CONTEST TIME: Who wants an awesome cookbook?

During this entire week, I will be taking submissions from my readers, (all 3 of you), to be entered into a drawing to win the cookbook "75 Ways to Love Your Oatmeal" by Jenny Grothe (and she signed it for us too!)

All you need to do is reply here in my blog or in my FB post of this blog and tell me what your fitness/health resolutions are for 2011. Each person that responds will have their name put into a drawing to win this lovely cookbook. Winner will be announced on 1/3/11. I have already had the opportunity to read my copy and there is some good stuff in there.

Sample menu and routine

I'd love to say I actually did this workout this morning but I am a little under the weather so today was a stay in bed kind of day.

It was requested of me to provide a sample of my workouts. As I mentioned to the requester, I am in a building phase right now and I am doing 1 body part per day which is extremely intense and I wouldn't recommend this for a beginner. Also, in a building phase, I am eating a lot, especially protein, aiming for 160 grams per day in order to build. This training program will only last 8 weeks before I change things up again. I am thinking supersets for 4 weeks afterwards.

I will post a beginner workout sometime next week, just in time to get you ready for your resolutions, but in the meantime, here is what my day might look like in terms of workout and diet;


Alarm goes off at 4:30

4:45 dressed and headed to the gym. On my way I drink a glass of NO Explode. With me I bring a 45g protein shot.

5:00am: Biceps today (I rest one minute between each set and 3 minutes between each exercise):

1 warm up set of 15 curls using 12 pounds
3 sets of 15 @ 20 lbs

Assisted chin up:
1 warm up set of 15 with my weight offset by 50 pounds
3 sets of 15 with my weight offset by 20 pounds (Hope to not need an offset in a few more weeks)

wide grip bar curls on the cable machine
1 warm up set of 15 at 25 pounds
2 sets of 12 at 50 pounds

Narrow grip bar curls on the cable machine
same pattern as wide grip above

Preacher curls
no more warm up sets needed at this point
3 sets of 15 on preacher curl bench

standing side bicep curls on double cable machine
(set the weight height just above hip level, keep arms out to side at 90 degrees curl forearms in)
2 sets of 15, 7.5 pounds

At this point, my biceps are FRIED and feel like rubber. After this workout I take the protein shot.

Next up is cardio. I may do 20 minute running intervals. In order to understand what running intervals are, google RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) and follow this plan. To let you know what I am at for my intervals, I have also included the treadmill MPH.

Minute 1 (5-RPE) 4 MPH
Minute 2 (5-RPE) 4 MPH
Minute 3 (6-RPE) 5.5 MPH
Minute 4 (7-RPE) 6.5 MPH
Minute 5 (8-RPE) 7.5 MPH
Minute 6 (9-RPE) 8.5 MPH
Minute 7 (6-RPE) 5.5 MPH
Minute 8 (7-RPE) 6.5 MPH
Minute 9 (8-RPE) 7.5 MPH
Minute 10 (9-RPE) 8.5 MPH
Minute 11 (6-RPE) 5.5 MPH
Minute 12 (7-RPE) 6.5 MPH
Minute 13 (8-RPE) 7.5 MPH
Minute 14 (9-RPE) 8.5 MPH
Minute 15 (6-RPE) 5.5 MPH
Minute 16 (7-RPE) 6.5 MPH
Minute 17 (8-RPE) 7.5 MPH
Minute 18 (9-RPE) 8.5 MPH
Minute 19 (10-RPE) 9 MPH
Minute 20 (5-RPE) 4.5 MPH

I will then walk for about 5 minutes for a cool down at 3.5 or so MPH.

When I get home I would eat 6 egg whites in corn tortillas with fresh jalepeno and s peppers, spinach and some cheese made with 2% milk.

About 2 hours later I am eating 4 turkey "muffins", recipe found on my blog with a side arugula salad with olive oil and lemon juice

2 hours after that it is time for an apple, almond butter and greek yogurt

2 hours after that I am drinking an isopure (40g of protein) and having some whole grain crackers

and another 2 hours, I am having a flat out filled with veggies and grilled chicken

2 hours later, a muscle milk light

2 hours later, dinner, fish and some grilled veggies

right before bed would be a casien protein shake blended with fresh fruit.

Hope this helps! I will post some more next week. The nice thing about interval training is that it burns calories AFTER your workout rather than just during because of the level of intensity and how your glycogen stores are used. You can tailor this program using RPEs for beginners THROUGH advanced. This type of workout can be done on a treadmill, outdoors, on an elliptical, bike, swimming, etc. Very versatile workout and is the premise of Body for Life cardio.

Feel free to ask me questions.

Holiday maintenance

So far, so good! I weighed in today at 138 and body fat was down! I have been hitting it hard in the gym and it has been paying off. My routine has been to focus on one body part per day. Spending 1 hour on a body part is HARD! And that body part is sore for days!! I am only doing this for 8 weeks to change things up. So far I have hit each body part three times in this rotation and have increased my one rep max each time! I have also been consuming 160 g of protein daily to help recover my muscles.

How is everyone else doing!? These next few days will be the biggest challenge for me. Damn cookies.

January contest!!

In January, I will be giving away a copy of the much anticipated cookbook "75 Ways to Love Your Oatmeal" by Jenny Grothe. Her story kept me inspired on my own personal journey and I want to share her with you! More details to follow.

Check her out on Facebook HERE

A response from Freshii

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Freshii review

One thing (and quite possibly the only thing) I miss about my old job was being close enough to walk to the Protein Bar. The Protein Bar was tasty, clean fast food that gave me tons of energy. There has to be another place like the Protein Bar in the Gold Coast, right???

I set out to Water Tower Place to try Freshii. Freshii is a chain that you might be familiar with. The bar was set high for Freshii after enjoying the Protein Bar a couple times a week for the last 6 months.

I first scoped them out on-line. I love their nutritional content page as it allows you customize your order to get nutritional specifics.

My first trip, I tried one of their menu items, vs. a custom order. I had the Buffalo Chicken Wrap. Quite bland in my opinion, nothing spicy about it. The size of it is equivalent to the Protein Bar's Barrito, but it was lacking in flavor and, well, protein. The serving of protein was small in comparision to the veggies. You do have the option to order double protein, which I decided to do on my next trip.
The cost was fair, a little over $6.00, similar to the Protein Bar again, but, when you are getting mostly veggies, I am sure their profit was much more substantial.

My second trip, I customized a rice noodle bowl with the following:

Rice Bowl base ($5.99)
Double natural chicken ($4.00)
carrots, cucumbers, cilantro & broccoli (all free)
Spicy Peanut sauce

According to the website, I should have received over 34 grams of protein for this dish. Sadly, when I got back to my office, I had to dig and dig around the rice noodles to find the chicken. I am ASSUMING that they got my order wrong and only put in one order of chicken. Otherwise, this was pretty pathetic. For over $11.00 I got a bowl of rice noodles and a very flavorless sauce over tons of cucumbers, carrots, cilantro, and about 9 chunks of chicken the size of my thumbnail.

Freshii fails miserably.

To all of my healthy friends in the Chi....where or where can a girl get some good, clean, healthy, and tasty takeout???

And to Matt, the owner of the Protein Bar, we need you in the Gold Coast. Badly.

Halp!

Nice Version of a Naughty Pizza

I was craving a naughty pizza last night. A crispy crust pizza with a rich basil pesto, hunks of melty bubbly fresh mozzarella cheese, garnished with tomatoes and fresh basil. And I could have eaten a whole pizza, all to myself!

In an effort to clean it up, I headed out to the grocery store and picked up my favorite thin crispy pizza crust (a flatout flatbread) and I found Buittoni reduced fat, au naturale, pesto sauce! There isn't nearly as much oil or cheese in the lighter version but it still worked well for my pizza.

