Lessons Learned & 3 New Recipes

1. Do not microwave a spaghetti squash without cutting it in half. As the label indicated, I poked PLENTY of holes... but this was the end result: 

I almost threw it away I was so annoyed. Next time, I will bake it like I have EVERY time prior to this... (Cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds. Place face down in baking dish with 1/2" water. Bake at 375 on the bottom shelf of the oven while you roast all your other veggies ~40 minutes. Let it cool. Shred it with a fork. Done. It takes a little longer, but there's NO mess!!) 

2. When doing food prep, plan to skip your next meal. I had planned to snack on a protein shake, half a frozen banana... and some hummus... but I made so many new recipes today that of course I had to try them to make sure they are good! Scroll down for pictures & recipes... YUM!

3. You really do need to pre-cook the bell pepper when making stuffed bell peppers.

4. You do not have the will power to keep peanut butter in your house. EVER.

Earlier, I went on Pinterest to get some ideas for food prep this week. I've decided to go grain-free (and still mostly dairy free) because a. I'm not seeing the results I want to with the meal plan I've been following (and I think an intolerance of some kind is the issue... I'll be cutting out grains for the next 10 days, then trying other things if that doesn't seem to help) and b. grains have been making me feel yucky lately (bloated, nauseous, and I have a SEVERE energy crash afterwards) I don't think I'm quite ready to cut out oatmeal (I don't know what else I would eat for breakfast) but I did buy the "gluten free" type... which means nothing if I'm not gluten sensitive/intolerant.

pictured above: zucchini, green beans, portabella mushrooms, brussel sprouts, onions (yellow and red) cauliflower, bell peppers (red and green), asparagus, spinach & lettuce mix, broccoli, a spaghetti squash, a banana, an avocado, no-sugar-added marinara sauce, True Lemon drink mix, artichoke & garlic hummus, roasted unsalted almonds, Extra root beer float flavored gum 

I also had: black beans, yams, baby carrots, salmon, shrimp and tilapia, ground turkey (cooked), and chicken breast (cooked and chopped) on hand.    

I started with my green beans, mushrooms and red onion concoction. I cut them all into bite sized pieces, placed them in a gallon sized baggie, then added enough balsamic vinegar to coat them evenly. I put them in the refrigerator and allowed them to sit while I did the rest of my food prep. 

Next I cut my brussel sprouts in half & trimmed my asparagus. I covered a baking sheet with foil, sprayed it with olive oil cooking spray, then layered on my veggies. 

Bake veggies at 375 for 20 minutes. Remove asparagus, then add sliced zucchini to baking sheet. 

Bake an additional 10 minutes. 

YUM! Once my veggies were baked, I added a little salt and pepper. DONE! 

While my veggies were roasting, I had 2 recipes going on the stove. 

On the left: Cauliflower boiling in water. On the right: Stuffing for my bell peppers.

Stuffed Bell Peppers 

Ingredients:

1 green bell pepper, halved

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 c yellow onion, chopped

Extra Spicy Mrs. Dash

Sriracha

1/2 c black beans (not drained)

6 oz ground turkey, cooked

2 tbsp reduced fat cheese, if desired

Directions:

In boiling water, steam green bell pepper halves for ~10 minutes, until slightly softened, drain & set aside

In a large sauce pan, heat non-stick cooking spray over medium heat

Add chopped red bell peppers and onions, cook ~5 minutes until tender

Once veggies are cooked, add beans & ground turkey

Add Mrs. Dash & Sriracha

Stir

Spoon mixture into green bell pepper halves (Top with cheese)

Broil in oven until cheese is melted or filling is thoroughly warmed through

Allow to cool!! (This should have been in my lessons also...) 

Enjoy!! 

Cauliflower Mashed "Potatoes"

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower

1 tbsp (parmesan infused) olive oil

(you can find this at Olivers... my dad's company distributes this product. SO delish!!) 

2 cubes garlic

(if you haven't used this, you're missing out... you can find it at Trader Joe's)

salt & pepper

Directions:

Boil cauliflower in a a large pot for 15-20 minutes, until very soft

Drain & return cauliflower to pot

Add remaining ingredients

Mash

Cool

Enjoy

At some point, I took the brussel sprouts out of the oven, along with the asparagus & zucchini (not pictured... it didn't turn out good... at all!) and replaced them with the balsamic marinated veggies. 

