Just J.Faye

Hiking & Other Adventures

Harissa Hummus

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Did you know that harissa is the new sriracha?! And that hummus is… well, still amazing and delicious as usual? So I present you with harissa hummus.

harissa hummus Harissa is a hot chili pepper paste used in a lot of North African cuisine. I first heard about it after stumbling upon this post a few months back and decided that harissa needed to be in my life ASAP. I whipped up a batch and fell in love. This stuff is so delicious.

Don’t get me wrong I still do (and always will) love sriracha, but there is room for two hot sauces in my life.

harissa hummus Last week after noticing a surplus of garbanzo beans in my cupboard I decided it was time to make some hummus. It had been forever since I’ve made any and I already had all the ingredients on hand. Plus, I’m obsessed with my Vitamix (I use it every day, sometimes twice a day), so really any excuse to pull it out.

When I went to grab my jar of tahini out of the fridge I noticed the harissa next to it and grabbed that too. It was a good idea. The creaminess of the garbanzo beans cuts the heat from the harissa, so that it’s not overpowering, but leaves you with that perfect amount of kick.

harissa hummus Have you ever made hummus before? Sometimes I forget how sooo super simple it is to make! Just throw everything in a blender or food processor and BAM. Hummus. Even my little magic bullet could handle processing a batch (it just took some extra patience).

harissa hummus This harissa hummus is smooth and creamy. It’s healthy. It’s delicious. And it has just the right amount of heat. Serve it with a bunch of veggies and pretzels. It’s good with pita chips too. Or spread on a piece of toast with a fried egg. People, there are so many possibilities here.

I suggest that you add it to your Super Bowl spread. At some point in the day you may want a break from chicken wings and cheese and decide that it could be a good idea to consume some veggies and hummus. Maybe you won’t, but I am just sayin, maybe you will.

harissa hummus

Harissa Hummus
 
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This harissa hummus is quick & simple to make, healthy, just a little bit spicy, and super delicious. Serve it with a bunch of veggies and pretzels.
Ingredients
  • 15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained, ¼ cup of reserved liquid
  • ½ lemon, juiced
  • 2 tablespoons tahini paste
  • 2 tablespoons harissa
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.
  2. Place the hummus in a bowl, drizzle some additional harissa on top, and serve with veggies and pretzels.

Also, please go make these cookies. I baked them and brought them into work last week and they are so, so, so, so good. I really think you’ll like them.

chocolate chip cookies

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Thursday Things 01.29.15

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Thursday Things 01.29.15 I decided to get out of my hermit-y shell last night and meet up with some of my favorites at the new Surly tap room here in Minneapolis. It was packed on a Wednesday. 1 hour 45 minute wait for a table (we just went to stand on the second level). I can’t imagine what this place is like over the weekend. The place is huge though, so there was plenty of room. And it was gorgeous. With good beer. I’ll go back.

While not being social, I have been doing some cooking (this, this, this, and this) and getting back into some cross stitch and reading. Fun times. (Not being sarcastic)

Some other fun times were when I came across these links this week.

Please let me know if you come across any good recipes/cross stitch patterns/books! Thanks!

xojfaye

 

 

 

 

 

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50-Min Pyramid Elliptical Workout

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Hey everybody, let’s go spend 50 minutes on the elliptical!

50 min pyramid elliptical workout On Christmas Day I came to the realization that I needed to take some time off of running. After running here and there in December and not feeling so awesome about my performance I concluded that my legs/hip flexors still needed some rest and recovery time after my injury and the Philadelphia Marathon.

30 days without running means that I spent a lot of time on the elliptical for my cardio. I have come a long way from my elliptical-bashing mindset when I wrote this post (<- that workout btw, do it). In fact, I have grown to be quite fond of it.

Two things that help pass the time on the elliptical:

  1. Changing up the resistance
  2. Podcasts

I’ll talk about the first point first (because that makes sense). Changing the resistance up and down helps keep the elliptical interesting. When elliptical-ing you are inside and stationary, not running outside turning corners, going over bridges, etc. Switching the resistance makes things feel different and therefore, more exciting. Plus, this gives you a better workout than steady state cardio.

We are going to do some intervals in a pyramid fashion, meaning that the intervals will increase in duration (2 to 3 to 4 to 5 minutes) and then decrease (5 to 4 to 3 to 2 minutes). Also, while we increase and decrease the time we are going to move the resistance up and down (10 to 13 to 15 to 17 to 15 to 13 to 10).

