Monday, July 29, 2013

Clean Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These little treats are so light, gooey & delicious, you wouldn't know they were clean.





 
INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 cup oat flour
  • 1/2 cup of quick or old-fashioned oats
  • 1 individual 4 oz. container of all-natural applesauce
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 T Stevia or other sweetener (depends on your preference of sweetness)
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
  • dark chocolate chips, carob chips, white chocolate chips, or whatever kind of chips your cute little heart desires
DIRECTIONS:
  1.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Measure and pour dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl
  3. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix up until it forms a dough
  4. Add in chips of your choice
  5. Form one inch balls and place on a foil or parchment covered cookie tray.
  6. Bake for 7-10 minutes

Friday, June 7, 2013

What to eat before & after a workout?

Ideal Pre and Post Workout Food Choices for Maximum Fat Loss

Pre-Workout Meals

(10-20 grams Protein, Approx 100-200 calories)

·         Whey Protein Shake

·         Hard Boiled Egg

·         High Protein Bar – 10-20g protein

·         Cottage Cheese – Non-fat or Lowfat

·         Low sugar yogurt – less than 12-15 g sugar

·         Milk – Nonfat or 1%

Post-Workout Meals
(Higher Carbs, Med-High Protein, 200-500 calories)

·         Fruit Smoothie

·         Banana or other high glycemic fruit

·         Recovery Drink

·         PB&J on whole grain bread

·         Energy Bar – CLIF or FiberOne bars are good choices

·         Whole wheat pasta with marinara and chicken breast


Protein Before, High Glycemic After
Maximize fat burning and weight loss by eating a little bit of protein before your workout, and then follow exercise with something higher on the Glycemic Index like a banana or a fruit smoothie.

High Protein Before Your Workout
Your body needs enough fuel to carry you through your training session. This means that in the 1-2 hours before your workout, you need a protein kick, perhaps with a tiny bit of carbs. Have a very light meal, like a whey protein shake with 10-20 grams of protein. Don’t fill up, but have just enough to give you energy boost…about 200 calories is ideal.

Protein & Amino Acids
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and muscle tissue. All physiological processes relating to sport – energy, recovery, fat loss, muscle/strength gains, as well as mood and brain function – are tightly and critically linked to amino acids. Amino acids convert fat to energy at the cells energy source, the cell mitochondria. Free form amino acids also accelerate muscle tissue healing and growth. The result is faster muscle and strength gains, as well as enhanced recovery.

 Protein is rich in amino acids and protein shakes, in particular, are a great source of free form amino acids with high bioavailability.

Carbs & Protein After Your Workout
Post-workout is the one time that high glycemic carbs are preferred. This term refers to carbs that are high on the glycemic index or higher in natural sugars. The glycemic index is a measure of how quickly a food raises blood sugar and hence, insulin levels. Normally, it’s best to eat lower glycemic foods, so as not to initiate an insulin spike. But post-workout, the exact opposite is true. The elevated insulin levels will help to drive nutrients into the muscle cells. Don’t think this makes it ok to eat a candy bar! Go for fruit and other natural sources of dietary sugar.

The key is maximizing the window of opportunity that occurs immediately after exercise, when the muscle is especially receptive to nutrients and the blood flow to the exercised muscles remains high. The goal post workout is to restore muscle glycogen. The body will even break down muscle tissue for this purpose, if carbohydrates are not available. And, we don’t want to lose muscle! Muscle is our friend – muscle burns fat!

 

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Chocolate PB Cups - #ToDieFor



This is a healthier version of a Reese's PB Cup and it tastes just as good! It will satisfy your sweet tooth, but it won't sabotage ALL your hard work!

Ingredients:
4 squares 90% Dark Chocolate
2 T PB2 Chocolate Powdered PB
1/8 cup unsweetenend vanilla almond milk or water

Instructions:
Melt 2 squares of dark chocolate and pour into 3 cupcake liners
Place in freezer for 15 minutes to harden
Mix together Chocolate PB2 and almond milk to make a paste
Once chocolate has hardened, remove from freezer and spread PB mixture onto chocolate
Melt 2 remaining dark chocolate squares and pour over tops to cover.
Place the treats back in the freezer for another 15 minutes to allow chocolate to harden
Remover from freezer and ENJOY!

