Cookies and Cream Protein Bars

I am super excited about this recipe I had to type it up right away for you guys because I knew it was going to be a home run. I wanted something different with my nightly casein, so I started thinking. I really wanted a candy bar. I would not allow it! I made myself a compromise: Cookies and Cream Protein Bars!

What you'll need:

• 1 scoop (1/2 cup) Cookies and Cream Casein, or some other flavor of casein
• 4 tablespoons shredded unsweetened coconut
• 4 tablespoons of coconut flour
• 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk
• 3 packets of raw stevia
• 2 squares of 90% dark chocolate

Mix together the dry ingredients (coconut flakes, casein, coconut flour, 2 packets of stevia). Add the almond milk to the dry ingredients and mix well. Make it into a doughy consistency before removing it from the bowl (and having a little taste of the batter!). Shape it in to 3 bars. Melt the dark chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for about 45 seconds and mix in the final packet of stevia to sweeten it a bit. Drizzle the chocolate over the bars. Put the bars into the freezer to harden.  I left mine in for at least 45 minutes. I am taking one to work for a snack tomorrow!

Each bar has 10.6 g fat, 7.5 g saturated fat, 147 g of sodium, 11.4 g carbs, 6.1 g dietary fiber, 1.5 g sugar, 11.8 g protein

Fall Reflection with Personal Pumkin Pie Baked Oats

Hey everyone! I hope you are having a great Thursday. If you are like me and work Monday-Friday I bet you are as excited as me for tomorrow to be Friday. This weeks sped by and I can not believe that people are back in school and there is only one more day left in August. It really seems like as you get older, the time starts to speed by. I noticed this especially since I graduated college and work full time.

How many of you are excited for fall? After years of mulling over the question of which season is my favorite, I think that I would choose Autumn. Mild weather is so fantastic. I love being able to wear shorts and a hooded sweatshirt or a t-shirt and jeans and be comfortable. I also love the way that the air smells, dewy cool mornings, warm colorful leaves, and pumpkins, apples, and more fall foods. This will be my first fall of healthy clean eating and I am so excited to see what new seasonal veggies and dishes I can try.

I was really craving pumpkin last night, so I cracked open a can of Libbys canned pumpkin and made this for my breakfast this morning. My very own bowl of Pumpkin Pie (Baked Oats)

For this dish you will need:

1/4 a cup of pure pumpkin puree (I use Libbys)
1 large egg white
2 tablespoons of almond meal/flour
2 tablespoons milled/ground flax seed
1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) oat bran
1/4 cup of whole grain rolled oats (not instant)
pumpkin pie spice
ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 packets of raw all natural stevia
5 drops vanilla creme liquid stevia (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees while preparing your oats. I used about 1/2 a cup of water and cooked my oat bran and rolled oats together on the stove top first. Once cooked, I added in my egg white while continuously stirring the mixture. This ensures you won't have giant pieces of egg white sitting in your oats. I then added in one packet of raw stevia and mixed that in. Once cooked to your liking, take the egg white oats off the stove. In a separate glass baking dish or bowl, scoop out 1/4 (4 tablespoons) of pumpkin. Here is where I added the vanilla creme stevia and vanilla extract, but if you don't have it you can always omit it or use more plain stevia or sweetener of choice. I also added about 1/4 a teaspoon of pumpkin spice and ground cinnamon and mixed this all together. Then, I added the cooked egg white oats to the party with some more pumpkin spice and ground cinnamon (I love thoses spices so much!). Mixed all ingredients together well. Next, I mixed together the almond flour and ground flax seed together with another packet of raw stevia. I poured this mixture on top of the pumpkin oats like a crust. You may have some left over depending on how big your bowl is and how thick you want the crust to be on top. Throw it in the oven for about 25-30 minutes.

I let mine cool down and threw them in the fridge to keep until morning. I ate my personal pumpkin pie out of the fridge because I like cool pumpkin pie, but you can warm it in the microwave, toaster oven, or regular oven if you have more time than I did this morning. You can also top it with some light cool whip, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, protein frosting, peanut butter, whatever your heart desires! I topped mine with some Walden Farms zero calorie pancake syrup and that was all she wrote. I was very satisfied this morning but it left me craving Autumn even more than before.

Oatmeal always helps keep me more full for longer periods of time because it is so hearty. If you eat carbs in the morning, you will have more energy and it will help curb hunger (unless you're me and will be hungry again by 9 a.m.). Carbs are an important part of a healthy diet, just make sure you are getting the right carbs! Whole grains, vegetables, fruit, and beans. Carbs are an energy source, so having them is not a bad thing! What you want to stay away from is processed crap carbs like white bread and pasta. Your food is your fuel, people! If you eat crap, you will feel like crap.


Here I am sitting at work typing this entry up and trying to make time go fast. So, I figure a lot of people who look at this are also interested in exercise and fitness. I am going to try to start posting more of my workouts so that you guys can see what routines I come up with. I like to think that my plans have been doing a good job building muscle, so here is my triceps and calves workout I am doing after work.