They turned out like this: 

I love the combination of veggies, not so sure about the marinade... it was literally JUST balsamic vinegar. Next time I'll tone it down by adding some other spices & some olive oil

I'm super glad I didn't throw out my spaghetti squash!! Once I was calm enough to look at it, I realized that it was actually done (at least on one side...) So I shredded it with a fork and put it in a Tupperware. Totally forgot how much it makes!! (ps- 2 cups is only 40 calories!) 

First, because I LOVE the Eating Right Tomato Basil No Sugar Added marinara sauce! 

AND I also concocted a pad thai sauce... which means TWO filling, grain free options! I'll just add a little ground turkey/ground beef to the marinara version or a little chicken and some peanuts and veggies to the pad thai version. YUM! 

Pad Thai Sauce

Ingredients:

2 tbsp low-sodium chicken broth

2 tbsp peanut butter (which I have since thrown away because I could NOT STOP EATING IT despite trying to freeze it, hiding it, putting motivational post-its on it...etc.) 

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

1/2 tbsp Sriracha

some crushed red pepper flakes (sorry, I didn't measure, but it was probably ~1/2 tsp)

some garlic powder (same as above, but it was probably ~1/4 tsp...whoops!)

Hope to see you all trying new things this week! I think I have enough food for the next TWO weeks! ENJOY! 

A Little Behind...

Last Friday, I had my second double-day. I started my morning with a little run (30 minutes, similar to Tuesday) in preparation for my St. Patty's 5K that I ran in San Francisco on Sunday... it actually felt pretty good, but I also realized that it will take A LOT of effort for me to become the runner I want to be. I just can't seem to get any faster, which means it takes FOREVER for me to go the distance I'd like to run (ie: 13.1 miles). As with anything, I suppose I'll have to be patient, stretch, and practice :)

In the afternoon I was pumped, as usual, for my back workout:

my goal right now is to be able to do a pull-up, so I have more lat exercises than usual...

Saturday I failed to do my cardio/ab workout as planned. I wasn't very motivated, and I convinced myself that my 5k Sunday would count (God forbid I do more than I planned...) I also wasn't quite on target with my eating (ok, I was eating white chocolate chips by the handful from the bag)- which is what inspired me to start a 30 day "no-sugar-added" challenge. I'm cutting out all sweets, flavored yogurts, protein bars, dried fruits/trail mix, and anything else that has "sugar" of any kind on the label. I'm also avoiding aspartame and other sugar substitutes, with the exception of one packet of stevia/day. (I am also having my pre-workout/protein shake around my workouts- they make me happy :) and this isn't a deprivation challenge, it's about creating a new lifestyle) If you'd like to join us in the challenge, don't hesitate to ask!! 

Sunday an amazing group of friends from the gym went to San Francisco to run a 5k! It was an incredible adventure that I will never forget! We had such a great time... as we always do! 

I am the leprechaun in the front... and, I would have a picture of my delicious lunch from Sol Food, but I demolished it in 11.4 seconds. Insert steak, grilled onions, fried plantains, white rice, black beans and a yummy side salad <here>

To compensate, on Monday I did this to my legs: 

Superset 1

-- Leg Press: 4 sets, 20 reps

-- Jump Rope: 4 sets, 1 minute, 30 seconds rest

 Superset 2

-- Leg Extension: 3 sets, 20 reps

-- Reverse Lunge (off step): 3 sets, 10 reps/leg, 45 seconds rest

Superset 3

-- Hamstring Curl: 3 sets, 20 reps

-- TRX Front Squats: 20 reps (jumping), 45 seconds rest

Superset 4 

-- Sumo Squats: 3 sets, 20 reps 

-- Walking Lunges: 3 sets, 30 steps, 60 seconds rest

And then I decided to really kill myself doing 30 minutes of elliptical intervals. Needless to say, it was a great calorie burner!! 

Today I am sore, sore, sore!! But that didn't stop me from doing an intense cycle session this morning! I actually rode 10.5 miles in 30 minutes doing intervals... and then I thought I might throw up. 

I've been busy with work, but with this sugar challenge in place, I will be experimenting with new recipes and making new "desserts." Tonight I will be making Mint Chocolate Ice Cream... YUM! 

Mint Chocolate Ice Cream 

(picture to be added later...)