The key to the pesto sauce is that a little goes a LONG LONG way. I think I used 2 tbs tops of this sauce.

I keep logs of fresh mozz. on hand as we buy in bulk from Costco. Fresh mozzarella is higher in protein and lower in fat than a lot of cheeses, making it an excellent staple in my house.

I preheated the oven to 350 and baked this guy for about 10 minutes and then topped with fresh basil. Despite forgetting the tomatoes, it was perfection. The perfect portion and taste to satisfy my craving.

Food Rut

Some of you have asked me what and if I have been cooking lately.....



And I am feeling bad about it.....

I am finding myself in somewhat of a clean eating rut these days. I haven't been experimenting with receipes like I did over the summer and I haven't been cooking nearly enough. Thankfully, there are many clean eating options near my office, however, my wallet is certainly getting a workout.

I took some turkey meat out of the freezer today to make a big batch of Jamie Eason's Turkey Muffins, but I get bored with these pretty quickly.

Today, I am setting a small goal to do a week's worth of cooking on Sunday, like I used to. Time to find some fun, clean recipes! I look forward to sharing them with all of you!

Lex.

P28 protein bread review

I received my huge netrition.com order on Friday.

3 jars of chocolate PB2
Dessert by BSN: chocolate coconut cookie
NO Explode
And P28 bread


I was most excited about trying the bread.

Each slice has 14 grams of protein. I made myself a grilled cheese using 2 slices and sharp cheddar made with 2% milk. It was meh. I will likely eat this again when I start trying to gain more lean muscle after the holidays, but since I am looking to maintain and not train too hard these next few months, I will enjoy my grilled cheese on Ezekiel bread.

Rolled Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter and Oat Balls

All I have to say is OH. MY. GOD.

This recipe is going to save me from my biggest enemy: My own sweet tooth.



Ingredients:

1-2 tbs Chocolate PB2
1/4 tsp cinnamon (maybe a little less)
water
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips or carob (melted)
Directions:



Combine PB2 through water to make a watery paste. It shouldn't be AS thick as regular peanut butter but a little less.



Add roughly 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats and stir. The oats will quickly absorb the moisture from the peanut butter. Mix until combined. By hand divide oat/pb combination into equal parts and roll into balls. Place in the freezer for up to 10 minutes to harden. In the meantime melt chocolate in a microwavable dish. Roll chilled balls lightly in melted chocolate to apply a light chocolate coating. Let harden and enjoy.



These are meant to be eaten right away.

Keepin it real....

While I am thrilled with my weight loss and am overall very happy with the way my body looks these days, there are a few, permanent side effects that come along with 70 pound weight loss, child birth, and breastfeeding two children.

Loose Skin.

Building muscle helps to support the loose skin, however, there really isn't a whole lot that can be done without surgery.

Cosmetic surgery is a very personal decision. I know many people keep this type of surgery private. Because I have been sharing my weight loss and fitness journey with everyone very openly and honestly from the beginning, I don't intend to start keeping things from you now!

I have decided that I am going to undergo a breast lift & augmentation procedure and a abdominoplasty (tummy tuck). My first procedure, the breast lift, is scheduled for next Friday. I won't be getting the tummy tuck until I have maintained this weight for a year. That surgery is much more complex with a longer recovery time.

For those of you that know me, I had my first child when I was 18 years old. I never had the figure that many women have in their 20's, pre-child birth. Perhaps if I had, I might fore go these procedures...having lived a decade with a bikini-ready body.

Some people may judge me for this, others may applaud me for rewarding myself and my hard work with these procedures that will correct something that I can't correct by myself.

Either way, I want to be honest with each of you reading my blog.

Lex.

Holiday Weight Gain

With the holidays approaching, maintaining my weight is going to be tough. Did you know that the average American puts on 7 pounds between Turkey Day and January 2nd? YIKES!

I am putting my plans to stay fit during the holidays in writing with the hope that doing so will keep me honest these next two months.

My Holiday weight maintenance plan:

Before any holiday party, including the one I will be throwing on Christmas Day, I will eat a clean meal right before going. This way, I will be less likely to over eat.

On my plate, I will fill half of it with veggies/healthy/healthier stuff.

No seconds!!


Today's Weight: 137
Today's Body-Fat: 21%

January 2nd's Goal Weight: 137-140
January 2nd's Goal Body-Fat: 21%-21.5%


A lot easier said than done, I am sure.

I did it!! My half-marathon story and other news....

After over 12 weeks of training, I am proud to say that I completed my first half-marathon yesterday. My goal of a 2:10 race wasn't met, however, I am learning that the course was about .5 miles longer than a 13.1 so I came a lot closer than I thought. I stopped my GPS about .3 miles short of the finish line and even my GPS showed a longer course. GPS was stopped at 13.29 with a 2:15:30.

What was even more awesome was seeing my family (cousins, aunt, uncle, husband, son, and daughter) in my last mile. That gave me the push I needed to run through to the finish.



Also, today marks the last day of my vacation. I have enjoyed these last three weeks so much! I really focused on taking care of myself. I cooked new healthy dishes for my family and got to try a ton of new exercise classes at the gym. Also, one of my other goals that I set for myself was to do an unassisted pull up. While I am not there, I only have to offset my weight by 15 pounds to get one good one in!! This is a big deal for me. I used to offset my weight by 100 to do a set of pull ups.

Next challenge; maintaining my weight during these next two months of holiday madness. I am also running a 15k next week so I am hoping my legs are fully healed by then! I am a little sore this morning!

I am also going to begin training for a full marathon this spring. I also have my sights set on doing a couple sprint triathlons and perhaps even the Chicago Olympic distance in the summer of 2011.

Thanks to everyone that has supported me through all of this.

Argentinian Chimichurri

I fell in love with this stuff just as the summer is calling it quits. I would have enjoyed this all summer long served in a variety of different ways. You know what? To heck with it, I may just keep this tasty dip/dressing/sauce around all year.

I served it over broiled flank steak, as featured in the September/October Clean Eating Magazine but have since enjoyed it served next to my turkey muffins, on grilled basa fish, and as a salad dressing! Very versitile and enjoyed with many foods.

Chimichurri:

1/4 cup of non fat plain Greek yogurt
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp low-sodium vegetable broth
20 sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley
Leaves from 5 sprigs of fresh oregano
4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Throw it into a food processor blend to a "pesto-like" consistency.


Eat it.

Lex.

Mussels with cornbread and bbq arugula

It has been a while since my last post! I apologize! Some great things have been happening in my life. First, I quit my job! Well, it was a mutual parting. I wanted out because I was tired of the verbal and mental abuse that I was being subjected to by someone who I am SURE is a manic-depressive/bi-polar. It was honestly the only area of my life causing me grief and stress. Don't get me wrong, I know I work in a fast-paced, sometimes very stressful job/industry, but what I was dealing with at this place was not anything that anyone should have to deal with, regardless of industry/position/title. I wouldn't wish the job on my worst enemy.

And....I got a new job that I start on 11/2! I will be working for an extremely professional organization that values my experience and knowledge. I am very excited about this opportunity and I am looking forward to spending a long time there.

Other things that have happened, I ran my 10K and felt really good with my results, my first negative split on a run over 5 miles. I have continued my training for my half-marathon which is on Halloween morning. And, I have been enjoying my time off at home. 3 weeks to relax, unwind, unstress, recuperate, and rejuvenate my body, spirit, and mind. Wonderful so far and nearing the end of my first week.

Lucky for you I will be doing a lot of cooking, mostly from my Clean Eating magazines. Today, I am sharing with you a recipe from the latest issue.

