Candy Cravings! Almond Joy Oats and Cake Batter Protein Pancakes

Hi everyone! It’s Sunday. Working another 8 hour shift of overtime today. Although my job is not very physically taxing and really is quite pleasant for the most part (who can complain about blogging, reading, texting, playing video games and watching films all while at work?), working 48 hour weeks is taking a toll on me. At least I am making money and getting closer to being able to sign up for the NASM personal training certification course. That is what is keeping me going: imagining my possible future that all of this extra time I am working will help me pay for. Have to work for what we want!

I’m sitting here typing this and sipping on some pumpkin spice coffee and trying to think of topics to discuss. Nothing is coming to me! I need you guys to give me some feedback on what types of things you would like to see me discuss on here. Leave me a comment and let me know some questions or things you would like me to talk about. Of course, remember that I am not an expert and anything I say on here is strictly personal experience and what works for me.

I have been trying to experiment with combinations of food. One of my favorite things to do is to take a bunch of different veggies with (or even without sometimes) a lean protein and mix them together.

I was in the mood for pineapple chicken quesadillas, so I made a big batch of pineapple, 

low sodium (also well rinsed) black beans, chicken breast, tomato, kale, red bell pepper, jalapeno, 

and sweet onion that I can use in burritos/quesadillas/eat as is! 

Sometimes if you have no idea what to eat is to look what you have, and just throw things together! 98% of the time I love the turn-out and then you know another meal you can make if you’re lacking in creativity or ideas on a particular day. We all have our creative slumps, with a clean eating lifestyle it is so important to keep things interesting and not eat the same things every day.

For breakfast the other morning I basically had a candy bar… No, not an actual candy bar, but it was delicious enough to be!! I was craving an Almond Joy so badly, so I made some Almond Joy Egg White Oats!

What you’ll need:

½ cup of whole grain rolled oats (cooked in 1 cup of water on medium heat)

2 large egg whites

2-3 packets of raw stevia (or more depending on how sweet you want your oats)

1 tablespoon of coconut manna (1/2 for in the oats, 1/2 for on top)

1 1/2 tsp of unsweetened natural cocoa powder

¼ cup unsweetened almond milk

1 tablespoon of shredded unsweetened coconut flakes (for on top)

6 almonds (for on top)

Cook your oats like normal in water, adding the cocoa powder, ½ tablespoon of coconut manna, and 2 egg whites about 1-2 minutes before the oats have finished cooking. Then mix in your stevia (or natural sweetener of choice) and a bit of unsweetened almond milk. Top with the second ½ tablespoon of coconut manna, coconut flakes, and almonds. I like to pour a bit of unsweetened almond milk around the edge of the bowl. This turned out so lovely and pretty that I had to share it with you guys! Definitely a nice pick-me-up.

At work I have been reading a book I recently purchased on me Acer Iconia Tab Tablet ($200, GameStop) written by Michael Pollan called The Omnivore’s Dilemma.  I was told that I should read Pollan’s books by a friend. The book is so interesting and informative. I never knew that the history of Corn was so fascinating and rooted in our society. I like it so much so far that I have ordered one of his other books from Amazon called In Defense of Food. If you are interested in food and nutrition, I highly recommend his books. His writing style is fantastic.

Since I am so interested in nutrition and health, I am trying to start reading more books about the subject so that I can be more informed (especially for when I become a personal trainer, and hopefully nutritionist). One of the best things you can do if you have a question about a topic or just want to be more educated in a realm of study is to do research! Understanding of a topic does not just happen. Seek to learn as much about a subject as you can so that you can make informed decisions! If you are new to a healthy lifestyle and feel lost and confused, look up some things! I frequent health, fitness, and bodybuilding blogs daily to help me learn more. There is an endless stream of information available to you right at your fingertips, so use it! Read some books and studies. We all started somewhere!

When I woke up this morning I thought about how I have not had protein pancakes in a while. I went to Wegman’s yesterday and picked up some new goodies to try out. One of the purchases was some gluten free yellow cake mix from Betty Crocker:

Although it may not be 100% “clean” it is one of the better cake mixes without a ridiculous list of ingredients. Thanks to Heather who has some recipes using this brand of cake mix, I picked it up after seeing it on her blog.

I made cake batter protein pancakes with banana frosting! These are the prettiest and most colorful pancakes I have ever made. They really cheered me up and got me ready for my shift today.

