Leg Day & Some Recovery Protein Pancakes

It's nights like this that I am EXTREMELY thankful that I prep all my meals in advance. I JUST got home from work, and I hadn't eaten since my protein shake at 3:30 (that's 4 hours... which is about 1.5 hours longer than I'd ever ideally go without eating... just my personal preference) so I immediately inhaled this delicious concoction... 

pictured above: 4 oz extra lean ground beef seasoned with Extra Spicy Mrs. Dash and Sriracha, 100 g broccoli with garlic salt (yes salt), and 75 g sweet potatoes. 

I don't typically eat carbs, even complex carbs, with my dinner... but today was LEG DAY, so I earned every one of those carbs!!! 

My workout today was brutal, but amazing! Exactly what I needed to start the week off right... whether or not I'll be saying that tomorrow is yet to be determined.

-- Leg Press: 4 sets, 20 reps, 30 seconds rest

-- Walking Lunges: 4 sets, 30 steps (15/leg), 45-60 seconds rest

 Superset

-- Leg Extension: 4 sets, 20 reps

-- Hamstring Curl: 4 sets, 20 reps, 60 seconds rest before starting back with Leg Extension

-- Smith Machine Squats: 4 sets, 20 reps 

-- Cable Kick Backs: 4 sets, 20 reps

That was followed by 30 minutes of elliptical, set to the "random" setting on level 12 & plenty of stretching

I keep my reps high when doing legs because I do add muscle quickly. I make sure that those 15-20 reps are challenging... and by challenging I mean that I want to quit at rep 12-15, but push through the last few because I NEED to in order to reach my goals. 

After getting home at 7:30, I started my meal prep for tomorrow. Again, thankful that everything is already cooked and I just have to combine things at this point...

m1: the AMAZING (and giant) Cinnamon Protein Pancake... recipe to follow m2: 1 brown rice cake with 1 oz cocoa roasted almonds. m3: 1/2 c quinoa (measured cooked), 3 oz chicken breast, 1/2 c sauteed veggies (zucchini, onion, bell peppers) and a dash of low-sodium soy sauce. This is BY FAR my new favorite meal, and it's SO simple! Just LOOK at this picture!!! (no filter- just FYi- it really is THAT good!) 

m4: protein shake, as usual... no banana tomorrow. m5: 15 spears roasted asparagus with 4 oz tilapia seasoned with Lemon Pepper Mrs. Dash. and m6: some sort of casein concoction... i haven't quite decided yet, but I'll post the recipe once I figure it out. I found a new one today that I want to try... let's just say that the word "BROWNIE" is involved :) 

Before I shut down for the night and go watch The Bachelor with my mom... let me post this tasty recipe, as promised

Ingredients:

40 g (1/2 c) oats

4 egg whites (if you were smart and got the carton, I measured for you! It's ~1/2 c)

2 tbsp cottage cheese 

1 packet stevia

some cinnamon

1/4 tsp baking powder

Directions:

Blend everything in a Magic Bullet or other blender/food processor. 

Spray pan with non-stick spray & heat over medium-high heat. 

Pour batter into pan. It will be pretty thin, but I swear, they end up looking/tasting delicious!!

Wait until bubbles appear (as shown below), then flip. 

Cook 1-2 more minutes.

Top with delicious things (apple sauce, sugar-free maple syrup, fruit)... Eat up!!