Mussels with cornbread and bbq arugula:

Ingredients:
1-1/2 lbs of tightly closed raw mussels
2 tsp olive oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and minced
4 cloves of garlic minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (I don't seed mine)
zest and and juice of 4 limes
2 cups of low sodium chicken broth
2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves, chopped
6 scallions, thinly sliced

Instructions:
Place mussels in a large bowl of cold water and soak for 15 minutes. Lift out the mussels and place in a colander. Rinse under cold water and discard any that have opened. Check the mussels for a thread-like string. If you see it, pull it off but pulling it towards the hinge of the mussel and tugging firmly. This is the "beard" of the mussel that you are removing.

Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add oil, bell pepper, garlic, jalapeno and lime zest. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until pepper is soft. Add lime juice, broth, and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil. Add tomatoes and mussels. Cover and cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until the shells are opened. Sprinkle with cilantro and scallions and serve immediately.

Calories (1 cup of broth and 9 mussels) 247, Fat 7 grams, sat fat 1 gram, Carbs 22 grams, Fiber 5 grams, Sugar 7 grams, Protein 25 grams, Sodium 537mg.

Corn Bread Muffins:
Ingredients:
3/4 cup of skim milk
1/2 cup of sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup of fine corn flour
1/2 cup of white whole-wheat flour
1 tsp low sodium baking powder
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced (again, I like heat and don't seed)
2 egg whites
1 tbs of raw honey
olive oil spray
1.5 oz of low fat cheddar cheese grated (about 1/4 cup)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350

In a small sauce pan, heat milk and tomatoes until milk bubbles. Remove from heat and set to the side.

In a large bowl add both flours and baking powder. Mix to combine. Make a well in the center and add corn, jalapeno, egg whites, honey and milk/tomato mixture. mix with a spool until wet ingredients are just combined with dry ingredients, don't over mix or muffins will be dense.

Coat a muffin tin with cooking spray. Fill 9 cups about 3/4 of the way. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Toothpick should come out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Calories: 102 per muffin. Fat 1 gram, Sat fat .25 gram, Carbs 19 grams, Fiber 2l, Sugar 4 grams, Protein 4.5 Grams, Sodium 106 mg.

BBQ Arugula:

Raw arugula and 1 tbs of bbq sauce (mix and serve)


Overall, everyone really liked this recipe. The cornbread is not what you are used to. It is not sweet, but much more savory and more like a corn fritter (unfried obviously) than a piece of cornbread, in my opinion.

Even Donald loved the mussels. This was a breeze to make. Dinner was ready in under 45 minutes.

New Running Milestones

As the weeks pass, I keep adding more mileage to my routine.

2 weeks ago, I ran 10 miles. This last weekend, I did 11.8. More importantly I held a 9.1 minute mile on the latest run. I really feel myself growing as a runner each time I "race" myself.

This weekend, I am running in the Susan G. Komen 10k in Lombard. I am really excited and have set a goal to finish in 54 minutes or less.

More to come!

Marking my milestones

In this past week, a few exciting things have happened.

1. I ran my first race, a 5K. Although I was running with a slight injury, I managed to finish in 29 minutes.

2. I ran my longest distance ever, 8 miles. I now can say that I feel completely capable of running the 1/2 marathon in October.

3. I am at my lowest weight since probably 8th grade. I am down another 2.5 pounds this week so far.


I feel invigorated, motivated, super-charged, and indestructible. I feel very loved by my family and my close friends. I feel like I can do anything.


Alexia.

Healthy Macaroni and Cheese

You asked for it! And I set out to find an amazing recipe that would replace the original comfort food and become a regular in your household. I know that I will be making this quite a bit!

I started my search by googling and found a recipe from Ellie Kreiger which I altered a bit.

Here is what you will need:

1 lb of whole wheat elbow macaroni
Cooking spray
1 butternut squash, cooked and cubed
2 cups skim milk
1 cup of grated 2% sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup of grated 2% colby jack cheese
1/2 cup skim milk ricotta
1 teaspoon powdered mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 slices of Ezekiel Bread toasted, then use to make bread crumbs.

Preheat oven to 325.

Cook elbow mac (about 6 minutes)to tender but firm. Noodles will continue to cook while they are baking so be sure to remove them from the water when they are still somewhat firm.

In a saucepan, I heated the butternut squash and milk until it was very creamy (about 20-25 min). Add the cheeses, mustard, and cayenne to the mixture.

Use cooking spray to coat a baking dish. Put elbow mac in the baking dish and mix in the cheese sauce. Top the entire dish with the Ezekiel crumbs. I also added in ground flax to this mixture.

Bake this dish for 20 minutes. I finished it under the broiler for about 3 minutes to make the top coat nice and crispy.


Because I used no salt in this at all, it was a little bland. Topping your dish with some sea salt to taste makes this dish PERFECT! I loved it and the kids loved it. Donald, my picky 12 year old, didn't know (and still doesn't know) that the cheese sauce was mostly butternut squash!

Garlic Veggie Farro and Grilled Chicken

Farro is wonderful! And this recipe really highlights is texture and heartiness. It is like a filling and nutritious blank canvas willing to take on any flavors you throw its way. Would even be great with fruit I am sure!

Cook Farro as per their instructions. I skip the "rinse" part because I do prefer a nuttier flavor.

Spray a large skillet with olive oil spray and get it nice and hot over med-high heat.

Add:

chopped asparagus
sliced zucchini
sliced red onion
broccoli florets
raw mushrooms
4 cloves minced garlic

Once the veggies are cooked but still crisp, add them to the cooked Farro with 1 tbs of olive oil lunch is served.

I served it with 4oz of grilled chicken breasts.

Today's lunch: Crockpot PB2 Thai Chicken

2 lbs. Skinless, boneless, chicken breast
3/4 cup Salsa (look for low sodium/all natural)
1/4 cup PB2
1 tsp. ginger (I used dried)
2 Tbs. lite soy sauce
2 tsp. lime juice
2 tsp. minced garlic (optional)
1/4 cup of crushed red pepper (optional, I like heat!)

Pretty much just throw it in the crock pot and let it cook for 4 hours on medium heat. 6 hours if the chicken boobs are frozen.


I served it with 1/2 cup of whole wheat pasta and steamed brocolli for lunch. I also sprinkled diced raw onion and jalepeno on top for extra kick. I keep that mixture on hand for just about everything...thanks Mom and Ron for getting me hooked on pepper relish!

It was a very tasty lunch, indeed.

Farro

I found this stuff at Costco yesterday. Turns out, it is a pretty awesome grain. Recipes to follow.


Farro
From Wikipedia:
Farro is a food product consisting of the grains of certain wheat species in whole form. The exact definition is debated (see below). It is sold dried and is prepared by cooking in water until soft, but still crunchy (many recommend first soaking over night). It may be eaten plain, though it is often used as an ingredient in dishes such as salads and soups. It is sometimes ground into flour and used to make pasta or bread.

[edit] Definition
There is much confusion or disagreement about what exactly farro is. Emmer, spelt, and einkorn are called farro in Italy, sometimes, but not always, distinguished as farro medio, farro grande, and farro piccolo, respectively[1]. Regional differences in what is grown locally and eaten as farro, as well as similarities between the three grains, may explain the confusion. Barley and farro may be used interchangeably because of their similar characteristics. Spelt is much more commonly grown in Germany and Switzerland and, though called dinkel there, is eaten and used in much the same way, and might therefore be considered farro. Common wheat may also be prepared and eaten much like farro, in which form it is often referred to as wheatberries.