Here is the workout in a pretty little image:

50 min pyramid elliptical workout

You will want to exert the about the same amount of effort on the high resistances as you do on the low resistances. When you increase the resistance up to 15, you will be working pretty hard, but you will probably be going at a slower mph. Really use your legs (especially those glutes!) to push through. When the resistance is low you’ll easily be able to go faster. Take the first 30-45 seconds to recover a bit from the high resistance then kick it into gear and start moving. There is no need to sprint here, just make sure to keep your heart rate up!

Now onto my second point, podcasts. I just discovered how wonderful they are. It all started when my sister-in-law convinced me to listen to Serial and mentioned that it was great to listen to during workouts. Life changing advice. Since elliptical-ing my way through Serial I have been exploring other podcasts like This American Life, Pop Culture Happy Hour,  Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! (which I have always been a fan of), and brushing up on my German with Coffee Break German.

To clarify, podcasts are great for those longer, not speed focused workout sessions. I wouldn’t listen to a podcasts while doing rounds of sprints or anything. Fast-paced music is necessary for those. But when pushing through high resistances at a slow and steady pace, it is fun to listen to a story and learn things! #multitasking

One downside: I know I look like a weirdo when I spontaneously burst out laughing while chugging along on the elliptical. But I just can’t help it, Peter Sagal makes me giggle!

So, put on your favorite podcast and hit the elliptical for this 50-minute pyramid workout. It’ll be fun.

Btw, my forced break from running is now over. I went out for a run on Saturday, which was a gorgeous 35 degree afternoon. I was way overdressed (there were people in shorts and t-shirts). I didn’t wear my GPS watch, because I wanted to concentrate on how my body felt rather than worry about my pace, but based on my knowledge of the lake routes I probably hit about 5.5 miles. It felt so great! I’m excited to introduce running back into my workout regime.

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Apple-Ginger-Cucumber Green Smoothie

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Green smoothies! Do you love them? Hate them? Have no opinion on them whatsoever? Apple-Ginger-Cucumber Green Smoothie If it wasn’t clear by this, this, and this. I loveeee them.

Well, I love all smoothies, not just the green ones. Pink, purple, orange, brown, you name it. No need to discriminate! Every color is beautiful. And delicious.

A variety of fresh fruits and veggies, what’s not to love?! My recent obsession, the one I’m sharing with you today, is this apple-ginger-cucumber green smoothie. Apple-Ginger-Cucumber Green Smoothie In it is – yes, you guessed it – apples, ginger, and cucumber, but I also throw in some greens, spirulina, chia seeds, apple cider vinegar, almond milk, and Greek yogurt. Everything about this smoothie is super healthy and makes my body smile. If dairy does not make your body smile, no worries, replace the Greek yogurt with some vanilla protein powder. Trust me, you’ll want that dose of protein in there to help keep your tummy filled and happy for more than 61 minutes.

Andddd back up a second, spirulina. Have you heard of it? If not, spirulina is a blue-green algae powder that contains all essential amino acids, plus a ton of vitamins and minerals – a “superfood”, if you will. It boasts to improve the immune system, cardiovascular health, blood pressure, energy levels, allergies, etc. I will warn you that it does have a noticeable taste at first (not bad, just different). I use Pure Hawaiian Spirulina pacifica. The jar has lasted me many, many months.

While we’re focusing on ingredients, let’s quickly talk about two more: Apple cider vinegar (ACV) and chia seeds. ACV is a powerful tonic that is rich in enzymes and potassium. It claims to support a healthy immune system, promote digestion, and help with weight loss. I take a watered down shot of Bragg’s Organic “with the mother” every morning. Ch-ch-ch-chia seeds are packed full of protein, fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and claim to be quite good for your heart.

There are a lot of articles and research out there on the internets that support these things. There are also a lot out there that say it’s all hype. I’ll let you do your own googling and opinion-forming. Apple-Ginger-Cucumber Green Smoothie Now back to the green smoothies as a whole. Smoothies are easy to make, but they still take a just a leeetle bit of prep. So, because I will take all the spare morning minutes I can get to either sleep or to drink coffee and read blogs I have two tips:

  • Buy fresh ginger, peel it, chop it up, and store it in the freezer. That way you always have “fresh” ginger on hand to throw into stir fry, smoothies, etc.
  • Cut up the apple and cucumber at night. The cucumber goes into the fridge and the apple goes into the freezer (A, so it won’t brown and B, so it thickens up the smoothie without having to add a lot of ice).

