Giveaway Winners

Hope everyone is enjoying their Friday! Since it's Friday, I'm picking the winners for the two giveaways I held.

First up is for the Yoplait Frozen Smoothie & Prize Pack giveaway. The winner, chosen by Random.org, is:

positiveregard, 06 October, 2011 18:15

I've been on an orange smoothie kick lately thanks to my visit to a local apple & pumpkin orchard. Frozen mango, pumpkin puree, cinnamon and soy protein powder!

Congratulations!

The winner for the Larabar giveaway is:

Sarah, 12 October, 2011 21:36

most of the time i run first thing in the morning and don't eat, but before a long run i like a small bowl of oatmeal (i can't eat alot, so i just eat some gus/fruit chews during the run) or toast.

Congratulations to you, too! Winners, please email your shipping info to christina@runningfoodie.com so I can get your prizes out to you.

This Evening's Run and A Larabar Giveaway

Thanks for your comments on Monday's post. It's easy to forget that running ruts are just that -- a rut that eventually goes away. It doesn't help when all of your running has been a rut, but I'm sure that's partly my own fault. Setting a tiny goal should help keep my focus, and eventually I'll figure one out. Any thoughts?

Day two of my week of 4 milers ended with success. I felt a tiny bit weird the first half mile, but settled into a nice rhythm ('rhythm' is an awkward word). My pace averaged out to 9:50 minute miles, which is just fine since I'm keeping an even intensity. I always speed up the last mile, but not to a sprint pace.

Splits:

1. 10:13
(Remember what I said about the first mile being slow? Well, it's slow. There were also dogs that jumped out at me, so I had to stand there for a few seconds to let them know who was boss before continuing on.)

2. 9:51
(I didn't just jump to a pace 20 seconds under my first split. Most of that happened gradually after the 1.5 mark. I also started getting some side stitches, so I made sure to focus on breathing deeply.)

3. 9:41
(I may have been getting a little tired at this point, but I always do.)

4. 9:25
(There was a downhill, the hill I ran up during the first mile. I also sped up a little by shortening my stride, but I didn't feel like I was forcing it. The dogs were inside this time, except for Fluffy, who I gently nudged with my foot on Monday. Because I win.)

Then I came home and drank a smoothie.

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I have a giveaway for you folks. I contacted the Larabar people and inquired about a review. They also offered to give 6 bars away to my readers. You've all heard about these, so I'm not going to explain the concept except to say it's like eating dried fruit and nuts, without all the chewing. The bars are flavored with natural ingredients, like unsweetened coconut and extra virgin coconut oil. I ate the coconut cream pie and declared it my favorite. The coconut flavor shone through and it reminded me of scooping the white layer of coconut from the can of coconut milk. They're not sticky or excessively chewy, and they're the perfect pre-run snack. I like that they're about 200 calories because that seems to keep me filled without being too much.

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment and let me know what you like to eat before working out. I'll pick the winner on Friday. (US residents only, please.)

Nubs of coconut chunks!

Peet's Coffee and Chocolate Crepes with Caramelized Banana Sauce

Here in South Bend, IN, it was a big deal when a very well known coffee chain (rhymes with "sucks") first rolled into town. The city rejoiced with jubilant glee when an equally well known doughnut chain showed up next. Basically, unless a popular chain feels it can make it in South Bend, we don't get it (South Bend -- also rhymes with "sucks"). This means we don't get some of the smaller chains, like Peet's Coffee. I've heard great things about them, but the only time I experienced their coffee for myself was at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. I dug it. So when Foodbuzz Tastemakers offered up some Peet's Coffee to review, my heart skipped.

Peet's has unveiled two new medium roast coffees. I typically go for a dark, deep roast, though because I pretty much can't tolerate coffee anymore, I figured a lighter roast would be easier for me to drink. And to actually finish a cup.

The two roasts are a Café Domingo, a blend of Central and South American coffees, described by Peet's as a medium roast cup with hints of toffee and clean crisp finish, and Café Solano, a blend of African, Indo-Pacific, and South American coffees that is lively and aromatic. Peet's experts describe it as a world blend with floral notes and a subtle fruit essence for a lively, yet rounded cup.

Peet's and Foodbuzz asked us to pair the coffee with a breakfast/brunch or dessert dish. What I came up with was a dark chocolate crepe with a caramelized banana sauce for a filling. Think of all the flavors going on here - the cocoa in the crepes, the caramelized blend of butter, brown sugar, and a splash of whole milk, then the tropical banana. I feel that both the coffees would be excellent when paired with this dish, though I chose to try it with the Café Domingo. I wanted a coffee that didn't have as many flavor undertones so it compliment the dish without competing with the flavors.

For a medium roast, I really enjoyed my cup of Peet's. It didn't have a watered down taste, but at the same time wasn't as strong as a dark roast. It was full of flavor and easy to drink without any bitterness. Just the impression I was left of with Peet's from my one lone experience way back when.

Foodbuzz gave me some coupons for $2 off a bag of Peet's medium roast to pass around, so I will mail a coupon to the first five people who email me at christina@runningfoodie.com with shipping info.

So, about them crepes. I adapted my favorite crepe recipe from my mom's Joy of Cooking, very old edition. We make it for birthdays, and the recipe is simple to whip together. Unlike other recipes, there is no fat in these crepes. I don't really think it needs any.

To modify the recipe, I replaced some flour for dark cocoa powder. At first, I thought I made a mistake by using so much cocoa, so to compensate for the rather intense taste I added a few tablespoons more sugar. It ended up working out well.

The highlight of this dish turned out to be the caramelized banana sauce. I didn't follow any recipe, I just added some butter to the skillet. When it melted and turned a little brown, I stirred in brown sugar.

Banana slices are added with a pinch of kosher salt. The mixture is left to bubble away for a few minutes, then I removed it from the heat, added a splash of milk, and mashed the bananas into the sauce. It was amazing.

Folks, these were some serious crepes, filled with a serious sauce. I can't rave about this more than I already am. Usually, I eat crepes filled with jam, and they're good. But the flavors in this banana sauce were so complex, yet simple that it took the crepes to a whole other level.

I'm not going to leave the crepe recipe here. Perhaps another post will be dedicated to crepes, but I will leave you with the caramel banana sauce. Use it with your favorite crepe recipe, or use it to top waffles. Or straight from a spoon. I don't judge.

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Print this recipe

Caramelized Banana Sauce
Recipe by Christina Provo

Ingredients -

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 firm, ripe bananas, sliced
Pinch of kosher salt
1 tablespoon whole milk or whipping cream

Directions -

1. In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Once it melts, watch it carefully until it just begins to brown. Stir in the brown sugar. Add the sliced bananas and salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until a spoon leaves a trace in the sauce and the bananas have softened. Remove from heat.


2. Stir in milk or cream. Coarsely mash the bananas to blend into the sauce. Serve, or lick straight from the skillet.