Exercise                                                     sets x reps

Tricp Kickbacks                                            3 x 15
Hanging Dips                                                3 x 12
Bench Dips                                                    4 x 12
Dumbbell Tricep Extension (one arm)          3 x 12
Skull Crushers                                               4 x 12
Tricep Extension (both arms)                        4 x 12
Lying Tricep Extension                                 3 x 12
Reverse Bench Press (palms face you)         4 x 10

Standing Calf Raise w/ Barbell
              toes in                                             3 x 15
              toes out                                           3 x 15
              toes parallel                                    3 x 15
Seated Calf Press (machine)                        3 x 12
Barbell Seated Calf Raise                            4 x 15


I have been trying to increase the amount of HIIT I have been doing to help shed that last bit of fat over my abs. Since my legs and glutes are still sore, and I did HIIT yesterday, I am just lifting today. I also have to do some moving tonight, so I am trying to keep my routine "light" so I don't burn myself out. More about HIIT will be on another entry at some point.



What are your feelings about Autumn?
What is your favorite seasonal produce for fall?

Chocolate Zucchini Protein Brownies

I had a ripe banana sitting around and decided to throw a few things together. I just love when something turns out just like I wanted. It's super satisfying. Today, it was Chocolate Zucchini Protein Brownies. Yes, Zucchini. Zucchinis are great for baking because they are a low carb vegetable, help keep things moist, and they blend very well with other flavors.

What you'll need:

• 1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder
• 1/3 grated zucchini, about 2/3 of a cup
• 2 egg whites
• 2 packets of raw stevia
• 1/2 a teaspoon baking powder
• 5 drops of chocolate SweetLeaf liquid stevia
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1 ripe banana, mashed

 First, I mashed up the banana in a bowl and thew in the grated zucchini. Then, I added the protein powder, stevia, and coconut flour. After it was well mixed I added the 2 egg whites and finally the liquid stevia.

Preheat oven to 370 degrees and pour batter into a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until you can stick a toothpick in the middle and have it come out clean.

I can not provide nutritional information, as this recipe may vary with your particular protein powder. 

Enjoy!

Cheat Day and Recovery with Sweet Corn Salsa

Hey guys! I hope where ever you are and what time it is that you are having a great day! Yesterday was a blast. I allowed myself to cheat because honestly, I wanted to. I have been working hard and had a killer workout yesterday morning. I worked on glutes, abs, and did 10 minutes of HIIT cardio. I burned a little over 550 calories. I went a bit overboard at the reception, but now as of today, I am joining in on Josie on Instagram's challenge of no cheats for 2 weeks! I think after how awesome yesterday was and how horrible my stomach felt this morning, this challenge shouldn't be an issue! I really have not had an appetite for most of the day. I think my body is trying to cleanse itself or something. Anyway, some of the cheats I had yesterday were: BBQ pulled pork sandwich on white roll, fish and pork taco, some alcoholic drinks, grilled cheese and tomato soup appetizers, mac and cheese, cupcakes, cookies, a couple other treats. My body was not happy by the end of the night and this morning. I felt a bit guilty about it, and my body felt bloated, but I felt like I deserved it. Now, no cheats for the next 2 weeks!

This morning, I was not hungry when I first woke up but I knew I needed to eat especially if I was going to move some boxes and hit the gym for biceps. I made some vanilla banana coconut flour protein pancakes with some peanut flour sauce, topped with mashed banana, and some slices of while banana. It definitely hit the spot and felt good to put some real nutrition in my body.


I moved a few of my things into our new place, which we can't really move anything large for another week which really sucks. Next weekend is going to be hectic for me. I will have to get everything moved in within a day because I picked up some overtime on Sunday. Oh well. I'll make it work. The good thing is that moving is a good workout!

Once I was done at the gym I went to the grocery store because I needed to do food prep for the week. I made baked chicken breast, spiced apple chicken sausage, sweet corn was on sale so I got 4 ears, and I got things to make sweet corn salsa!

 

 What I used:

• 1/2 a red onion, chopped fine in a food processor
• corn from 2 ears of sweet corn
• 1 chopped jalapeno
• 2 diced vine tomatoes
• dash of sea salt
• basil
• garlic powder

Mix the above ingredients well. But, the lovely thing about salsa is that you can be so creative with it! Throw in some fruit, some other veggies, play around! It's rather inexpensive depending on your choice of ingredients. I hope you guys play around with some salsa and make your own recipes!

What is your favorite salsa combination?

xo Meg

Happy Saturday and Strawberry Banana Muffins

Good day you lovely lovely people. It is currently 8:05 and I am sitting and eating my breakfast. Today is an exciting day as two of Dylan and I's good friends are getting married. It's very exciting. I am not going to have any cakes or desserts, but I am going to allow myself to drink a bit because I haven't in a longgg time. Probably since my birthday in July. Everything is ok in moderation. The good thing is I won't have to drink much to feel it! I am a light weight :)

Anyway, the other day I was experimenting and created a delicious recipe, although already done before by many others, it's exciting and new to me.

Strawberry Banana Muffins

Dry:

• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
• 2 tablespoons of coconut flour
• 3 packets of raw stevia
• 1 tablespoon vanilla whey protien
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Wet:

•  1 ripe mashed banana
• 3 egg whites

•  ALSO 1/4 cup chopped strawberries and 1/2 a strawberry on to top for garnish

You can also add more stevia/natural sweetened and/or some vanilla extract to these muffins to make them a bit sweeter. Mix the dry ingredients well, then the wet. Combine them and mix very well. Then, fold in gently the 1/4 cup chopped strawberries. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 25-30 minutes. They will be done when you can pull out a toothpick and it will be dry. I sprinkled a little organic brown sugar on top of my muffins to give it a little crunchy sweetness.

My batch made 5 because 2 of them ended up being larger than the others, so evenly dispersed this batter should make 6 muffins!