Ingredients:

1 c unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1/4 c plain Greek yogurt

1 scoop chocolate protein powder (whey is ideal)

tiny drop of mint extract

1/2 c table salt

ice

Directions:

Combine first 4 ingredients until smooth

Pour mixture into small ziplock baggie. seal. set aside. 

Fill gallon size ziplock baggie half-way with ice. add salt. 

Place small baggie into large baggie. seal.

Shake vigorously ~5 minutes. until mixture becomes creamy. 

Remove small baggie. rinse. (Pour into bowl &) consume.

Back to Bikram

This is a public service announcement: DON'T EVER BUY WHITING (it's a fish) IT IS A DISGUSTING, AWFUL FOOD THAT SHOULD NEVER BE CONSUMED. I am seriously gagging on every bite, to the point where I'd rather eat my broccoli than the fish. Needless to say, that recipe won't be posted. ew. ew. ew. that is all.

Now that I've gotten that off my chest, let me just start this post by saying going back to bikram was the best thing I have done for myself in a LONG time! Setting aside 3 hours for a yoga class is hard for me to do. I sometimes forget that it's an AMAZING work out and that it's well worth the time... I even got to use my new yoga mat and towel that I got for Christmas. Bikram Yoga Santa Rosa can expect to see me Thursdays at noon from now on!

After yoga, I came home and had this delicious lunch... 2 hours later than usual because I didn't want to eat before doing 26 poses (some of which are upside down) in a 105 degree room with 40% humidity...

pictured above: 1/2 c quinoa (measured cooked), my sauteed onion/bell pepper concoction (no zucchini this time) and steamed snow peas with 3 oz chicken breast. plus 1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce 

I also had a protein shake, but it was a boring one... just almond milk, sugar-free white chocolate Torani syrup, protein powder & ice. No time to play around, but it was still refreshing, filling, and it tasted like CAKE! 

Despite the fact that I pre-cook most of my food, I've barely had time to put it together into meals this week. Life has been hectic- which means I need to make some modifications to my plan- so, I will be making a few days worth of meals at a time, when I do have the time.

Somehow, in between yoga and when I had to go back to work, I frantically threw together my meals for tomorrow. I'm definitely ready for a big calorie day! I've got morning cardio and a back and biceps workout to fuel for!! The downside to being so rushed is that my meals are a little boring/repetitive. m1: 50 g oats with 6 egg whites... so far, I haven't even seasoned them with cinnamon or stevia- I might even go with peanut butter (sugar-free Torani syrup version) and cocoa or something exciting, if I think about it at 5:30 tomorrow morning... m2: 2 rice cakes with 1 oz toasted coconut almonds (OH. MY. GOD.) m3: 1/2 c quinoa (measured cooked), 4 oz extra lean ground turkey with Southwest Chipotle Mrs. Dash, and some asparagus- currently roasting in the oven with a little olive oil and garlic... yummm. m4: chocolate protein shake with a banana. m5: 75 g sweet potato, 100 g broccoli, and 4 oz extra lean ground beef- same spicy concoction as Monday. m6: yet to be determined... I'm hoping to find something on Instagram, in my Oxygen magazine, or on Pinterest that sparks my interest. I'll have time to cook tomorrow!!

Other Things To Do...

1. Experiment with chia seeds- I hear about them ALL the time from clients, but have yet to experiment with them myself.

2. Go to yoga once a week.

3. Plan an extra snack on the days when I get up early- This week, I was up early (and worked late) Monday-Friday. Monday, with my 1600 calories, I was fine. Tuesday, with 1400 calories, I was good. By Wednesday, I was scheduled to eat only 1200 calories, and, with my will power dwindling, resorted to eating things like chocolate chips, pita chips, a couple bites of chili, etc... So- if I have a planned snack, I assume that I'll make better decisions throughout the day...

4. Find more dessert-like items to make "clean" 

I'll sign off tonight by asking... what's your favorite dessert? ...maybe that will give me some ideas :) 

That's All For Tonight

sorry guys! it's been a long day... I promise I'll make up for it tomorrow.


ps. I could eat shrimp & avocado forever.