Nutritional Info:
Serving Size: 1 Chocolate PB Cup
96.7 calories
7.8 g fat
34.2mg sodium
7.5 mg potassium
5.8 grams carbohydrates
2 g fiber
2 g sugar
2.7g protein

Monday, February 11, 2013

Spaghetti Squash



Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Chicken meatballs (I used Trader Joe's fully-cooked Gourmet Chicken Meatballs with sun dried tomatoes, basil & provolone)
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
3 T kalamata olives
2 T chopped fresh basil

Directions: 
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scrape out seeds and pulp; discard. Place squash in glass baking dish, cut side down, and add 1/4 inch water. Bake 30-40 minutes, until soft, but not mushy. Remove squash from oven, and set aside to cool enough to be easily handled.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion in oil until tender. Add meatballs. Add garlic, and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook only until tomatoes are warm.
4. Use a fork to scoop the stringy pulp from the squash and place in a medium bowl. Toss with the sauteed vegetables, olives, and basil. Serve warm.


Sunday, January 6, 2013

Blueberry Vanilla Protein Pancakes

I'm starting the Ultimate Reset with a group of friends on Wednesday and was craving some pancakes this morning before we start the cleanse. Dominic likes the "box kind" of pancakes, but I'm always trying to sneak in healthier recipes. I found this recipe on instagram and we both LOVED them!

1/2 cup dry oatmeal 
1/3 cup egg whites
1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
1 T ground flaxseed
1/4 ripe banana
1 T greek yogurt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract

Blend this up in a blender and throw it on a hot pan. Drop some blueberries on top when the cakes are cooking. These pancakes will not bubble like normal pancakes, so keep an eye on the bottoms. 

Yield: 2 pancakes - I doubled the recipe to make 4 pancakes. 



Thursday, March 8, 2012

THE 10 BEACHBODY CHALLENGE™ COMMITMENTS

THE 10 BEACHBODY CHALLENGE™ COMMITMENTS
1. I WILL FOLLOW THE PROGRAM—I will do the entire program as suggested, including workouts, beginning and monthly photos and measurements, the fit test, and nutrition based on the program guide or the Online Menu Planner available with a Club membership.

2. I WILL DRINK SHAKEOLOGY® ONCE A DAY—Preferably for a healthy breakfast, but any of the five meals will do. This is a much-needed investment in my health, and I am committed to doing this for the entire 30 days.

3. I WILL POSITIVELY ENGAGE WITH THE SMALL GROUP—We all hold a valuable spot in this five-person team, and all of us need to do our part to help, encourage, challenge, and praise each other on Facebook and one on one via messages and phone.

4. I WILL LOG MY WORKOUTS IN THE BEACHBODY ONLINE SUPERGYM®—I can do this by going to www.TeamBeachbody.com, entering my email and my password, and clicking on “SuperGym” under the “Get Fit” menu on the left hand side of the page. Logging my workout increases my accountability, and I may be eligible to win the random $500 daily SuperGym prize. HOW COOL icon smile Challenge 10 Commitments .

5. I WILL NOT OVERTRAIN—For the next 30 days I will focus all of my exercise efforts on this program and not overtrain my body by adding more workouts.

6. I WILL SHARE MY ACTIVITY—I will report DAILY to the Challenge Group page upon completion of my workout, and I will share how my eating was for that day.

7. I WILL SHARE MY PHYSICAL RESULTS—I will begin by sharing my results with this small group and others who may ask me. The more I share, the more I give inspiration and gather support.

8. I WILL SHARE MY EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL RESULTS—Along the way, I will experience “life changes” on more than just a physical level. It’s important that I share my emotional and social results within this small group. Chances are, others in the group are facing or have faced the same things.

9. TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER, I WILL FINISH—I am making a 30-day commitment, and I am holding a valuable spot on a team of only five people. It is my duty to myself and others to FINISH this 30 days!

10. I WILL PAY IT FORWARD—The change begins with me, and along the path there may be others who ask, who need, or who want to know about what I am doing. I am committed to paying it forward as the opportunity arises. I can pay it forward by referring them to the challenge organizer, or by joining the team of Coaches who organize challenges for others.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

The 5 Day Inferno

I have a hard time being motivated to workout, just like everyone else. I used to go to the gym and bounce around to a few of the machines and be bored within 30 minutes. Until I found a workout that I actually enjoy. It doesn’t feel like work anymore if you’re having fun! Turbo Fire is that workout for me! The music gets you pumped up and the choreography is so much fun! Recently, I introduced Turbo Fire to my co-workers and turned them into Turbo fanatics. Last week, 5 of us committed to the Turbo Fire 5 Day Inferno. It's designed to cleanse your body and change your daily eating habits. We followed the meal suggestions and did 1-2 Turbo Workouts per day. The recommended meals were better than I thought, even Dominic liked them! The workouts were really challenging, but worth the hard work!

I'm so proud of my Team! We each lost an average of 4.5 lbs in 5 days! Shout out to Tiffany B, Tiffany G, Liza, and Danielle! You're an inspiration to me and others to eat healthy and work hard. 

Here's my Before & After Photos:
Day 1                                                 Day 5