My version for one was about 100 calories with 4 grams of fat, 0 saturated fat, 198 grams of sodium, 179 g potassium, 10 g carbs, 4 g dietary fiber, 6g sugar, and 7 g of protein.

Apple Crumble Eggs, Dark Cocoa Peanut Spread, and More Goodies!

Hey there guys! Sorry I haven't posted in a few days. Been busy with life things as I am sure you all can relate to. I have been working on a couple of recipes for you guys, but I want to wait until I think they are perfect before posting them. These are my first recipes from scratch so I really want them to be amazing and knock the ball out of the park!

I am seriously dying for fall to get here. I can not wait for cool and dewy mornings, beautiful colored leaves, hoodies and jeans, and fall foods. I have been finding myself craving more apples and pumpkins and warm savory foods.

The day I had been inspired by Laura's (Sprint 2 the Table) photo on instagram which contained eggs and apples. I thought it looked fabulous and I had been wanting to try the whole egg and apple mixture. So, craving fall, I decided to make a slice of Apple Crumble Eggs.

What you will need for this easy recipe:

• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 a Macintosh apple
• Ground cinnamon
• 1/3 scoop of vanilla whey protein
• 2 tablespoons of unsweetened almond milk
• Walden Farms calorie-free syrup
• 2 tablespoons powdered peanut butter/peanut flour/PB2
• some natural sweetener to your taste

Coconut crumble on top:

• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
•  1-1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 a packet of raw stevia 
• a dash of ground cinnamon

First, crack and mix 4 egg whites with 1/3 scoop vanilla whey protein, 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk, and some natural sweetener. Mix well and set to the side.

Cut up 1/2 your apple and put it into a skillet heated with non-stick spray or coconut oil. I had my stove set to medium-low. Start browning the eggs with some ground cinnamon. After I let them cook for a couple minutes, I poured on some Walden Farms calorie-free pancake syrup and let them cook in that for a bit. Then, I added the egg and protein mixture.

 

Let the eggs cook up while stirring occasionally. Basically, you are making scrambled eggs. While this is cooking, whip up your peanut butter mixture for on top. You can use regular peanut butter, too. I like to use powdered peanut butter/peanut flour because it is high in protein, low carb, and full of healthy fat. Your egg/apple mixture should eventually look like this:

 Add some more natural sweetener and ground cinnamon if you like. I plated my apple and egg mixture and then mixed up my crumble and added it on. Then, I topped mine with some more cinnamon and powdered peanut butter. This would also go great with some cottage cheese or Greek yogurt! This was awesome and very good for pre or post workout because it is high in protein and has carbs in the apple. Delicious.

I was super excited yesterday when I came home from work and my package from iHerb was on my step!

I love love love my new goodies. The almond flour is wonderful and the peanut flour is better than I expected. I like it because apparently it is just PB2/Powdered Peanut Butter. But, you can get a larger amount of it as peanut flour and it's cheaper that way! Both Almond and Peanut flour are better alternatives to flour. Low-carb and high protein, which is what I like to hear! I also ordered some Miracle Noodles to try. I already ordered 3 more bags of almond flour and also a smaller container of peanut flour. I want to make sure I am stocked up on these babies!

To try out my peanut flour yesterday I made a Dark Cocoa Peanut Spread. It turned out amazing!

I used 1 teaspoon of Dark Chocolate Dream from Peanut Butter & Co, 1 large tablespoon of peanut flour, 1/2 a tsp of natural unsweetened cocoa powder, raw stevia to taste, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of unsweetened almond milk. So light and yummy. Also, you get a good amount for about 90-100 calories. I smeared mine on a toasted high fiber low carb tortilla that I had toasted.


Last night I went to have my casein dessert, before bed and I remembered an awesome site that my friend Enid had shown me Chocolate Covered Katie's Funfetti Cookie Dough Balls. I didn't feel like baking them after making test runs of my new recipes, so I decided to alter it to make a basic cookie casein dough!

What you'll need:

• 2 tablespoons of coconut flour (almond flour also works awesome)
•  2 tablespoons unsweetened natural apple sauce
•  3 tablespoons cookies and cream casein (I use Optimum Nutrition)
• 1 packet of raw stevia
• 1/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk
•  
•  Mix well until a doughy consistency. Topped with some of the Dark Cocoa Peanut Spread from earlier and some rainbow sprinkles! Put in the freezer for a half an hour or so. Consume! 

I have been going crazy trying new recipes for the peanut flour. I wanted to make some more peanut chicken that I had made before, so I perfected the recipe a bit with peanut flour for dinner tonight!

The Peanut Sauce I used is pretty basic, but tastes amazing! 2 tablespoons of peanut flour mixed with 2 tablespoons of water. Add 1/3 packet of raw stevia, a little cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. I also tried mixing in a teaspoon of Sriracha in the sauce for my wrap tomorrow to make it more spicy!

The chicken is pre-cooked. I like to prep a good bit of chicken every 4 days or so to use for meals. Chicken is my favorite protein, so I keep a lot of it around for quick and easy meals. I put the chicken in a skillet with non-stick spray. I also cut up a green hot pepper and sauteed the chicken with the pepper. I added the peanut sauce on top after the chicken and pepper cooked a bit. Allowed it to cook over medium-low heat while I steamed 1 cup of broccoli. I saved a little bit of sauce to drizzle on top once plated.