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Mug Cake... and a workout

I got myself to the gym early this morning by committing to a nutrition consultation at 7:30... it's the only way I knew I would DEFINITELY show up for my first cardio sesson. Twice a week, I will be doing "double days"- not lifting twice, but doing some HIIT cardio in the morning, along with my regular lift in the afternoon and steady-state cardio afterwards.
This morning, I completed 30 minutes on the treadmill: 2 minutes running, 1 minute walking, all at an incline :)

Food prep today was pretty boring. Tomorrow is my lowest calorie day, so I'm a little more limited with my meals. m1: 1/2 c oats with cocoa powder (ok, it was Nesquick- no sugar added) and 1/2 tbsp sugar-free peanut butter syrup with 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites scrambled. m2: 1 rice cake with 1 oz smoked almonds. m3: 100 g sweet potato, 100 g roasted brussels sprouts, 3 oz chicken breast with Original Mrs. Dash. m4: protein shake, flavor- undecided. m5: a whole bunch of spinach, 4 oz shrimp, 1/4 avocado, mushrooms, and 1 tbsp Annie's Naturals Gingerly Lite dressing. YUM. m6: basic casein pudding- 1 scoop casein and some almond milk.

I did however have some amazing meals today! My giant Cinnamon Protein Pancake for m1 started my day off right. m2 was the usual- rice cake and some almonds (I'm usually at work, so I need it to be quick and portable) m3 was delish- and talk about simple! Check out yesterday's post- there's really no recipe, it's just throwing some things in a bowl and mixing them together. I had an amazing workout (posted way down there) and then recovered with a Snickerdoodle Protein Shake...

pictured above: Snickerdoodle Protein Shake- 1 c unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 2 scoops body by vi protein powder (any vanilla protein powder will do), lots of cinnamon, 1 packet stevia, and a splash of vanilla extract. Side note: please excuse my nasty nail polish...

Dinner was boring, so I'll skip right to dessert! I managed to create a delicious late-night snack that I am so excited to share with you all! So, here it is...

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Mug Cake

Ingredients:

1 egg white

2 oz almond milk

2 oz water

1 heaping tsp cocoa powder

1 heaping tbsp almond meal (it's literally crushed almonds, nothing else)
1/4 tsp baking powder

1 scoop casein protein powder (I used Optimum Nutrition Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Spray a mug with non-stick cooking spray.

Pour concoction into mug. It should look like this...

Microwave 2 minutes. (I stirred mine half way thru.)  

Enjoy!

Oh... and the shoulders/triceps workout, for those of you who haven't gone to make that ^^

--Shoulder Press: 4 sets, planned for 15/12/10/8 reps... with 45 seconds jump rope, then 30-45 seconds rest

Superset

--Lateral Raise: 4 sets, 15 reps

--Forward Raise 4 sets, 15 reps

--Cable Rear Delt: 4 sets, 12-15 reps

--Triceps Rope Extension: 4 sets, 12-15 reps... with 45 seconds jump rope, then 30-45 seconds rest

Superset

--Dumbbell Triceps Overhead Extension: 4 sets, 15 reps 



--Bench Dips: 4 sets, to failure (as many reps as possible- I started at 20 and ended at 8 haha)

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

If you happen to make any of these recipes, let me know how they turn out! Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated!!!

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!! 

Road to WBFF... I think

Brief Intro:
I REALLY wanna compete in July. And this blog is designed to help to hold me accountable && help you guys learn new, healthy recipes, see what I'm eating, how I prep my food, etc. I'm also going to be posting my workouts, progress photos, and other ramblings along the way.

So, this all started when I posted a pic of my food for tomorrow... and it turns out that a lot of people were really interested in it!

pictured above: m1 (top left) 50 g old fashioned oats with cinnamon and stevia and 6 scrambled egg whites. m2 (bottom left) 2 brown rice cakes & 1 oz of roasted almonds. m3 (bottom middle) 4 oz ground turkey- seasoned with Southwest Chipotle Mrs. Dash, 1/2 c white beans, 1/2 c quinoa (measured cooked), and 10-15 spears asparagus. m4 (top middle) protein shake with 1 c almond milk, 1/2 banana, 2 scoops body by vi protein powder and ice. m5 (top right) 100 g broccoli, 75 g sweet potato, 3 oz extra-lean ground beef seasoned with Extra Spicy Mrs. Dash and sriracha (OMG) and finally, m6 (mostly cut off on the bottom right) 1 scoop casein protein with enough almond milk to make it pudding-texture.

