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!

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!

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.