[edit] Piccolo, medio, and grande
Sometimes the three are distinguished by the terms farro piccolo, farro medio, and farro grande, which according to some sources are specifically einkorn, emmer, and spelt, respectively[2]. While these names reflect the general size difference between these three grains, there are landraces of each that are smaller or larger than the typical size and cross into the size range of the others. Emmer is by far the most common variety grown in Italy.

Healthy Protein Banana Bread

Each week a popular grocery delivery service that many of the residents in my building use drops off a banana bread to the office. The banana bread, loaded with fat and sugar, is eaten by my office staff as I "tsk, tsk" them, all the while battling my inner fat-girl that really, really, REALLY wants a piece.

Will power has prevailed but I have been feeling my weakness increase each week. With today being Monday, knowing that a fresh, soft, banana bread loaf is on the truck ready to be delivered to the KP office, I knew I had to do something.

Lo and behold; Healthy Banana Bread.

Take that inner fat-girl! Win for skinny Lex.
Ignore the disgusting looking loaf pan.

**********
Preheat oven to 325.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup of applesauce
1/2 cup of organic honey
1 egg
3 egg whites
1 tbs of olive oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup mashed bananas
1 and 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup of hot water
1/2 cup of walnuts (optional)
1 scoop of 20g vanilla protein powder (optional-will make a more dense bread)
3 heaping tbs of psyllium husk (optional)


Directions:

In a large bowl, beat oil and honey together. Add eggs, egg whites, vanilla, and olive oil and mix well. Stir in mashed bananas (I put them in my blender to mash and the consistence was perfect) and vanilla. Stir in flour, salt, protein powder, and psyllium husk. Add the baking soda to hot water and stir to mix. Add to batter. Blend in chopped nuts.

Pour batter into a well greased (I used olive oil spray) 9x5 loaf pan.

Bake in 325 oven for about 50 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 1/2 hour before slicing (I did not follow this step as I wanted a piece RIGHT AWAY, which did not harm my bread).

Jamie Eason's Turkey Meatloaf Muffins

Last night, I made Jamie Eason's Turkey Meatloaf Muffins from one of her cooking videos on Bodybuilding.com.

The ingredients:

2 lbs ground turkey (I went with 93% lean)
3 egg whites
1 cup quick oats
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp chipotle pepper spice
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 onion chopped
1 celery stalk chopped (I did not use this, had no celery on hand)

The directions:

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the egg whites, turkey meat and onion.

Without over working the meat, mix all of the ingredients together.

Roll into balls the size of racquetballs. Place them into a greased muffin pan.

Yields 12.


**********

I really liked these. I was unsure how to serve them so I treated them more like meatballs vs. meatloaf. I served along side spaghetti squash with minced garlic, black pepper and fresh Parmesan, 2 oz of fresh mozzarella cheese with black pepper, and I topped each muffin with a dollop of spaghetti sauce (all natural, less than 5 grams of sugar per serving!)

I really enjoyed this meal. The nice thing about these turkey muffins is that they are easy to grab and go and eat on the run. Each muffin contains 80 calories, 2 grams of fat, 4 grams of carbs, and 11 grams of protein. I enjoyed 2 and 1/2 of them with my dinner. My daughter, Elliana, really liked the "turkey cupcakes" too.

Chocolate Peanut Butter

Ask any of my family members what ice cream or treat is my favorite and each of them will tell you anything that involves Chocolate and Peanut Butter. It is a combo created in Heaven yet so sinfully delicious.

Peanut Butter/Chocolate ice cream, Dark Chocolate squares schmered with PB, Peanut Butter cups, Peanut Butter filled pretzels dipped in Chocolate.....I could go on and on.

I recently learned about this stuff and I urge all of you PB lovers out there to give it a shot. Cravings are satisfied and for FAR less calories and fat than the regular stuff. PB2 and PB2 Chocolate comes in a powdered form which helps when you are making shakes, oatmeal, or plain yogurt. You can add water to it and whip it into fluffy deliciousness.

Their website has a ton of recipes that I plan to start trying...just not sure which one to try first!

http://www.bellplantation.com/

Greek Quinoa Salad

I am still on a cloud from all of the positive comments I received yesterday after deciding to "man up" and share my embarrassing photos with all of you.

Today, I am going to talk more about Quinoa. I hope none of you are getting sick of my quinoa recipes. It is such a versatile food that the possibilities are endless and I think I found one that I will be making regularly, in quantity.

Greek Quinoa Salad

Makes between 8 and 10 generous servings

2 cups of dry Quinoa, cooked
2 tbs of olive oil
1/2 lb of Feta
1/2 lb of Kalamata olives, pitted (in about 2 tbs of brine)
4 cups of spinach
1 small red onion
1 large cucumber
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 large heirloom tomato
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
*****
After quinoa is finished cooking, add the olive oil and stir until it is all coated lightly. Put in the fridge, allow to cool.

Throw your spinach, red onion, cucumber, olives (without the brine) and feta into a food processor and pulse it until you have a chunky salsa like mixture. Careful not to process too much! You want it to be very chunky.

Slice the tomato and drain excess water.

Throw this mixture into your salad along with the reserved brine and vinegar.

Eat. Enjoy.

***************

Training and Workouts and Therapy, Oh my!

My outlook calendar, between the hours of 8am-4pm is generally booked with meetings and lunches with a few hours in between to get work done and to update my blog and Facebook status. The hours before 8am-4pm were generally open and I would just be sure to get in at least a good hour of physical activity each day.

Now that I am training for a race in October, there are certain workouts that I HAVE to complete each day in order to build myself up to the mileage needed to finish the race. So, I am sure to schedule that time in each day. I have also added at least one visit with a personal trainer to my regime each week. Okay, so there is 30-60 minutes booked. Oh, and I have to take that spinning class on Wednesdays between 5:30-6:30. Don't forget that I am now working with a Physical Therapist at the Sport Rehab place on Tuesdays at 7:30. Oh, and I would be crazy to NOT get in at least 30 minutes of fasted cardio 3 or 4 times a week at 5am, what a great start to the day those workouts are. My doctor also thinks that Bikram Yoga will help me with my flexibility issues so put me down for an hour of that on Saturdays. And who can forget that on most Sundays, I will be doing Chalene Turbo Fire with Mari for an hour....AFTER my training run. Sundays are my long runs. Add in a few Races (5K and 10Ks) that I have registered for and I think I MAY have time to shower a few days a week.

Okay, it's not that bad but if it wasn't for my Blackberry, I'd be lost!

Lexy.

Chicken and Guac Tostadas

I am stealing this recipe from someone I follow on FB. Become a fan of "Recipes for Gals in Figure and Bodybuilding". She posts some awesome stuff! She actually took this one from Cooking Light Magazine. I don't subscribe only because their recipes aren't always "clean", but this one looks wonderfully balanced and squeaky clean. I will likely make mine with stone ground corn tortillas vs. the tostada shells. I'll be making this myself this week.





Makes 4 servings (2 tostadas each)

Ingredients:

1 ripe peeled avocado
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped tomato, divided
3 tablespoons minced fresh onion, divided
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided or Mrs. Dash for us "clean" folks.
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon minced seeded jalapeno pepper
2 cups shredded skinless, boneless, skinless rotisserie chicken breast
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
8 (6-inch) corn tostada shells (or stone ground corn tortillas)

Directions:

1. Place avocado in a small bowl; mash with a fork. Stir in 2 tablespoons tomato, 1 tablespoon onion, 1 tablespoon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and garlic.

2. Combine remaining 1 cup tomato, 2 tablespoons onion, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, cilantro, and jalapeño; toss well.

3. Combine chicken, remaining 1 tablespoon juice, and paprika; toss well to combine. Spread about 1 tablespoon guacamole over each tostada shell; top each with 1/4 cup chicken mixture and about 2 tablespoons salsa.