With meals like this, I really see no point in going out and spending money on Chinese food that is probably loaded with grease and will make me feel sick. Simple, clean, and delicious. Few ingredients. Exactly how I like it!

I hope you guys enjoy these if you go to try them. I will work on perfecting these recipes I created so you guys can enjoy them as well.

xo Meg

Low-Carb Zucchini Fritters

Low-Carb Zucchini Fritters

I bought a bunch of zuchinnis at the farmer's market this past Sunday, and my friend Enid and I had been talking about zucchini fritters. She really made me want to try them so I made an altered version of a recipe I found on The Gracious Pantry.

What you'll need: 1 small to medium zucchini, 4 tablespoons milled flax seed, 4 tablespoons coconut flour, 6 egg whites, any spices you would like to add (I didn't use any, I topped mine with garlic lovers hummus and a bit of black pepper).

Wash the zucchini and trim the ends off. Grate it like the photo above. Add 6 egg whites to the bowl with the grated zucchini

 Mix the coconut flour and milled flax seed in a separate bowl, then combine them. Mix them well.

Heat up a pan and use non-stick spray or coconut oil to cook the fritters in. I cooked mine on medium (3-4 setting). Flip them and they will be kind-of like a pancake. They are awesome, rather mild and a great boat for flavor. They are low carb, too due to the flax and coconut flour. High in protein due to the egg whites. Very healthy and simple recipe that works as a main course or a side! Nutritional information will vary with the size of your cakes.

How To: Overnight Oats

Hey guys! This morning I posted my breakfast on Instagram:

White Chocolate Wonderful Overnight Oats

There usually seems to be a lot of confusion concerning those who have never heard of or tried overnight oats, but would like to. So, I decided to type out exactly what overnight oats are and how you can make them! 

Overnight oats are so perfect for when you know you have to have a quick breakfast ready to go that you can even take with you if you wanted! All you need is an almost empty jar of nut butter (any will work!) with about 1 to 2 tablespoons of peanut butter left inside, some whole grain (non-instant) rolled oats (or other form of oatmeal/grain), milk in whatever form you choose, cottage cheese or greek yogurt. You can also throw in some chia seeds, ground flax seed, protein powder, fruit, nuts, whatever tickles your fancy. Here is what I use for my personal oats for this morning:

• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 2 tablespoons left in a near-empty Peanut Butter & Co White Chocolate Wonderful container
• 1/2 a cup of low fat 1% cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup organic puffed kamut cereal
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1/4 cup whole grain (non-instant) rolled oats 

I combined all of the ingredients above into the peanut butter jar and mixed well:

Doesn't look the prettiest, but I swear it is so worth it. I have done overnight oats where I have mixed in half a banana along with the other ingredients with other flavors of nut butter and it turns out fantastic. Overnight oats are so great because they are simple, quick, and make your morning easy. You can play around with toppings and try all sorts of combinations. You don't need an empty jar to do this, you can just add the ingredients plus 2 tablespoons of nut butter and let it sit overnight in a covered container. They still turn out amazing.

I hope this was helpful to those who want to try making overnight oats for the first time. Remember to play around! You can do endless combinations.

Farmers Market and Unexpected Leg Day

Good day! I have had a pretty busy day between going to the flea and farmer's market, hitting the gym, cleaning, and prepping food. I have been on a kick for trying new things, so I took some time while my chicken breast was baking in the oven to try some boiled artichokes and also some roasted cauliflower. More on that later!

I woke up this morning and made my breakfast. I wanted something savory vs. sweet this morning because I was not feeling the greatest. I made an altered version of my vanilla flax pancakes so they were more savory, then paired it with chicken and some Brags liquid amino acids. It was filling and what I had been wanting. I always want pancakes on the weekends because I don't have to rush doing them.

After I ate, my boy finally woke up. I prepared some snackage and drink for the little trip because I knew we were going to work out right afterwords. I made some amazing Cherry Vanilla Water, which was only 5 cherries pitted and torn apart, drops of SweetLeaf's Vanilla Creme liquid stevia, water, and ice. That is it! I let it sit for a little before drinking and stirred it a good bit to really infuse the water. And one of the best parts, cherries at the bottom when you finish it! :D

Infusing water with fruit is so much fun and it makes water so much more enjoyable. I drink so much more water now that I have this vanilla creme stevia. I can't wait to try some of the other flavors SweetLeaf offers.

I came back from the flea and farmers market with a pretty nice produce haul. I also wanted to pick up some artichokes from the store since they didn't have any at the market, so here is what I came home with:

 

Lots of delicious fresh foods, guys! This is what you should be looking to bring home from the store or the market: Fresh, delcious, healthy foods.

I started off cooking by prepping my baked chicken breast for the week, chopping up some of the veggies I bought, making my lunch and snacks for tomorrow, and then the fun began!

I had researched how to make steamed artichokes and really wanted to give it a try, so I bought two from the store. I started off by putting a pot together with about an inch and a half of water, a fresh bay leaf, two cloves of garlic, and 1/2 a lemon (squeeze juice into the water, then throw the lemon in). Cover the mixture and allow to come to a boil. Once boiling, add in the artichokes.

 

Prepare the artichokes by tripping the ends of the leaves where there are points. Also, trim the stem a bit, but not too much. Put the artichokes into the water once it boils, reduce to low/simmer and cover. I steamed mine for about 25-30 minutes.

To eat, you rip off the leaves and eat the part where the leaves were attached. You also scrape and eat the artichoke heart at the end. I ate mine with the ends dipped in sriracha. They were delicious and I am so glad I got to try them! 