What you’ll need:

For the pancakes

½ scoop vanilla ice cream optimum nutrition whey protein

2 tablespoons oat bran

2 tablespoons coconut flour

2 tablespoons yellow Betty Crocker gluten free cake mix  

2 large egg whites

1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/8 tsp of baking soda and also cream of tartar

a bit of rainbow sprinkles (optional)

For the frosting

 1/3 of a mashed large banana

1 tablespoon of unsweetened almond milk

I mixed the dry ingredients and wet ingredients for the batter prior to combining. Mix well. Add the sprinkles last and don’t mix them in too much or all of the color will come off. White they are cooking on a non-stick sprayed pan, make the frosting. My recipe made 5 smaller pancakes. I topped the pancakes with my banana frosting and bit more sprinkles. It was so delicious! I love fun colorful food. Nothing wrong with some sprinkles once in a while. I hope you guys have and/or had a great day and enjoy your Sunday!

Meg x

Low-Fat Peanut Almond Butter and Peanut Butter Banana "Sushi"

Hey guys! I hope you had a fantastic day. One more day until Friday! I cannot wait until this weekend. My Mom and I are meeting in Lancaster on Saturday to go to the Amish farmer’s market. I have never been there, but apparently it is awesome. I am so excited to see some of the fresh foods they have.  The 8^th will be the end of Josie’s (vmfitness on Instagram) no cheats for two weeks challenge! The last time I cheated was on the 25^th when I went to a friend’s wedding. I cannot believe it has been two weeks already! I honestly rarely feel any desire to cheat. The only time I am looking forward to having a cheat any time soon will be later this next week because the local fair will be in town! You just cannot go to the fair without treating yourself to something sweet (even though my belly will probably regret it)! 

Last night I was browsing Laura’s (Sprint2theTable) blog and came across a recipe for her Low-Fat Peanut Almond Butter. I had all of the ingredients to make it, so I knew I had to try it right away. It is a very simple mixture and it turned out great. I love this recipe because it is low carb, calorie, and fat. Here is what her recipe calls for:

• ¼ cup almond meal/flour
• 3 tablespoons of peanut flour 
• ¼ cup of unsweetened almond milk ( I added an extra tablespoon)
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon 
• 5 drops vanilla liquid stevia ( I used 10 because I have a sweet tooth!)

I will definitely be making this again! It is great for when you are craving some nut butter, but really don’t have a whole lot of flexibility in your macros. I used some this morning on my Peanut Butter Banana “Sushi” that I had for breakfast. Check out Laura’s blog if you haven’t already. She has marvelous recipes. 

Peanut Butter Banana “Sushi” Roll (paired with 4 egg whites and some mild Italian chicken sausage and ground black pepper for breakfast this morning)

This easy little treat is great for breakfast, pre/post workout, or just for a snack! What you’ll need:  

• 1 small low carb high fiber whole wheat tortilla from La Tortilla Factory (I swear by these tortillas, 50 calories a piece with only 3 grams active carbs in each, 2 grams of fat, and 5 grams of protein) 
• About 2 tablespoons of the Low-Fat Peanut Almond Butter
• 1 small banana 
• Ground cinnamon

You can add things to this if you choose! Cottage cheese, greek yogurt, nuts, more fruit, etcetera. 

Spread the peanut almond butter over the tortilla, chop up the banana into pieces and line it up as though you were making a wrap, sprinkle some ground cinnamon over the banana and roll it up! Cut it into 4-5 smaller pieces, or just leave it as a wrap! I would like to try making this and putting it in my George Foreman grill. Warm peanut butter and banana is such a fantastic combination.  

Since changing my lifestyle to eating more clean and healthy, I have become die-hard obsessed with nut butters.  There wasn’t ever a time where I disliked peanut butter or anything, but I would always scoff at my Mom who eats peanut butter by the spoon full. Now, I find myself doing the exact same thing. I have a handful of different nut butters and always like to keep a full stock. I have sunflower seed butter, chocolate hazelnut butter, almond butter, 3 different kinds of Peanut Butter & Co peanut butters (I want to try the other flavors they offer, but they don’t sell them at my grocer :’(), all natural unsalted peanut butter, whipped peanut butter, and I am going to make my own almond butter and cashew butter very soon! I am crazy about nut butters now! It is so funny how much my tastes have changed. I can’t say I am complaining though! I love this lifestyle. What is your favorite kind of nut butter?