Nutrition:

Calories:345
Fat:15.4g
Protein:25.4g
Carbohydrate:26.9g
Fiber:5.4g
Cholesterol:60mg
Iron:1.9mg
Sodium:548mg
Calcium:24mg

Performance Eating

Just a quick thought before I share a few recipes.

Sometimes, while eating for performance, other body parts, ahem, perform better as well.

This stuff helps.

New Goals

Hello Followers and people that randomly come across my blog!

Have I told you that I love all of you! Knowing that there are people reading about this thing really helps to keep me accountable day-to-day. I feel like I need to set an example for people which keeps me from cutting myself a piece of that almond coffee cake in the office kitchen.

Soooo, my last post, I mentioned that I was going to put my befores and progress prictures on display for all of the world to see. I lied. I think I want to give myself a few more months before I do that. I am just not ready!

I have some new goals that I am reaching for in the coming months ahead. I joined a new gym last week and signed up for a year of personal training, which starts tonight.

I had to choose three goals that I would like to work towards with my personal trainer. Here they are!

1. Do 5 unassisted pull-ups.
2. Lose 10-15 pounds.
3. Increase my flexibility

I am hoping, after three months of working out with a trainer and continuing on with my half-marathon training schedule, I will reach one or more of these goals.

At such time, I do promise to post my photos.

Lex.

Vanilla Berry Quinoa Breakfast

As mentioned in past posts, I make my quinoa in advance. I keep a large Tupperware of it to use throughout the week.

For this recipe, I take a scoop of quinoa (about 1/2 cup) and throw it into a microwave safe bowl. I then top it with about 1/4 cup of fresh or frozen berries and a scoop of vanilla protein powder. I add just a touch of water (1-2 tbs)to the quinoa, stir it together (this will not look appetizing) and pop it into the microwave for about 30 seconds (1 minute if berries were frozen).


Stir again and enjoy.

Very powerful breakfast!!!

Bison Steaks and Grilled Zucchini

It is safe to say that my recipes aren't gourmet by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, most of my stuff is throw it together, heat, and eat. That's how I roll.

I work full-time with an hour commute each way (at least!), have a family to spend time with at home, and a rigorous workout schedule that has me at the gym or on the trails for, at minimum 1.5 hours a day, 5 to 6 days per week. I have to have easy, simple recipes to make and follow, otherwise, I am not going to stick with it.

Costco started selling Bison in the last few weeks and John and I picked up a package of their frozen Bison steaks. Way WAY cheaper than the game butcher that we have been going to. We took the Bison out of the freeze on Friday night and lightly coated each steak (4) with olive oil and steak seasoning and threw them in a freezer bag with balsamic vinegar. I did the same with sliced rounds of zucchini. Check out the size of these from my neighbor's garden!! Ignore the cucumbers...they have nothing to do with this meal. :)


On Sunday, late afternoon, the steaks and veggies were ready to be grilled. Careful cooking Bison, it cooks differently than beef because there is very little fat in it. It is best served med-rare as anything more than that will leave you with a dry hunk of meat. John cooked it perfectly. I could seriously make a meal out of just the zucchini. It was wonderful.

As a side, I picked up some ready-made couscous salad (all natural, very few ingredients) from Costco. You can find this near the hummus, dips, and refrigerated soups if your are a Costco member.

Delicious Sunday dinner.

Lex

Updates and Recipes Galore!!!!

I haven't posted in a while but I have a ton of recipes to share with you!

I am going to post each of them in their own individual post for easy searching.

In the meantime, I have a few fun things to share with you!

Toronto is officially booked. No turning back now!! Training started last week and I am loving it so far, though milage is still very light right now! Part of my training program calls for me to run a 5K on 9/5 and a 10K on 9/25. I am registered for a memorial run in Orland Park on the 5th and I am going to do the Susan G. Komen 10K in Chicago on the 25th. If anyone is interested in joining me on either of these runs, please let me know, I would love the company.

I also had a fantastic workout weekend with a good friend of mine. We ran 4 miles together on Sunday, went out for a healthy breakfast, and then worked out to Chalene Turbo Fire! It was great. I really missed this friend a lot and realizing just how much we have in common, I wondered to myself why we let so much time pass before getting together. I won't let THAT happen again.

This B!tch is CRAZY!! I love her!



I think that the weekend workout was just what I needed to bust through a plateau. Early weigh in indications show me down about 2 pounds this week, but well have official results on Friday when I weigh in and measure.

Anyway.....Enjoy the recipes!!!

Quinoa Chicken parm

1/4 cup of dry Quinoa (cooked)
1/4 cup of organic pasta sauce or homemade with no added sugar or salt
1 stewed chicken breast, shredded
2 oz of Fresh Mozz
Garnish with fresh basil
Add crushed red pepper if you like that kind of thing!



Really, just throw it all together and throw it in the microwave for 1 minute.

It is seriously delicious, super easy (as most of my quinoa recipes are), and great for you.

Quinoa

Quinoa is such a versatile and nutritious food that I wanted to dedicate a full post to it today.

As some of you know, I recently developed a weight loss plan for my brother and his fiance. They started the plan one week ago, today, and, after just 4 days into the program, were down 5 and 3 pounds, respectively.

I feel great about that! I think I am more excited for what is to come to them than they are! I also just finished a plan for another friend to try out. My hopes are to build up some success stories so that one day, I can take my ideas to market and make a few bucks.

Being that diet accounts for about 80% of one's weight loss success, quinoa is a staple in the plans I am preparing. Here is why;

Quinoa per 1/4 cup (dry) serving:
200 Calories
2.5 grams of Fat
0 Saturated Fat
38 grams of Carbs
3 grams of Fiber
8 grams of Protein

This food is an 18 (very low) on the Glycemic Index


As you can see, quinoa might be one of the more perfect carbohydrates out there for you to consume. For this reason, I usually make at least 7-10 servings on Sunday in a large pot to last me through the week. While it is super easy to make, it does take about 30 minutes and I just don't always have 30 minutes of spare time throughout the week. This is a great food to make in advance.

Some recipes that I enjoy with quinoa:

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers (see receipe on this blog)
Quinoa Chicken Parm
Quinoa Chicken "Enchilldas"
Vanilla Quinoa & Berries

You can buy your quinoa from Costco, in a large 5 (or maybe it is 7) lb bag. While the package tells you to rinse your quinoa first, I don't. I actually prefer the nuttier flavor that you get when you don't rinse it.

I will share each of these recipes with you this week. If you end up trying any of them, let me know what you think. Also, if you have a great recipe using quinoa, please share it with me!

Lex.

My new toy is here!

This weekend, I took my new Garmin GPS out for a couple of tests, both biking and running. Because I am still experiencing some hip pain, I only did a quick running test. I was surprised to see just how fast I was running (under a 7 min mile).

I LOVE THIS THING! It will provide me with a bit of added motivation to get me through some tough workouts on difficult courses.

I cannot wait to start running again. I can't tell you how jealous I have been while riding my bike these last few days watching the runners on the trail. Sigh.

Check this out, this is my ride, mapped out with elevations.

Today's fun ride

Family

I am getting ready to leave for a few days with my family to visit my mom in Texas. I love her so much and miss her all the time I am not with her so I am really looking forward to this visit. What makes this visit even more special is that we have NOTHING on the schedule. I am excited for the rest and relaxation coming my way.

I haven't mentioned too much about my family in past posts, so here we are! (Taken in Florida, March 2010)


My family means the world to me. There is nothing more important than family. They are the only ones that will still be there for you when times are grand and when they are tough. I am extremely proud of my family.

My son, Donald, holds a special place in my heart. I was only 18 when I had him. A single mom with little life-direction. When he came into my world, everything changed. I credit him with saving my life and for molding me into the adult I am proud to be. I love you Donald!