Positivity and Pancakes

Good morning darlings! It is my day off from work today and tomorrow so I am going to attempt to get some things done. I had a pretty amazing day yesterday. I always try to wake up and first thing and tell myself in my head, "You are going to have a good day and work is going to go fast!" I am not kidding, I try to do that every time I open my eyes from sleeping, and you know what? I really feel that it works! Waking up with a positive attitude and a clean slate for your day is one of the best things you can do. Work flew by yesterday because of it and I really think the other employees were feeling my positive vibes because I got several compliments yesterday! Stay positive, ladies and gents!❤

I was able to make it out to the Natural Foods store in my area yesterday after I went to the gym and did a killer biceps and back workout. Dylan went along with me. I have really seen progress in his body too! He weighed himself last night and was around 150. I can see definition in his arms and stomach. It's pretty awesome. He isn't eating clean or anything like me, but it is so nice to have someone to go to the gym to sometimes. After the gym, we went and picked up some new things: Xanthan Gum, Garden of Life's Raw Protein is vanilla flavor, 2 organic zucchinis, and a couple of goodies for a care package my love Enid (Instagram is @beenid) and I are exchanging so I can't say ;)!

I am really excited to try this new protein. It is vegan, organic, gluten free, and dairy free, lower carbs and calories than the kind I have now. Plus, I got this adorable shaker! I didn't have a shaker of my own, so I was stoked to get a freebie. They were selling this for $26, so I didn't think it was a bad deal at all! I have to finish up my other vanilla first, but I seriously can not wait to try this protein powder.

I also tried zucchini for the first time last night! Enid and myself were talking about them and I had been looking for one at the store, so I ended up buying two organic ones from the natural foods store.

I wanted to make some for dinner. I know, I am crazy that I have never really had, or been aware that I have ever had, zucchini. Anyway, it was lovely. I cooked them on a pan with Mrs. Dash (original flavor) and that was it (other than non-stick spray). They are a nice flavor boat, very mild. I am planning on trying some zucchini noodles with the other one. For dinner I also made some lean turkey patties. I bought a package of ground turkey from the store and threw together these nice little Turkey Pepper Patties!

• Lean/extra-lean ground turkey
• 1/3 of a red and green bell pepper chopped up into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon on crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon of Bragg's Liquid Aminos (plus more after they were done to spray on)
• 1 teaspoon cumin 
• 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed

Mix the meat, pepper, and spice mixture with your nice and shiny clean hands until well mixed. I cooked mine on a stove-top. With one package of turkey, it made at least 12. Depending on the size of the patty the amount will vary. They were really tasty! Very easy. I also made a side of steamed cauliflower and broccoli. Finally, a little dash of 1/4 a cup of brown rice with more liquid aminos. Fabulousssss especially with some Sriracha on top!

For my clean amazing dessert I made:
 

Cocoa Coconut Protein Crumble

 It was freaking amazing, guys. Super filling and delicious.

• 3/4 cup plain non-fat Chobani mixed with a couple drops of SweetLeaf vanilla creme liquid stevia

For the crumble:

• 3 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1/3 scoop chocolate whey protein
• 2 tablespoons chocolate PB 2
• 6 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk

Mix the crumble ingredients together, dry first, then add the almond milk afterwords. You can use any kind of milk or milk substitute, I roll with Unsweetened Almond Milk.

Topped off the crumble with the fluffy tasty yogurt, 1 tablespoon Dark Chocolate Dream Peanut Butter & Co peanut butter, then a sprinkle of hazelnuts. Yum yum yummmmm! So delicious and guilt-free.

  Today for breakfast was Vanilla Blueberry Protein Pancakes!

• 1/2 a ripe small banana
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
• 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• 3 tablespoons low fat cottage cheese
• 3 large egg whites

I topped them with Walden Farms zero calorie pancake syrup and some fresh blueberries. This recipe came out to be about 411 calories, 8 grams of fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 68 miligrams of cholesterol, 44 grams of carbs, 12 grams dietary fiber, 15 grams of sugar, and 52 grams of protein.
 These were so fluffy and delicious. I loved them! I hope you do too. Have an amazing Saturday and if you are working out (you should be!) kick butt!

Ramblings & Chocolate Hazelnut Heaven

Just got home from work! It was a pretty easy day, well pretty much every day is easy for me so I really shouldn't complain. I basically am a receptionist at a company, although I am technically a security officer. I answer phones, watch cameras, sort the mail, let people in and out of the facility. Then, the rest of the time I am playing my 3DS, reading, or messing around on my phone (Instagram addiction). I had posted a photo on Instagram today of my back and also posted that people could ask me some questions if they want. I really like talking to people on there and being able to provide any input and encouragement that I can offer. I adore everyone who follows me and talks to me because I find it to be such an amazing and supportive fitness community. So, here are the answers of the questions I received:

What is your back workout? Do I train it with other muscles or alone?

I split up my muscle groups while lifting as follows:
Cheast/Triceps/*Core
Legs/Glutes/*Core
Biceps/Back/*Core
Shoulders/Calves/*Core

* I really can do core any day. I sometimes do it once a week, other times I may do it every day I go. It really depends. I do core a lot to strengthen my lower back, abs are made in the kitchen. I hit legs once, maybe twice a week. That is my heaviest lifting day. One day I week I do strict cardio.