Tomorrow is a leg day for me, which means more calories (1600), more carbs (45%), and what appears to be a whole lot of yummy food!!! I do plan my meals around my workouts, and what I am going to be doing that day in general. If i know I'm going to be having a rest day, I plan for about 1300-1400 calories, with about 35% carbs. This is what works for MY body, and isn't necessarily the best meal plan for everyone. However, it WILL give you meal ideas... and hopefully inspire you to plan ahead, even if it's just few meals each week! 

My shopping list for the week: 

1 banana 

1 zucchini

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

1 yellow onion (although I only used half)

2 bunches of asparagus (I REALLY like asparagus... you can always buy other green veggies)

1 lb of broccoli (yes, I actually weighed mine in the store) 

1 avocado

3 bags of spinach

1 lb of sweet potatoes (~2-3) 

3 dozen eggs (in retrospect, I wish I had just purchased the egg whites in a carton + 6 whole eggs)

1/2 gallon of unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 lb ground turkey breast (only used half, froze the other half for next week)

1 lb ground beef 96/4 (only used half, froze the other half for next week)

1 lb chicken breast

1.5 lb white fish: this week I purchased 8 filets of tilapia, 8 oz of shrimp

1 can of beans (I usually buy black beans, because I make a lot of mexican-flavored foods... but forgot to buy beans this week and my momma had white beans in the pantry...so white beans it is!!! gives me a reason to experiment!!) 

Mrs. Dash seasonings

Pam (or other non-stick cooking spray) 

Annie's Naturals dressing of choice

a package of brown rice

a package of quinoa

old fashioned oats

brown rice cakes (you could buy the Quaker ones, I actually found that I needed MORE calories/carbs than those had & I didn't want to eat 4/day) 

and yes, that's food just for me! YIKES! nobody said this was gonna be cheap (I had some things on hand, but still probably spent about $60)... but in the long run, it saves me from spending money going out to eat, and eating healthy, to me, is important. I not only want to look good, but I want to feel good and be healthy from the inside out! 

So... once I get all of the good stuff home, I start on my food prep...

1. Bake chicken: foil-lined baking sheet, Pam, chicken- 350 for about 25 minutes, depending on thickness... I leave mine plain, then season once I portion it out into a meal so I can have several flavors throughout the week :) 

2. Chop veggies: I chopped the zucchini, 1/2 the onion, 1/4 of each bell pepper, and the sweet potatoes. While the chicken is baking, I heat Pam in a skillet over medium heat and saute all but the sweet potatoes. I'll typically add these to quinoa or my egg whites later in the week. I place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet, coated with a little olive oil, and after the chicken is done, roast them at about 400 degrees for 25 minutes. During the last 10 minutes, I add the asparagus to the tray, and everything is done at the same time! Again, I leave everything plain (unseasoned) until I put it in my Tupperware for a specific meal- that way my sweet potatoes can be sweet (with stevia & cinnamon) or spicy (cayenne, chili powder) and I can put an Asian, Mexican, Italian, etc. twist on anything! 

3. While veggies are still in the oven, I bring 2 pots of water to a boil- one for the brown rice and one for the quinoa (this cooks MUCH quicker than brown rice). Of course, if you own a rice cooker, you can use that too... but I'm old school with my cooking, and have never really had an issue with the texture of rice (apparently I should consider myself lucky??) 

4. Finally, while the quinoa and rice are boiling, I brown my ground beef, and then my ground turkey. I do it in that order specifically because the ground beef has a little extra flavor I like on my ground turkey... if that makes any sense at all... 

5. Sometimes if I'm really motivated (or trying to be extra honest with my portions), I'll put my almonds in baggies for the week, instead of doing it just one day at a time. For some unknown reason, I always run out of almonds before the end of the week if I do them one day at a time... hm... maybe it's those "bites" that sneak into my mouth as I'm bagging them... 

**I do not pre-make eggs or fish until the morning before because the texture grosses me out.  

(PICS TO COME... NEXT WEEK! sorry, all my prep is done for now) 

I usually freeze about half, and keep half in gallon size baggies in my fridge (which my mother LOVES). Then I make "meals" the night before by weighing & measuring yummy combinations into Tupperware, adding seasonings, and voila! delicious, healthy meals with plenty of VARIETY to take with me wherever I may go. 

Hope this helps someone out there! Keep me posted on meals you're making :) I always love to see clean, healthy meals!