Then there is John. John joined our family as if he had been there since day 1. He has been an amazing father to Donald and to Elliana.

And my Ellie. Watching her mind grow everyday and seeing her change from my little baby to my little girl is an experience that is too precious to be described.

I am looking so forward to spending the next several days with my family. Have a happy holiday everyone!

Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance

In the event anyone is reading this to learn something, the most important part of a healthy life balance and process is PLANNING. Planning meals, planning exercise, planning time with your family, planning time for indulgence, planning time for PLANNING. LOL! Seriously.

You have to have a plan. I have always been a planner. I am not big on surprises. Ask my husband. I understand that being a planner is not in every one's DNA, again, talk to my husband who likes to fly by the seat of his own Dockers. It is, however, a behavior that can be taught and learned. It takes time. Small, baby steps incorporating documentation of menial organizational plans of things that you do everyday already is a great way to start.

Example. You wake up everyday, don't you? Let's start there. Pick a time. Set your alarm, get up when the alarm goes off. This is a very easy way to start planning. Plan the hour or two that you have before work. What will you do in the first hour, what will you do in the second hour? Get that plan down on paper and stick to that. Once you start holding yourself accountable to stick to this schedule, you can begin to incorporate other details of your life. You'd be amazed at how much "left-over" time you have in a day once you take a look at how you are spending your time.

Planning is useful in keeping yourself on track in order to achieve the goals that you set for yourself.

Today, I am going out for lunch. It is a business lunch at a restaurant full of indulgent choices. I am planning my lunch now in order to stick to my plan of eating a clean and balanced diet today. The Internet is one of the greatest planning tools we have at our disposal these days. Most restaurants have detailed menus to review before venturing out to the restaurant blindly.

Yes, It is 8:30AM and I already know what I am having for lunch. And dinner. And breakfast tomorrow.

She who fails to plan, plans to fail.

Alexia.

BBQ Vinaigrette

This is a great week! I am celebrating being smoke-free for 1/2 a year! On top of that, I have exceeded all of the weightloss goals I put in place for myself.

To date, I have lost a total of 47 pounds!

I went from a size 12/14 to a size 4/6!

I lost more than 7" off my waist alone!!

And I am wearing those shorts that I said I would be wearing by the Fourth of July!


Recognizing my accomplishments filled me a with a touch of creative inspiration yesterday. I wanted to come up with a homemade, clean recipe to share in honor of summer and the upcoming holiday. I was thinking BBQ and salad. I came up with this tasty dressing:


1/4 cup of ALL NATURAL BBQ SAUCE of your choosing
I went with Jack Stack original recipe BBQ sauce. Be sure to check the sugar
content! Even molasses or honey can add a ton of sugar and make a clean
recipe, not so clean. My BBQ sauce had 4 grams per serving.
1/8 cup of Olive oil
1/4 cup of vinegar
1/4 cup of chopped, fresh cilantro
2 large cloves of garlic, pressed
black pepper to taste

Makes about 6 servings


I served this over Arugula, garbanzo beans, corn, and walnuts.

This went great with Trader Joe's Chili-Lime Chicken Burgers.


Lexy.

Exercise and Endorphines

I have been out of commission for a couple of days. I had a doctor's appointment on Friday and learned that a pain that I have been experiencing in my left leg could possibly be stress fractures! OH NO! So, I have a test to undergo later this week and we hope to learn more about my pain. In the meantime, doc told me to give it a rest and stick to biking and swimming. I biked on Saturday and used the elliptical yesterday morning, but other than that, I haven't worked out too hard.

I must say that not working out has really taken a toll on my mental and emotional well-being. I realize that in all actuality, I only took Sunday off, but I really didn't push myself to the limits like I usually do when I worked out yesterday. I also have been driving to work these last few days per the doctor's orders. That in itself is a workout.

While my leg is feeling better today, I don't plan on pushing myself back into running or heavy leg workouts for the next 10 days or so.

I noticed today that I am a bit depressed as a result of my situation. I am glad I caught on to that right away so that I can step in and take corrective measures. What I noticed was that I wasn't paying as much attention to what I was eating (wasn't journaling) and I wanted to sleep, sleep and sleep some more. Now that I have identified these feelings, I can do something about it. Just because I can't run doesn't mean I can't move. Today I am back at it. Going to swim 1 mile and work out my biceps, back, and calves.

Lex.

Chocolate Protein Brownies

Thanks to Jen-Fit and Recipes for Women in Bodybuilding for this recipe. I plan to try this one out this weekend! Sounds delicious!



Makes 12 brownies

Ingredients:

2 scoops Chocolate protein powder
3/4 cup egg whites
1 whole egg
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

Mix first 3 ingredients. Spray 8" x 8" pan with cooking spray. Press batter into bottom of pan. Sprinkle walnuts in pan before baking.

Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.

Nutrition:

Calories 32
Total Fat 2.38g
Sodium 50.39mg
Total Carbohydrate 1g
Dietary Fiber 0.42g
Sugars 0g
Protein 5.82g

Protein Bar Chicago -- My Review

It is a terribly, TERRIBLY beautiful day in Chicago. It actually should be against the law to be working today. Alas, I find myself in my office. Breakin the law, breaking the law.

As many of you know, I met my wonderful and beautiful cousin Deanna at The Protein Bar yesterday for lunch. First, let me say how cool it is that someone from The Protein Bar commented on my blog (Thanks Matt!), and second, I hope that he has a chance to come back and read my review of the place. It is always nice to know that the owners/managers are listening to their customers and what they want!

So back to lunch. I was shocked at the line that was almost out the door. The great news is, it moved quickly. I was happy to see so many people making the choice to avoid the other fast food place one block south of The Protein Bar.

When it came time to place our order, Deanna ordered Da Bull and I ordered the Original Bar-Rito. The menu was very nice and easy to read and understand. I would have liked to see the addition of total carbs added to their nutritional content, but because they did provide you with calories, fat, fiber, and protein, I guess that if one wanted to figure it out, they could. Sometimes I just don't like to think that hard. Take a look at their website for more information about what we ate.



It was nice to watch them make the food. The ingredients all looked very fresh and delicious. I am no expert in eye-balling measurements but I could swear that there was about 6 oz of chicken in my Bar-Rito. Very nice!

The total for food, including 2 bottles of water was $14.00. $7.00 per person, not bad for lunch. However, take a look at the size of these things! Deanna and I both only ate half! As a clean eater, I eat about 6 (sometimes 7) meals per day. This Bar-rito translated into two energy-packed meals for me.

Let's talk about the food. It was good. It was a little bland, but in the world of clean and preservative-free, natural foods, that is a good thing. A perfect solution to this, in my opinion, would be to offer diced jalapenos. Either as a side in a little cup, or mix it into the Bar-rito if requested. Other than that, I have nothing but raves for this healthy joint.

Just to be able to offer a full review of more than just one of their menu items, I stopped in for breakfast this morning. Doing this also gave me the opportunity to review their customer service. Lunch was so busy and they kept the line moving and did really well handling the rush. This morning, there were only a few of us in there and it gave me the chance to see how personal of an experience the staff could make this visit. They were great. The cashier chatted about the weather and the fact that it was a gorgeous day. This really makes the visit even more enjoyable. What I ate; Mag Mile Mocha and Pancake in a Bowl with blueberries. Both were magnificent and fueled me with tons of energy. I feel like I am going to not only conquer the day, but I am going to make the day my bitch.
Thanks Protein Bar Chicago. I really hope to see more locations go up throughout the city.

Lex.