Some back exercises I do are: Assisted pull-ups, lateral pull-down, seated cable row, dumbbell row, barbell row, and back hypertensions.

What are some shoulder exercises that you do?
Military press, delt raises, weighted shoulder shrugs, lateral raises, upright row with dumbbells, shoulder press

What is your daily calorie intake?
To maintain my weight, I can eat around 1750 calories a day. I exercises every day but one a week. I try to eat at least my maintaining calorie number, plus 200-300 calories. So, I eat at least 1750 daily or that is what I aim for.

Are you a student or working?
 I graduated from college with a BA in Criminal Justice and Corrections. I currently work full time as a security officer.

What made you want to be healthy and active?
Well, I used to cheer in high school, then I was pretty active. But, once I graduated I gained some weight. Friends insisted that I wasn't "fat" or "chubby". I know I wasn't grossly overweight, but I did not like myself. I struggled a lot throughout my life with weight and self-esteem issues. Naturally, I struggled with my relationship with food as a result. I decided that in 2012, I was going to be different. I took little steps in order to make myself healthier at first. Then, I went all out. I knew I wasn't seeing the progress I wanted, so I busted my ass. Made some mistakes, learned a lot and now I am on the right track and seeing so much progress and finally happy with myself. I hated looking in the mirror. I hated the way clothes fit, so I did something about it and fell in love with it.

What is your height and weight and how much are you trying to lose or gain?
 I am 5'8"-5'9" and currently weigh, as of today, 123 lbs. I would like to go up to 130-135 in lean muscle mass.

When did you start eating clean and working out?
At the end of 2011 I started making conscious changes and exercising, I have been eating clean for about 3-4 months. Not exactly sure on the timing.

What is my favorite part of the body to work out?
Legs! Also, I like biceps a lot too.

What is your favorite meal?
I love chicken teriyaki with brown rice and broccoli.

What was your build like prior to gaining more muscle? Have you always been naturally slender and petite? 
 Before my muscle gain I was way too skinny and boney. I never would ever have thought of myself as petite. It's actually very flattering to hear now, but I am a pretty tall girl. I have wide shoulders like my Dad does, so I was always pretty "big". This is a photo of me from before I started this lifestyle:

This is a photo of me from Halloween 2011 with my boyfriend, Dylan. It astounds me how much my body has changed. I am so happy that it has.

Thanks for those who were interested in getting to know me a bit better. I think that's awesome.







On to the amazing dessert/final meal I ate yesterday. I was really craving something that was like chocolate hazelnut ice cream. So, I made this beautiful creation:

Chocolate Hazelnut Heaven

• 1/2 a cup non-fat plain Chobani greek yogurt 
•  1/2 a scoop of chocolate whey protein 

Mix the above ingredients well, and freeze for an hour or more. I usually make something like this 1 1/2 to 2 hours before I plan on having it. After an hour I took it out and topped it with 
1/4 of a pint of Chocolate Arctic Zero (this stuff is amazing, seriously, try it), 1/8 of a cup of chopped hazelnuts, and 1 tablespoon of Justin's All Natural Hazelnut Butter. I put mine back in the freezer for about another half an hour. When I took it out and ate it I felt like I was eating a bowl of Ferrero Rocher. I seriously urge everyone to try this. It was such an amazing thing to be able to eat, guilt free!

Cauliflower Crust, Garlic Chicken Spinach Pizza

Hey guys! I just sat down from finishing dinner. I had been wanting to try to make a cauliflower crust pizza but just hadn't gotten around to it. I had plenty of time so I gave it a go! I had about 2/3 of a cauliflower head. Here is the recipe for the crust of the pizza:

Oven preheated to 400 degrees

• 3 cups of washed cauliflower, riced*
• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 cup ground flax seed
• dash of salt
• sprinkle of black pepper and oregano

Mix the ingredients well. Take the mixture and two pieces of parchment paper. Using the parchment paper, pour out the mixture in between the sheets and press it gently into a round, oval, flat, whatever shape you want. Using a baking sheet or pizza pan to stabilize the crust, move it to the oven. Cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

Remove the "crust" and the top layer of parchment paper. Take this time to put on your lovely ingredients! This is how I made mine and it was like heaven:

•  Baked chicken breast (already prepped)
• Spinach
• 1 clove garlic chopped up into larger pieces
• 2% mozzarella cheese (about 2 tablespoons, very light)
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• Organic traditional tomato sauce (1/2 cup)

After you top the pizza with your ingredients, put it back in the oven for another 15-20. The crust will not be crisp, at least mine wasn't. However, that did not stop it from being absolutely lovely. I am going to try some other things eventually to try and crisp it up, but for now this is a great low-carb day meal!

* Put cauliflower in a food processor and pulse until the cauliflower reaches an almost "rice" looking texture. 

New Dress and Homemade Sushi!

 

 Hey guys! Hope you've had a great Monday. Yesterday I did end up going to the mall and picking up a really lovely dress for a friend's wedding at the end of the month. It's from Forever 21. I got it for about $18.00. I love that it's simple, yet really chic. 

I had been prepping a lot of brown rice to use for meals and noticed how sticky it was after it was done. Tangent: brown rice, real brown rice not instant, takes so long to cook! But, it was so worth it. I like prepping food and having easy access to meals. Anyway! I had bought a package of Nori (Seaweed/Sushi Paper) a while ago hoping for the chance to be able to learn to make sushi. I was feeling experimental and ended up making really lovely Clean Tuna Sushi!

