made coming back to real life significantly easier!

THE FOOD.

California Things Oh, the food! Everything was so delicious. Here are the highlights:

  • Brunch at Boot and Shoe Service in Oakland. I had the gulf coast white shrimp and it was phenomenal – very unlike any other brunch dish I’ve ever had. Jaci and Michelle got the corned beef hash and Shawn got the fried egg sandwich, which all looked very delicious as well.
  • Beers at Zeitgeist in San Francisco. This place had a beer garden and we wanted to take advantage of the sunshine. Here I remembered how much I like Magic Hat #9.
  • Burritos at Taqueria Cancun on Mission Street in San Francisco. These burritos were AMAZING. The el pastor is marinated with pineapple and then grilled to perfection. I got the “super burrito” without the tortilla. It was enough food for days, but I ate it in one sitting. My sister left a portion of her burrito (which was the size of a small baby) at the table and then we saw a homeless person come in a take it while we were in the bathroom line – a charitable donation.
  • Drinks at the View Lounge in the Marriott downtown San Francisco. Here it is all about the view, so it is very appropriately named. The bar looks out onto San Francisco and it is so gorgeous, especially as the sun in setting. We (me, Jaci, Michelle, and Shawn) met up with the rest of the crew (Mom, Linda, and Terry) for one last cocktail. One of my college girlfriends and her husband also met up with us here, which was a special treat.
  • Picnic at Imagery Estate Winery in Sonoma. After our first wine tasting we stopped to pick up picnic food before heading to Imagery Estate. We got salami, cheese, crackers, and chocolate at the Kenwood Market, then stopped at VJB Vineyard and Cellars for salads and sandwiches. I was drooling over everything in VJB, it all just looked so good. After much debate we ended up with a salmon panini, pancetta eggplant melt, sausage and pepper sandwich, antipasto, and potato salad. Yummmm.
  • Dinner at Hops and Hominy in downtown San Francisco. On Monday night we met up with Michelle and Shawn for one last dinner. This restaurant was cozy and very cool with a menu of many delicious looking things. We got some cornbread to share at the table. My sister and I split the black-eyed pea fritters and bacon-wrapped asparagus. I also had the kale & quinoa salad and stole a few of my mom’s chicken wings. Just delicious. Everything.

I never went hungry the entire time in California. It was a very happy time.

THE WINERIES.

We spent Monday afternoon wine tasting in Sonoma, but kicked-off our trip with a bottle of Malbec at the airport (because, vacation!)

California Things Linda and Terry know the area well and are members at a few locations, so mom, Jaci, and I just followed their lead. This was perfect, because we are terrible at making decisions. Like, really bad at it.

First stop: Chateau St. Jean.

California Things We did a reserve tasting of 5 different wines: Fume Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Malbec. The wines were all amazing and it made me happy to end with a Malbec (my favorite). The chateau grounds were gorgeous and we were able to enjoy our tasting outside with the beautiful sun and views. Our hostess was so much fun. She chatted with us, told us the history of the vineyard, and showed us around the house. It was tempting to just stay there all day, but then we realized we had a few more to go to.

Second stop: Imagery Estate Winery.

California Things Instead of doing a full tasting, we just bought a bottle to drink while we had our picnic. However, we did do some sampling first. Their Code Blue is a Syrah that is also made with blueberries. It was so interesting! It isn’t a sweet wine, like you may think with the blueberries, but rather a classic Syrah with bursts of blueberries. We also tried the Mourvedre, but ended up choosing the Primitivo.

Then we claimed a picnic table, poured the wine, spread out the food, and enjoyed sunshine. Picnics at wineries are one of my absolute favorite things. It brought back memories to many-a picnic at Arrington Vineyards from when I lived in Tennessee.

After devouring the food and wine Terry and Linda played bocce ball and horseshoes while Mom, Jaci, and I relaxed in some Adirondack chairs. Can I just do that everyday?!

Final stop: Gloria Ferrer.

California Things We rounded out the afternoon with a glass of bubbly and yet another gorgeous view. By this point in time we were all pretty beat. I forgot how draining the sun can be… or was it the wine? Either way, we were exhausted, but oh so happy. Terry had the Blanc de Blancs and Mom, Jaci, and I had the Royal Cuvee.

It was such a fun afternoon. I have been out to wine country with some girlfriends before (where we stopped at 7 or 8 – how?!), but it was the first time for my mom and sister, so it was fun to share it with them. Plus, Terry and Linda are always such a blast. Silly times.

THE VIEWS.

San Francisco and Sonoma are full of such beautiful views! Some of my favorites were…

Bernal Heights Hill in San Francisco.

California Things Seriously, all of those buildings! There are just so many. Plus, there are adorable dogs running around.

China Beach in San Francisco.

California Things The drive to the beach was a sight in itself – so many gorgeous houses! It’s mind bottling (you know, when things are so crazy it gets your thoughts all trapped, like in a bottle? – name that movie!). But for real, what do these people do for a living?! I was seconds away from knocking on doors and conducting a survey…

Anyway, the view of the Golden Gate and never-ending ocean was beautiful. We had some fun taking pictures. On the way up the steps to our car, people were coming down carrying a mermaid costume. It was so tempting to turn around and spy on them…

Lands End in San Francisco.