Protein Bar Chicago

I took a different route today while walking to work and passed a place called The Protein Bar. After checking them out on-line, I think I may be in love. Of course, I haven't tried any of it yet, but I think I am going to save the lunch I brought today for tomorrow and head on over at lunch time. It is times like these I really appreciate working in the big city. There is so much more offered in terms of healthy alternatives to the Golden Arches. So if I forget my lunch; NO EXCUSES. Even if I forget my lunch in the middle of a hail/snow/thunderstorm; NO EXCUSES. They deliver.

Protein Bar
235 S. Franklin

New tasty shake recipe for chocolate lovers!

Hands down the best shake I have made thus far and I have been trying lots of them.

Here is the recipe and as made, it serves as a recovery shake for post workouts since I have included L-Glutamine. For those not taking supplements and just wanting a damn tasty protein shake, I have marked some of the ingredients below as optional.

Place the following in your blender:

1 ripe small banana
1 scoop of chocolate Designer Whey Protein Powder*
1 teaspoon of L-Glutamine (Optional)
1 teaspoon of bee pollen (Optional)
1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds
1 tablespoon of almond butter
4 ice cubes (for consistency)
6oz of water

Blend. Enjoy.

*For those intimidated by large vitamin stores, you can find Designer Whey on the shelves at Trader Joe's for a decent price. Stay away from Trader Joe's brand of protein powder. The price is better but the added sugar is not.

What is Clean Eating?

I can tell you for sure what it is not. It is NOT a fad diet. Clean Eating is a lifestyle. Clean Eating is just a catch phrase for healthy, natural eating and living.

I have attached an excerpt from my latest Clean Eating magazine to help answer any of my friends' questions. Please click the photo below to view full size text.


Clean Eating is a way of life and eating that many bodybuilders and fitness models subscribe to. In the world of body building and fitness competition, comes the introduction of supplements. Please make no mistake, Clean Eating has nothing to do with the addition of supplements. In fact, there are even clean foods that many bodybuilders and fitness athletes will avoid during training and contest preparation, or in order to reach optimal figure goals. When I talk about taking supplements on my blog, please know that is only aimed at reaching some of my fitness goals and is not meant to represent the way one must eat or live while living "clean".

Also, please know that clean eating isn't a low fat diet, it isn't a no-carb diet, hell, it isn't a DIET. Most of us that subscribe to this lifestyle do cheat and eat "unclean" foods on occasion and many of us also enjoy a glass of wine with dinner. However, for most of us, it is a rare exception and a treat. Or as we call it, a cheat meal.

If you have any questions about this lifestyle or any of my recipes, please feel free to ask them here or send me a private email. I am more than willing to answer them and help you decide if this way of life is for you.

Fresh Herbed Whole Wheat Pasta, scallops, & Broccoli

What you need:

1/2 pound of whole wheat pasta
12 jumbo sea scallops
4 tbs olive oil
1 lemon
1 tsp paprika
4 cloves of garlic-pressed
1 bunch fresh parsley chopped
sea salt to taste
pepper to taste

Prepare thawed scallops by blotting any moisture from them with a paper towel. Season with paprika, sea salt, and pepper.

As pasta is cooking (don't over cook, al dente shouldn't take longer than 8 minutes at a boil in most cases), heat skillet with 1 tbs of olive oil. As skillet begins to get hot, turn burner down to a medium heat. Place the scallops in the pan and cook each side about 3 minutes depending on size. Scallop should be opaque when cut into. A raw scallop's flesh will resemble raw chicken.

I like to steam my broccoli in a double boiler just until it is tender enough to eat but still has some "bite" to it. I do not like mushy broccoli! Squeeze a little lemon juice on this veggie for a good flavor.

After you remove the scallops from the pan, I squeeze just a little lemon on them. I then use the same pan to heat the remainder of my olive oil and garlic. Once the garlic is sauteed, I pour this mixture over the cooked pasta.

Serve! Serves about 4 portions. (Photo shows me stealing 2 extra scallops)

Body Choice Protein Shot Review

This weekend, I found myself at Costco to pick up diapers and chicken breasts like I do almost every week and I found myself confronted by a sample of Body Choice Protein Shots.

Here is a run down of what it is:

Flavor-Fruit Punch
Serving size 2.9 oz
Calories 104
Fat 0
Cholesterol 0
Sodium 64
Carbs 3
Fiber 3
Protein 25


Okay, so based on that, I was excited to try it. Seems like a great after workout, compact, easily transportable shot of protein that is a blend of enzymatically predigested whey and casein proteins.

So, I tried it.

DO NOT TAKE IT LIKE IT IS A SHOT OF TEQUILA. Big mistake. This is a very pungent, strong tasting shot. I learned quickly and sipped the rest of it.

Not bad, not bad. And a bargain at $19.99 for 12 shots. I will be back for more.

Fat or Calories??

Jill asks: "Before I got pregnant I had lost 60lbs. I always checked the fat grams in food. Now that I'm trying to lose weight again, I've been checking calories more than fat. What is more important to check to lose weight??"

My answer is one that will probably make your life more difficult, depending on how and what you eat every day. To truly focus on health and weight loss you need to look at calories, however, you need to break down those calories into three parts: Fat, Protein, and Carbohydrates. I can even break those categories down into parts:

Fat-saturated fat, monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats
Carbs-fiber, sugar, whole grain

Before I scare I you away from this by making everything sound too complicated, let's focus on the aforementioned groups of Fat, Protein, and Carbohydrates. Feel free to skip to the last paragraph of this lengthy blog post for a quick answer. Although, I promise that once you understand the long answer, things will start to come naturally to you when making food choices.

Fat is essential to your body. You NEED fat. Buying fat free and low fat foods is not something I suggest. Often times, in order to alter a food to the state of being fat free or low fat, the food needs to be processed and altered chemically. Bad!

A few exceptions to this rule are: Buying cheese made with 2% milk. This makes the cheese NATURALLY lower in fat. No chemicals added. Buying yogurts or milks with lower fat. Again, this is a natural process of eliminating fats in those dairy products.

I would stay away from prepackaged goods that are lower in fat. In fact, throw away the packaged goods altogether if you can, or limit them to one a day.

When looking at your caloric intake, my suggestion is to get about 20% of your daily calories from FAT. GOOD FAT.

Good fats include: Olive Oil, Flax Oil, Flax seeds (also high in fiber!), nut butters, avocado, fatty fish (Salmon, tuna, Mackerel--also carry a high punch of protein!)

Fats to avoid or use VERY sparingly: Butter, margarine, lard, vegetable or hydrogenated oils, shortening.

So, aim for 20% of calories from fat.

Moving on to Protein. If calories were a clique of friends and it was just you hanging out with Protein, Carbs, and Fat, Protein would be your best friend of the bunch. Protein is especially important for those that are working out as protein is the muscles' milk. Eating lean proteins will help keep you fuller for longer periods of time which will help keep your appetite and urge to snack at bay. There are mixed opinions about how many of your daily calories come from protein but I personally aim for 50%. Other schools of thought say that 30-40% is acceptable, which I am sure it is for most people that aren't performing demanding physical training. Find out what works for you in this regard. Start playing with this percentage for a week or two and see what your body likes best.

Great lean proteins
Just like fats, there are protein sources that are better for you than others. Lean protein sources are: Beans/Legumes (also contains high fiber!), egg whites, skinless chicken (Skin contains a lot of unhealthy fats), skinless turkey, lean ham, fish, lean beef (at least 90% lean), bison, venison, and tofu.

There are also many great tasting protein supplements on the market. Different types of proteins are absorbed in a different way by your body. Protein from whey and eggwhites are quickly digested and absorbed by your body. This protein makes an excellent recovery protein for your muscles immediately after working out. Casein protein is slowly digested and absorbed which is a great way to stay full for a long time or before you go to bed. Cottage cheese is a source of this protein with staying power.