Ingredients:

• Nori
• Tuna (water packed, low sodium if possible)
• Celery, Cucumber, Carrot sliced very thin and long (can use other add-ins! Avocado, sweet potato, shrimp, chicken, ect!)
• Low Sodium Soy Sauce (optional)
• Brown Rice (already prepped)

Spread the rice out on the nori. I used rice sparingly because I like to watch my carbs, but 1/4-1/3 of a cup should do. It is easier to spread if your hands are a little wet. Lay out the veggies and tuna about 1/3 of the way in to the nori paper. Roll it up! I trimmed the ends and then cut them into 3-4. How I have mine made, one roll is about 115 calories and clean! Wonderful alternative to going to and buying sushi and it's cheap!

Sunday Moring PB&J and Coffee

Good morning, darlings! I hope you had a wonderful day/evening/morning. I just got up and and contemplating what to eat for breakfast. This is a sort of live-blogging experience. Although, after I post it, it won't be live anymore, but I digress. I have a pot of vanilla creme coffee cooling now so that I can start off my day with a lovely chocolate vanilla iced coffee. I am pretty addicted to caffeine, although I am busting my butt to learn to not be dependent on it, mostly during the week.

Chocolate Vanilla Iced Coffee

-vanilla creme coffee, brewed and cooled off
- mug full of ice
- 1/4 a cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- Walden Farms Chocolate Syrup, just drizzled over the ice (about 2 tbsp)
- sweetener of your choice

Put all together and enjoy. 

It's Sunday! My boy and I are going to go to the mall in the town over so I can look for a dress. Our friend's wedding is coming up in a couple weeks and I wanted to check out H&M because their clothes are so cute! However, all of this after a workout at the gym of course. I never thought I would look forward to going to the gym. Now, my life just seems incomplete without it. I dread my rest day (I take one full rest day a week). I dread rest because that day I try to eat extra low carb, which means pretty much all of my favorite things get taken from my meal option equation. I have been doing pretty well carb cycling, of course I need to improve much more. Always strive to be better. Set goals, ladies and gents!

Vanilla Protein Flax Pancakes (Low-Carb)
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
2 scoops ground/milled flax seed
2 tablespoons of low fat small curd cottage cheese
3 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon 
Few drops Vanilla Creme liquid Stevia

Mix all dry ingredients and wet ingredients together separately. Mix the cottage cheese and egg well, I like the cottage cheese because it adds moisture and texture to the pancake (can't forget protein!). Once mixed into a batter I added a couple drops of my Vanilla Cremem Liquid Stevia from my past post just to add some more vanilla flavor to the party. Cook on low-medium heat, my burner was set between 2 and 3. As always with protein pancakes, resist the urge to flip them too early :)

For the pancakes, they contain 7 grams of fat, 2 g saturated fat, 68 g cholesterol, 665 g of sodium, 16 g carbohydrates, 5 g dietary fiber, 5 g sugar, and 48 g protein. 

And I dressed them up as PBJ Protein Flax Pancakes
2 tablespoons of Organic Powdered Peanut Butter
1/4 cup blackberries made into a jam by microwaving for 30-40 seconds and mashing with sweetener

I just had a bite and OH my GOSH. These are so good. I am definitely making this again. The whole stack is mine, and for only about 350 calories.

Hey guys! Second time posting today. I just wanted to get down my lovely egg white muffins I prepped yesterday and saved for later. I ate three today, my batch made 6:

- 6 large egg whites
- 1/2 a large white onion
- 1/4 cup broccoli tops cut up small
- 1/4 cup kale
- 1/2 cup spinach
- 1 medium jalepeno 
- 1/2 tsp baking powder

You can make so many variations of this recipe! Add some lean meat, salsa, tomato, beans, ect! They store nicely and can be ate as a quick snack or meal. 

I cut up a bunch of veggies. took the white onion, chopped it up finely and cooked that off in a skillet, I added kale and spinach right to the egg whites, I threw in some peppers and broccoli in with the white onion to soften. Once cooked and cooled a few minutes add the veggies to your egg and mix it up. Then spray a muffin tin with non-stick and distribute the egg mixture evenly. Preheat oven to 375 and cook for 15-25 minutes. Until eggs are cooked. I topped mine with some all natural black bean dip and sriracha. Mmm. Filling, high protein and low carb.

BIG UPDATE :3

Hey, guys! I am really sorry that I have been slacking so hard in the blogging department. I am usually pretty busy with work, the gym, cooking, and trying to spend time with my friends before school starts back up and I have to move at the end of the month. Anyway, I am going to try to be more active on here. I want to start posting more recipes since it is easier to type them out here than to constantly be typing them out on instagram.

I have been making a lot of amazing foods lately that I have been happy about. It is so great that even while eating clean you can eat fantastic foods and not feel guilty or have it set you back. I have been trying to gain some weight with a lot of frustration. It's terribly difficult. Now, I know there are people who will say "What?! I wish I could lose weight, not put on weight!" Well, honestly, when you are trying to gain it is pretty much just as difficult. I don't want to look bony, I want healthy, happy, and fit.

These are my latest progress shots. I feel like I look healthier, which is the most important. I love that I can go to the gym and am starting to lift heavier and see results. I know a lot of ladies think that lifting will make you look masculine and bulky, but it won't! If you are worried about that, try low weight and more reps.

Now, on to some food! I have made a few foods that I have really liked over the last few weeks, but since I had been slacking so horrible on here I may have forgotten some things, but I promise to try and get you all the yummy goodness I come across and make.