Then all you gotta do in the morning is throw those tasty ingredients into a blender. Bada bing bada boom you have a delicious, healthy, satisfying breakfast.

I know this recipe may scream, “SUMMER!” to you, but it’s 35 degrees in January in Minnesota. That’s basically summer. Apple-Ginger-Cucumber Green Smoothie FYI, this recipe makes 2-16 ounce smoothies. I drink the whole thing and it keeps me full and satisfied until lunch. If you split it with someone (which is oh so nice of you) you’ll probably want a little something extra to go with it or maybe throw in a banana and some extra Greek yogurt.

Apple-Ginger-Cucumber Green Smoothie
 
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This delicious green smoothie is full of fruits, veggies, and other healthy ingredients. It's a powerful way to start your morning!
Ingredients
  • ½ cup almond milk
  • 2 tablespoon apple cider vinger
  • ½ cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1 teaspoon spirulina
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, chopped
  • 1 handful spinach
  • 1 medium apple, chopped (I used honeycrisp)
  • 1 small cucumber, chopped
  • ice cubes
Instructions
  1. Place everything in your blender in the order listed above. Blend until smooth. Serve and enjoy!

Besides being absolutely amazing and delicious, smoothies are so versatile. I always throw in chia seeds, spirulina, and Greek yogurt or protein powder, but I do switch up the fruits, veggies, and flavors from week to week. A few weeks ago I used sumo mandarins, blueberries, kale, and coconut water. Last week I used banana and avocado with chocolate protein powder. I mean, why not mix things up and get crazy first thing in the morn!??!!

What’s your favorite smoothie combination?

Apple-Ginger-Cucumber Green Smoothie

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Thursday Things 01.22.15

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Thursday Things 01.22.15 In 2012 I made this daily thought calendar out of a little planter I found at an antique store and lots of index cards. Now it is full of 3.04 years of memories. It’s fun to look back and it’s surprising how easy it is to recall the some of the more seemingly insignificant memories (random coffee dates, brunches, various chats during long Saturday runs, busy days, movie marathons, silly jokes) along with the more significant ones (weddings, marathons, vacations). This leads me to believe that no memory is insignificant at all.

I’m eager to see what types of memories I can fill this with in 2015! I came across these things this week. Maybe we can do them and I’ll makes notes about them?

Go do fun things. Mmk. Bye.

<3jenna

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Interval + Strength Gym Session

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interval + strength gym session HIIT and Tabata workouts are fantastic. You can be in and out of the gym (or your living room) in 30 minutes with a solid, effective workout, but sometimes you just want, maybe need, to spend a little bit longer in the gym. Like an hour… or more.

Mondays are usually my “long workout” nights where I do both cardio and strength training. An intense gym session is the perfect way to kick off the week. I always feel so good afterwards. Sweaty, but so so good.

During these sessions I love to sprinkle rounds of sprint intervals in between strength circuits. Not only does this make time fly by, but doing the intervals also helps elevate my heart rate throughout the workout. (Sometimes my heart rate doesn’t get as high as I would like it to during strength training, probably because I need to life heavier weights. Another story for another day.)

I want you to try this out, because you will feel so great afterwards. You’ll leave the gym with that I-dominated-that-and-can-pretty-much-do-anything feeling.

So, do some intervals. Hit the weights. Do some more sprints. Back to the weights. Then go back to th… well, I’m sure you catch my drift. Here’s the full plan:

interval + strength gym session A few quick notes:

  • Feel free to do the sprints on the treadmill, elliptical, bike, or rowing machine – whatever is your favorite! I am taking a break from running (sad face), so I have been doing mine on the elliptical.
  • Hold dumbbells when performing the Romanian deadlifts, Russian twists, lunges, and sumo squats for additional resistance.
  • This type of workout can take me anywhere from 60-90 minutes depending on the exercises and how quickly I transition. Also, I may tack on an extra long cool down and some additional ab work. If you are short on time go ahead and cut out one circuit and one or two round(s) of sprints.
  • If you aren’t sure of how to perform an exercise ask in a comment or look it up on You Tube!

These long gym sessions are so therapeutic to me. It’s like how I feel when I bake. Except, one activity debits my calorie account and the other credits. I like to keep my books balanced.

I hope you try it out! Let me know if you do.

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