California Things We took in this view from the top and didn’t walk down to the bottom, because it was windy and we were getting tired.

Then there was pretty much everywhere you looked in Sonoma, but I already shared most of my view pictures above.

THE FAMILY TIME.

The biggest draw to this trip was the mother/daughter time with Mom and Jaci. They are both so much fun and after some stressful weeks, they were both ready for a relaxing get-away. They are both so incredible, I can’t even describe how much I love and enjoy hanging out with them.

California Things Jaci and I also got to spend some good quality cousin time with Michelle and Shawn. I can’t remember the last time we got to hang out that much at one time. They were wonderful tour guides and even got Jaci to make a decision on something she wanted to do/see (the Full House houses). We did a lot of reminiscing, talking about our Duesterhoeft traits (the good, the bad, and the ugly), eating, laughing, and wishing we could hang out this much all the time.

California Things There were also a lot of fun times with Terry and Linda. I used to see them quite a bit when they lived in Minnesota and Wisconsin, but after they moved to California there has been more time between each visit. I always enjoy spending time with them. Great conversation and great champagne are typically involved. Terry taught Jaci and I how to use the AirDrop feature on the iPhone and our lives are forever changed. We also played a lot of “What would Brad (my dad) say in this situation?” We nailed it every time.

California Things Overall the trip was amazing and I am so glad that it happened. The only thing I was bummed about was that I didn’t get to fit in a City Running Tour like I did during my trip to Denver. The timing just didn’t work out. I was able to squeeze some treadmill interval running and strength training at the hotel in the mornings, so that was good at least.

It definitely won’t be the last mother/daughter trip, nor will it be the last California trip, nor will it be the last trip – Chicago this weekend for St. Patrick’s Day!!

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Honey Cinnamon Muffins with Espresso Butter

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It’s going to be a crazy busy, jam-packed, super fun, and exciting day! ADJECTIVE EXPLOSION.

But first, I’ll take a deep breath, slow down a second, and tell you all about these honey cinnamon muffins with espresso butter.

honey cinnamon muffins w: espresso butter These honey cinnamon muffins are simple, little muffins and they are definitely worth slowing down for.

They come together easily as most muffin batters do. First we mix together the dry ingredients, which include a combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flours, leavening agents, and a bunch (i.e. a tablespoon) of cinnamon. Then in a separate bowl we whisk together the wet ingredients. Here we have eggs, melted butter, Greek yogurt, almond milk, honey, and vanilla. All good things.

honey cinnamon muffins w: espresso butter Pause. If you read that paragraph again you’ll notice that I didn’t mention any sugar or oils. That’s because those ingredients don’t exist in these muffins. They are just lightly sweetened with honey and cinnamon and retain plenty of moisture from the melted butter and Greek yogurt. I wouldn’t call them health food, but I wouldn’t call them the devil either.

honey cinnamon muffins w: espresso butter Un-pause. The wet ingredients are then stirred into the dry until everything is just combined. Lumpy batter is ok here. No need to be a perfectionist. Divide the batter between 12 muffin cups and pop them into the oven.

20 minutes later you will have a delicious smelling kitchen and perfect little muffins.

BUT WAIT! There’s more! There is also espresso butter.

honey cinnamon muffins w: espresso butter Espresso butter is butter than has been beat together with espresso powder. It’s truly that simple. Just make sure that your butter is super soft (room temperature) to start. This will help the flavor incorporate better, allowing the espresso powder to basically melt into the butter.

It’s so dreamy.

The espresso butter is essentially the perfect accompaniment to these honey cinnamon muffins. It’s like… like… a honey cinnamon latte in muffin form. So go ahead and slather lightly spread the butter on the muffins, pour yourself a cup of coffee, sit back, relax, and have yourself a gorgeous Saturday.

honey cinnamon muffins w/ espresso butter I know we lose an hour today, but as I mentioned, these muffins are worth slowing down for.

And now I’m going to speed back up. Literally and figuratively.

I’m going to go run the first ever (!!) Hot Dash 10 Miler. It’s going to be full of flannel and beards and other Minnesotan things, like tator tot host dish (I hope??).

Then my mom (who is running the Hot Dash 5K), sister, brother, and cousins are coming over for chili and cornbread. 35 degrees isn’t too hot for chili and cornbread is it??

And thennnn my mom, sister, and I are going to hop on over to San Francisco. We’re going to spend Sunday in the city with my cousin and Monday in Sonoma wine tasting with my aunt. It’ll be magical. And super silly. I’m excited about it.

honey cinnamon muffins w/ espresso butter So moral of today’s post is to slow down, make & enjoy these muffins, and then go have a ridiculously fun day.