After work today I hit the gym for a triceps and shoulder workout. Yesterday I hit legs hard and I burned 500+ calories. I love leg day! I hope I get a good burn in today too with this workout: 

After the gym I had to pick up the boyfriend from work and get Keldeo for my Pokemon game (he works at GameStop, we are a bunch of nerds) and we went to the grocery store. We needed to stock up on a bunch of things and I wanted to pick up a couple new things as well. He is trying to watch what he eats and is getting more interested in going to the gym and living a healthier lifestyle. He isn’t as strict as me with his food intake and working out, but it’s awesome that since he has seen me progress and change, it seems to have motivated him as well. He even got his own gym membership so he didn’t have to come as a guest with me constantly. It just shows that if people see you doing something good for yourself, it may motivate others to do so as well!

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day my fellow working people! I unfortunately did have to work today, but I am getting paid time and a half for it and I don’t think most people would have a problem getting paid extra for working their normal shift! No one is in the office so it is a really easy day. For breakfast this morning I had two slices of cinnamon raisin Ezekiel bread made with egg whites, ground cinnamon, raw stevia, a small banana cut up on top and drizzled with Walden Farms calorie-free pancake syrup. 

 

I am sorry for the lack of recipes and updates. The last few days have been very hectic. I barely had any time to relax all weekend due to moving. I barely ate as well, which I really didn’t like. I lost what I had gained, taking me back down to 120. Gaining lean muscle weight in a healthy way is so hard! But, Overall it went really well and the boy and I’s part of the house we are renting is almost done being set up. I despise moving, but I really enjoy decorating new rooms and making it your own.  I will be so relieved when it is all said and done with. I did not miss one workout due to moving, though! I am super proud of that. No excuses, guys! 

Now that working out daily is a part of my routine, I do not like rest days. I feel like they throw me off my game. I am more of a fan of active rest days where I at least do some light cardio. I always feel great when I work out, so if I miss a day I get the sense that something is missing in my day. I love the high after a workout and feeling accomplished. Tomorrow I am being basically forced to take a rest day because I have to work a 12 hour shift: 0730-1930. I won’t have time to go work out and also get all the things I will need to have done for work on Wednesday. I plan on doing some squats, push-ups, and stair runs at the office once all of the employees are off the property if I am able. That way I won’t feel completely lazy! 

Today at the gym I am going to do a chest and bicep workout with 10 minutes of HIIT (30 sec 3.8, 30 sec 7.8). Here is the routine in case you were interested:

Something I have been mulling over a lot lately is the idea of negativity and how it affects your mind and body. I have adapted the saying “negativity is a sickness”. I really do feel that having a negative outlook on life brings you down. Now, that definitely does not mean I am little miss sunshine 24/7 because that is completely impossible. I actually have been known to have quite a temper (hello, red hair, Irish? :D ). I also have an anxiety and panic disorder, so being calm and rational is not always easy for me. But, I have been really trying to learn to take a step back and evaluate things before I allow myself to fly off the handle or let something (or someone) ruin my day. Being more positive has improved my relationship, my thought process, and my health. Try to wake up in the morning and before you do anything else, even get out of bed, try to make your first thought: I am going to have a good day today. I do this every morning. Think about it: if you woke up and immediately thought to yourself, this day is going to suck so hard I hate life and everything in it; do you think you are going to be in a good mood? Even if I stub my toe or drop a bunch of things and am feeling really off, I keep reiterating to myself: you’re going to be fine; nothing this small and trivial should ruin my day. It works, I promise. At first it may not seem like it does, but I truly believe it does. Other people will catch your positive vibes as well. Lately a lot of people come up to me at work and tell me how nice it is to see me always smiling and in a good mood. Just try it! Positive vibes to you all! 

Wow this entry is getting really long, but I want to try to make a point of writing more so that you guys get to know me better. As you may or may not know, I am very active on Instagram. The IG fitness and health community is fantastic. If it wasn’t for all the support I get on there, I really am not sure that I would be where I am now. I especially wanted to thank everyone who follows me and talks to me. You are all lovely. Some of the people you should follow and look out for are: @beenid, @powerrprincess, @vmfitness, @livefiteatclean, @meghanbarber, @jillhanner, @niesy, @dedicationkristine, @leanandfit, @letsclarafye, @fit4aprincess, @powercakes, @kmaecags, @spoonfuloffit, @getfit_feelsexy, @sprint2thetable, and @kissmybroccoli. All of those people I listed have been a huge part of my journey and I hope they continue to be. They have inspired me though comments, recipes, and photos. I love them all and I am sure you will too.