Bad evil proteins
When I tell you that protein is your best friend, this does not include bacon or fatty meats such as ground beef with with a fat to lean ratio of 70-30%.

Finally, let's talk about Carbs. The word CARB became a bad word in the late 90s are early 2000s. Atkins was super popular and was working for so many people. Until those people took a bite of bread. Somehow taking one bite of bread would add the 20 pounds that they lost on Atkins back to their body. Carbs are a good thing. But again, there are good carbs and bad carbs. I aim to get 30% of my daily calories from carbs, GOOD CARBS! Again, depending on what works for you, the recommended daily caloric intake from carbs ranges between 30%-50%.

Good carbs
Great sources of carbohydrates come from whole grain and whole wheat breads and pastas, quinoa (which is a super food that includes protein), sweet potato, fruits, many veggies, brown rice, beans (again, also includes protein and tons of fiber), and oatmeal.

BAD NAUGHTY CARBS
Anything made with white flour, refined ANYTHING, white rice, enriched pasta (or anything enriched for that matter, and sugar.

So, to summarize, you should be watching your calories. You should aim to get your calories from Fat (20%), Protein (40%) and Carbs (40%). Seems so hard to track calories let alone adding this to the equation, right? I will help make it easy for you. Create yourself a free account at www.fitday.com. This site is a great way for beginners to start tracking their calories and to see where they are getting their calories. Thousands of foods are already loaded into their database and you also have the option of adding foods. Using this tool for a few weeks will show you where your deficiencies are.

Finally, I bet you are wondering just how many calories per day you need to consume to lose weight. Well, that varies for everyone based on lifestyle. The goal is to eat less than what you burn, but not by too much. Restricting calories too much can often have the reverse effect and force your body to go into starvation mode, hanging on for dear life to every calorie you consume, rather than burn it off like our bodies are made to do. You will also be very fatigued on a diet that is too restrictive. The website I mentioned above can help you figure out what your needs are when you create your profile.

No diet/fitness article would be complete without the recommendation to check with your doctor before you start any diet or exercise program.

I am happy to answer any questions any of you have so keep 'em comin!

Lex.

Ask your questions!

I don't claim to have all the answers to health, clean eating, or fitness, but I do promise that if there is something you are looking to have answered, I will work hard to find it for you.

Let me know what health topics you are most interested in learning more about...Fad diets?....Exercise or training regimens?.....Caloric compositions of food?....Tell me!

Truth is, I am just looking for some interesting things to write about and could use your help coming up with new topics!

Thanks friends!

Lex.

Spicy Asian Chicken and Cilantro Salad

I only have one thing to say about this salad.

Yum.



What you'll need:

4 oz of grilled chicken breast, cut into strips for your salad
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1/4 cup of your favorite mushrooms, sliced
2 cups of lambs lettuce or baby spinach
1 tbs of ground flax seeds
2 tbs of Trader Joe's Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette

Mix it together and eat. I think I could eat this salad every single day. It is so enjoyable.

Calories: 311
Fat: 13 Grams (Saturated 1.9 Grams)
Carbs: 16 Grams
Fiber: 6 Grams
Protein: 32.9

Italian Chicken Enchiladas

What you'll need

-4 whole wheat flour tortillas
-1 large can of Kirkland Natural Chicken (Costco) in water or 4 small chicken breasts
-Red, Green, and Yellow pepper (I like to purchase the medley already chopped and frozen at Trader Joe's)
-1/2 cup of Mozzarella made with 2% milk
-1 jar of spaghetti sauce of choice (remember to check those labels for sugar content. Keep those grams as low as possible!)
-1/2 tbs of Oregano. I prefer fresh
A baking dish


cut or shred the already cooked chicken and toss them into a bowl that contains about 1/2 of the spaghetti sauce. Add the chopped peppers. Once coated in the sauce, spoon the chicken/sauce mixture into the 4 tortillas and roll them up tightly and place them into a baking dish. If your baking dish is too large for these rolls to keep their shape, use a toothpick to keep them rolled up.

Use the remaining spaghetti sauce and pour over the rolled tortillas. Top evenly with the mozz cheese and oregano. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

Makes 4 servings:
237 Calories
6 grams of fat
3 grams of saturated fat
23 grams of carbs
3 grams of fiber
24 grams of protein


Serve with a spinach salad with a tiny drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Why I am doing this.....

Documenting my journey keeps me honest and focused.

Getting emails like this from someone I never met (in person) is also pretty awesome:

"You’ve got me hooked… I’m not 100% “clean” but for the most part my recipes are clean. I’ve been researching clean recipes and I just can’t get enough. I’ve made your black-eyed pea salad, (Furla’s) polenta lasagna and I drink a smoothie every morning. I’m now obsessed with clean eating blogs and my philosophy of “you have to have meat to make it a meal” has completely changed. I’m the one who posted that I lost 15 pounds in a month but it’s actually only been just over 3 weeks. I don’t calculate my daily calorie intake but I know every day I’m satisfied and I’m eating really tasty foods. My cravings for junk are gone and I’m now craving veggies instead.

Thank you for all your help and the wonderful info you have on your blog."

To all of my friends that are reading this that have either committed to a healthier lifestyle and to the ones thinking about it....You can do eet! The reward is worth the effort. Let's support each other.

Lex.

Summer is here!!!

At least it is here in Chicago! A hot 90 degrees out there today. You know what this means; BBQs, Beer Gardens, BBQs, Margaritas, BBQs, Festivals (Hello Taste of Chicago!) and BBQs.

I shared my healthy bbq with you last week, however, your typical BBQ fare will not always be healthy. Today's post will go through some steps to help us all make better choices when put into situations where eating clean is difficult.

STEP 1: Eat your meals!

Part of the premise of Clean Eating is eating 6 small meals per day. Do not skip any of these meals leading up to the BBQ thinking that that you are saving yourselves 200 or 300 calories that you will "make up for" at the BBQ. What ends up happening is you are far more hungry than you usually are which means you will eat even more food at the BBQ than you would if you'd have stayed on track with your meals.

STEP 2: Offer to bring a dish!

Open your Clean Eating Magazine or cookbook (or this blog!) and find a recipe that you can bring to share with the crowd.

STEP 3: Plan your plate!

Take a look at the table and what is being served. Plan in your mind what you intend to put on your plate before you hop into the buffet line. This way, your plan is set and hopefully you won't be tempted by the evil potato chips and fattening dips!

STEP 4: Stay away from white breads and cheese

Odds are, not everyone will have a whole wheat option for that burger. Who says you need a bun? Balance out your meal and keep your sugar/refined carb count low by eating a burger sans the bun. Keeping the cheese off will also help keep fat contents in check.

STEP 5: Enjoy yourself

Life is too short to be stressing out about eating every time there is a bbq. Implement the steps I have listed here and minimize the damage. Remember, attending a BBQ is supposed to be fun. Focus more on catching up with friends, playing some fun summer time games (beanbags, volleyball, frisbee), and enjoying the beautiful weather than you do on the menu.

I know it's hard. I do love the taste of potato chips and greasy hot dogs and if you are due for a cheat meal (about every 10 days), go ahead an indulge. But, if this bbq falls on a day that is not a cheat day, let's do our best to treat our bodies with respect!

Now....let's talk about the drinks. Moderation is key and drinks are not prohibited in the world of clean eating. I would recommend that you stay away from the sugary mixers (cranberry, pineapple, soda, etc) and stick with a light beer, a clear alcohol, or a glass of wine. Of course, I would only suggest a drink or two, but I never want to be called a hypocrite so accept that suggestion as a loose guideline.

Alexia.