Berry Good!

Hey guys!  I hope you have had a nice couple of day. I had yesterday as well as today off so I have been relaxing. Yesterday I went and bought myself two pairs of denim shorts from American Eagle. I felt I deserved them. I had only one pair of shorts to wear outside of my gym shorts and they were way too big on me. I spent $45 and got two pairs. American Eagle's denim seems to be the only ones that fit me well.

I was astounded because I actually managed to fit into a size 2 with room to spare. I don't like my shorts to be skin tight. I fit into a 0, but decided to go with a more comfortable size 2. I have never in my life fit in a size 2 and it is such a great feeling. I have been working so hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle and when it pays off, it is amazing.

I went to the grocery store late last night on a berry run. I needed fruit for work and they had pretty good prices so I stocked up. I have even more strawberries than this, they just didn't fit in my massive container! I also picked up green tea, turkey lunch meat, peaches, a tomato, avocado, and more Greek yogurt.

This morning I made a banana protein pancake from leftover batter I had in the fridge. I still have some left, so I may have another once I get home from the gym later for my post-workout.

I served it with a side of mixed fresh berries, green tea, and a simple blackberry chia seed spread.

The spread is so simple and delicious for pancakes, and healthier than syrup. I took 1/4 a cup of blackberries, 1/2 a tablespoon of chia seeds, and half a pack of stevia and mixed them together, mashing the berries. I microwaved the mixture for about a minute and a half, took it out and spread it on my pancake. SO GOOD!

I hope you guys have a wonderful day. I am planning on going to the local market with my boy in a while just for something to do. If they have some nicely priced produce, I may be picking up some veggies. I also am planning on hitting the gym for a leg and ab session today. Good luck and stay cool!

Oh, man is it hot today! I mean, scorching! I don't mind the heat as much as I used to, but at my job where I sit with no air conditioning with long pants, boots, and a long sleeve shirt it really gets to you! It is so important to stay hydrated in this heat so make sure you're drinking a lot of water!

Yesterday my boyfriend and I went out to dinner at Red Lobster. I ended up eating two of their biscuits, ugh. They are so horrible for you, but they are delicious. I haven't had them in a really long time (or white bread/flour at all for that matter), so I shouldn't feel too bad about it. I also got a garden salad with no dressing (I never use dressing, I usually always use fruit to sweeten up my salads). For dinner I got half a serving of wood fire grilled tilapia, steamed broccoli, and wild rice. It was very good! I really like tilapia. It is such a mild fish and it absorbs flavors very well. If you haven't tried it yet, I really suggest you do!

After dinner we went over to the grocery store. I needed several things and I got paid today so I splurged on a couple things I have wanted for a while.

I have been hearing so much about coconut oil, so I spent about $7 to buy the organic kind. It has a ton of health benefits and is one of the best cooking oils for you. I also got raw stevia, some small packs of nuts, greek yogurt for my lunches and also for recipes, a bulk size of rolled oats (not the quick cooking kind!), and some produce.

After I got home, I decided to make a recipe I had seen on Instagram (I get a ton of recipes and ideas from that phone App, I must say I am addicted). This one was banana protein muffins, from user msheard13.

They were pretty simple and ended up tasting very lovely, the ingredients are:

• 1 whole ripe banana
• 3/4 cup egg whites
• 1/2 plain low fat greek yogurt
• 3/4 cup of oats
• 2 scoops of vanilla whey protein
• 12-14 packs of stevia (I used 12)
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon

I mixed all of the ingredients in my food processor and blended. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, spray your muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray (I used some of my coconut oil), spread the mixture evenly between two muffin trays (12 count). Bake for about 18-20 minutes and test them by sticking in a tooth pick to be sure they are done in the middle.

For one of these delicious bad boys it is about 60-75 calories. They are great for pre or post workout and taste lovely. I plan on topping some of them with peanut butter and nuts, or some non-fat greek vanilla yogurt and some banana slices. I put some in the freezer so they would keep longer.

I hope you try them!

Protein Pancakes

I have been trying to perfect my protein pancake making and it really is not working too well! Whenever I don't have any flour in the mixture, it is very difficult for me to keep the pancakes from going to complete mush when I flip them. I don't like when my food turns out looking like baby food! What can I do to make my protein pancakes stay whole? They always stick to the bottom of the pan, even with spray and low heat.

However, I did make some protein pancakes that were pretty delicious. They had carbs, but I am ok with that today because I need the energy. It is supposed to be around 97-99 degrees today, plus I will be going to the gym soon for an arm and cardio session.

This lovely giant protein pancake topped with whipped peanut butter, half a banana, flax seeds and chia seeds ended up being about 500 calories, but it was filling and will give me the protein and carbs I need to fuel my workout. To make two servings of batter:

• 1/2 cup of oats
• 1/2 cup of cottage cheese
• 4 egg whites
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 a large banana

Put all the ingredients about in a food processor and blend. I had attempted to make half the batter without wheat flour, but it ended up making a mess (a delicious mess, but I like pretty food, not mush). I added 1/4 a cup of wheat flour to the second half of the batch and they turned out like the photo above. A beautifully formed pancake. You can make them either way, and they will both be delicious. 

Introduction

Hello out there to anyone who is reading this blog, and thank you. I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to learn more about me. I am currently 22 years old, in a couple weeks I will be 23. I recently graduated from a local college with a degree in Criminal Justice and Corrections. I have always been interested in law enforcement and investigations work. It was not until recently I realized that my health may hold me back from prospective career opportunities. It is not easy being a female in the law enforcement field. Often you are not taken seriously, and are seen as an easy target. I did not want to get a job simply because I was a female and they needed to fill the position in order to not discriminate. I wanted to stand out. I wanted to be fit. Along with that, I just honestly was so tired of being depressed about my body. I have always struggled with weight and self-esteem issues. I have an anxiety disorder that really controlled me and I was always on edge and having freak outs about my appearance and not feeling like I was good enough. At the end of 2011, I was about 170 pounds.

Today, I weigh at about 123-125. I am a bit taller than 5'8". I did all of this through healthy diet and exercise. In high school, I was a cheerleader. However, I did not really like to do strenuous exercise. For a period of time in early high school, I suffered from anorexia due to a destructive relationship with a guy who constantly told me I was fat and not living up to his expectations of a perfect girl. However, that is not the way people should lose weight. It is not long-lasting and it sure does not help self-esteem or health. I love cooking and finding new healthy alternatives to my favorite foods. If I can do this, I know you can. With effort, dedication, and support, you can get there. I hope that anyone who strives for/lives a healthy life will be able to reach out to me. I know how difficult it can be sometimes to not have support of those around you or feel like you can't make it, but you can. I want to inspire you, and I want you to inspire me.