Honey Cinnamon Muffins
 
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These honey cinnamon muffins are made with whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt, and no refined sugars. They are delightfully simple and pair perfectly with espresso butter.
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup (112 g) all purpose flour
  • ¾ cup (112 g) whole wheat flour
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
  • ¼ cup honey
  • ¾ cup almond milk
  • ½ cup Greek yogurt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the flours, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients until smooth.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients slowly into the dry. Stir until just combined, being careful not to over mix. Lumps are ok.
  5. Divide the batter between the muffin tins. Each tin should be about ¾ full
  6. Bake muffins for 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  7. Let muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
  8. Serve with espresso butter (recipe below).
Notes
These muffins aren’t overly sweet. If you would like them a little sweeter, feel free to increase the honey to ½ cup.

Espresso Butter
 
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Espresso butter is a simple spread is perfect for morning toast or muffins!
Ingredients
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
Instructions
  1. Using either a stand up or handheld electric mixer, beat butter and espresso powder until well combine and smooth, about 3 minutes.
Notes
After the butter sits for a few hours the espresso powder will dissolve a bit more into the butter, turning it a mocha color. I didn't know this until after I took all the pictures.
You can keep the butter in the refrigerator, but it is best served at room temperature.
If you think that espresso flavor might be too strong, feel free to decrease the amount of powder to ½ tablespoon or use instant coffee granules instead.

honey cinnamon muffins w/ espresso butter

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Thursday Things 03.05.15

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Thursday Things 03.05.15

Did you know that people put butter in coffee? It’s a thing. I’ve never done it before, but I found myself with some leftover espresso butter (spoiler alert: recipe coming Saturday!) so I decided to give it a try, because I was out of muffins (spoiler alert: recipe coming Saturday!). Normally I drink my coffee straight up black, but I came across this buttered coffee recipe while I was doing some compound butter research and thought “what the heck, let’s do this.”

So I did. And I liked it. I love that blending the coffee with the butter (and a splash of almond milk) gives it a frothy texture – like a tasty latte in the comforts of my home. I don’t know if I will make this a habit, but it will be fun to do every once in a while.

Besides the delicious coffee it’s been a good food week. I made up a large batch of roasted veggie bowls with lemon tahini dressing for my lunches, these no bake pumpkin granola bars for my afternoon snack, and then had some girlfriends over last night for some cozy vegan enchiladas with lime cream. Delicious, healthy food makes me oh so happy.

What else made me happy this week? These things:

Happy first Thursday of March!

jd

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The Fit 5: Triceps

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Hello! Welcome to March and to the 3rd installment of “The Fit 5”!

In January we talked about shoulders, learned what the heck the coracobrachialis is, discovered that the shoulder is the most moveable joint, and did rows, raises, presses, and shrugs.

In February we learned all about biceps, how it is an awkward sounding single noun and it inspired the word “muscle”. Then we did a lot of different curls.

Today, we move to triceps!

The Fit 5 Triceps TRICEPS. They are my least favorite muscle group to train. Also, probably, my weakest. Coincidence? No. Not at all. However, I do know how important they are to strengthen and work on. No body wants to see flabby underarms.

So. Today I am going to give lots of love to the triceps. First, we’ll learn. Then, we’ll do.

LEARN…

If you can recall The Fit 5: Biceps I mentioned that the word biceps refers to a muscle that has both a long head and a short head – two heads. Based on that logic how many heads do you think a triceps muscle has?

If you said three, you are both brilliant and correct. The triceps brachii muscle has three heads: long, lateral, and medial. Now here are some more Fit 5 Facts about the triceps muscle.

The Fit 5 Triceps And guess what?! It’s another awkward sounding singular noun. Hurray! As if I weren’t awkward enough.

DO…

Now that we know more about the triceps, let’s strengthen them. It’s almost summer, so before we know it we’ll be wearing tank tops and waving to people all over the place.

Right?! Summer is almost here?! Or at least spring? Or at least 30-degree weather?!

Blah. This is what we are going to do to get them into shape for whenever the weather starts to turn (or I hop on a jet plane to somewhere warm).

The Fit 5 Triceps I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: adapt these exercises to get the results that you are looking for. To work on your stability, perform the standing triceps extensions on one leg or sitting on a stability ball and do the lying triceps extensions lying on a stability ball instead of a bench. To build muscle use heavier weights and low reps; to maintain lean muscle use lighter weights and higher reps.

It is good idea to mix up the variables (reps, sets, tempo, intensity, rest, frequency) from time to time. If you are always using 8 lbs dumbbells for you triceps extensions, try bumping up the weight to 10 lbs or 12 lbs once a week. Also, play with your tempo. Try slowing things down and really focus on contracting and extending your tricepses. They will hate you and then they will love you.

I am going to pledge to you that I will start giving more love and attention to my triceps and fitting more of these exercises into my normal routine. Here are some ways that I am thinking:

  • Alternate these with the biceps exercises. Triceps and biceps are essentially opposite muscles. While one contracts the other extends, so let’s keep them even.
  • Perform an upper body circuit with biceps, shoulders, and triceps.
  • Pick two of the exercises for this week. Early in the week use light weights and high reps, then later in the week use heavier weights and lower reps. Then next week pick two other exercises any follow the same pattern.
  • Perform all 5 exercises with a set of squats and/or lunges in between.

People, the possibilities are endless.

As always, reach out in the comments with questions! Otherwise start working on those triceps!

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