Tasty Turkey Bell Peppers

A package of extra lean (99%) ground turkey
6 green bell peppers (on the larger side)
2/3 of a large red onion
2 jalapeno pepper (optional, I like the spice)
2 15-16 oz jars low sodium/sugar spaghetti sauce

optional/add-ins:
black beans
corn
spinach
other veggies
cheese (low-fat/skim)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and cut the tops off of your 6 green peppers, takeout the core and seeds and wash. Don't throw away the tops! Brown the ground turkey on a non-stick skillet. Cut up your red onion, other veggies, and take the tops of your green pepper and dice them up and toss them in the party as well. Take a second skillet and cook the veggies. This process took me about 15 minutes. The veggies need to be pre-cooked so they are not really crunchy, but I like a little crunch to my veggies sometimes.

Put the hollow bases of the green peppers you cleaned into a baking dish. Pour one jar of tomato sauce into the baking dish. Once your turkey is browned, throw in the second jar or tomato sauce and the softened veggies. Let it cook for another 5 minutes and then spoon the mixture into the hollow peppers. Fill 'em up! Then, cover the peppers with tinfoil and cook them for an hour. They are so delicious and will definitely be making them again.

I also had attempted another little experiment that I ended up loving! Pistachio "Froyo"

- 1/2 a cup of plain Chobani greek yogurt,
- 1/2 a scoop vanilla whey protein
- vanilla extract
- a packet of raw stevia
- 1/4 a cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl/Tupperware container. Mix in some crushed up pistachios. Freeze for a couple hours. After I thawed it, I topped the foyo with some melted whipped peanut butter and some whole pistachios. It was so lovely.

 Another little experimental success. I needed a post-workout snack one day, so I conjured up a lovely Vanilla Protein Mug Cake.

-1/2 a large banana, mushed up in a coffee mug.
- tablespoons of vanilla whey protein, 
- 1 tablespoon whipped peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- a couple drips of vanilla cream all natural liquid stevia (you can also use regular stevia/natural sweeteners)
- 3 tablespoons of liquid egg whites

Mix very well and microwave for 2 1/2-3 minutes, keep an eye on it. I topped mine with a little vanilla protein frosting and some wf no cal chocolate syrup. It would be amazing with chia jam, berries, peanut butter, coconut oil, chocolate, greek yogurt, or cottage cheese. 

One day I had a pair of very sad, almost ready to meet the trash can, bananas. I decided to try a little something and ended up making this amazing Chocolate Protein Oat Cake.

I mashed the 2 large ripe bananas in a bowl with 
- 1 scoop chocolate whey protein
- 1 tsp of baking powder
- 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp of organic powdered peanut butter (pb2)
- 1/3 cup of whole grain rolled oats. 

Mix well, preheat oven to 375 and I poured the mixture on to parchment paper in a large pie baking dish. Baked for 25-30 minutes, make sure tooth pic comes out clean. 

The whole thing is 558 calories, but cut in 3 you can have it for 186 calories a slice with 2 grams of fat, 35 g carbs, 5 g dietary fiber, 12 g sugar, 12.7 g of protein. I had a piece for breakfast, it would also be great pre/post workout! Keep refrigerated and eat cold or microwave. Both are awesome.

I think I solved the dry coconut flour pancakes issue yesterday! I wanted lower carb vanilla protein pancakes as my pre-workout, so I made them! Vanilla Coconut Flour Pancakes

 - 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1/4 (probably about a tablespoon) of vanilla whey protein
-  6 tablespoons liquid egg whites (2 regular egg whites should work)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons low fat cottage cheese
- 5 drops of vanilla creme liquid stevia (or your choice of sweetener)
* You may need to add a bit of water to the batter if it is too dry. Just do a small amount at a time to make it a bit thinner

Mix the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients in separate bowls well before combining. Cooked on a non-stick pan with non-stick spray or coconut oil. Cook on low heat. Coconut flour can be fussy so be sure to give it time. They can be hard to flip, so let them cook for a while before flipping and you will have much more success. Oh my gosh. These are amazing. So perfect, fluffy, and moist. I topped it with wf calorie free syrup. Simple and seriously perfect. 

Finally! We have another lovely chocolatey high protein dessert.  Mint Chocolate Yogurt

- 1/2 a cup plain non fat greek yogurt
- 1/2 a scoop of chocolate whey protein

Mix well with sweetener if needed

topped it with shredded organic 85% dark chocolate, unsweetened coconut flakes, and fresh mint leaves. I am so glad I decided to buy mint leaves. They are rather cheap and very nice to have around for some unique flavors. 


That's all the recipes I have for today, but I did want to share one last thing that I have been living on for the last several days since I bought it: All Natural Vanilla Creme Liquid Stevia from SweetLeaf. This stuff is like liquid gold (much like Sriracha!). I have been drinking so much water thanks to this little gem. I have always been obsessed with the scent and taste of vanilla. It has always been my favorite. It makes even plain water taste like a dream. I have stopped drinking all diet soda now because of this. It is no calorie, delicious, and worth the price. I was buying packets of Raw Stevia and spending $3-$4 for 50 packets,  I bought this for $11.00 and I use it like crazy. Definitely getting this again and I urge you to look it up online or see if your local grocer has it in the organic/natural section. I know they have other flavors online, like Toffee. 

There you are guys! Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think of any of these recipes. 

xo Meg