Clean Crab Cakes

Physiques are created in the kitchen.


Clean Crab Cakes:

1 10oz can of Lump Crab meat
2 tbs of 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 tsp of Mrs. Dash Seafood Seasoning
1 tsp of dry mustard
1/2 cup of steel cut oats, ground coarsly

Pack into 2 patties

Pan fry over medium heat using a cooking spray or a tsp of Olive Oil

Not quite as good as the real thing, to be honest, but was still very good.

Lemon Coconut Protein Bars

OMG Yum is all I have to say. Stolen and slightly modified from Jamie Eason. Recipe and macros are below.

Ground Steal Cut Oats:


1 cup steel cut oats, ground to a flour
2 scoops vanilla whey protein (I like Muscle Milk)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 qt mix Crystal Light (preferably without aspartame)
4 egg whites
8 packets of Truvia
8 oz unsweetened applesauce
4 oz water
1/4 cup of coconut flakes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Mix oat flour, vanilla whey protein, salt, baking soda and crystal light, in large bowl.


Mix egg whites, Splenda, applesauce and water in a bowl.


Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together.


Spray glass pyrex dish with non-stick butter spray.


Pour ingredients into dish. Sprinkle coconut flakes evenly across the top.


Bake 23 minutes.

Makes 16 squares, 2 squares per serving.
Calories: 86
Fat: 1 gram
Carbs: 10 grams
Protein: 9 grams

Note, I only sprinkled coconut over half of my tray.

Status Quo

That's all that has been going on folks, maintaining. For the most part, at least.

I fell off the wagon for a few months. Going through a separation and subsequent divorce can do that to you. I have been thoroughly enjoying life though. I have met some great new friends and have been getting out much more than usual, which has resulted in a few less workouts, a few more calories, and a lot more wine.

I am still hovering at about 19% bodyfat but I believe that I was as low as 17% prior to my recent "slip-ups". I had much better definition back in March.

I grocery shopped yesterday and stocked the kitchen with clean food and I feel like I am recommitted to my goals. I am narrowing in on some goals in the gym which include balancing and symmetry and shredding and building my problem areas, hams, glutes, and hips.

I plan to add Bikram Yoga into my regular routine and some TRX body weight training. Living downtown part-time affords me the opportunity to visit some of these specialized gyms that I wouldn't normally have a chance to visit. I am also giving some thought to trying Cross Fit, but the movements and speed still scare a form-conscious person such as myself.

For those of you who have asked where I have been and why the posts have stopped, thank you! You may have been the fire under my ass I needed!

Williams Sonoma Chili Lime Rub

I absolutely cannot say enough good things about this stuff. It is perfect for chicken, fish and veggies. 1/4 tsp is the serving size and it has so much flavor, you don't need much more than that. What I love about it the most, only 2g of sodium per serving.

I recently used this to flavor Basa filets, which made great fish tacos.

$7.95 might seem like a lot to spend on a tin of spice, but you don't need very much and it lasts me a while.

NPC Southern Indiana

This last weekend, I went to see my first NPC show. As many of you know, I have been toying with the idea of entering a competition. Knowing how much dedication and commitment is necessary in prepping for a competition, I wanted to see a show for myself and make sure that this is something that I really want to do before enduring months of grueling prep and grilled chicken.

The show was smaller than I expected. My cousin Deanna, who is probably one of the only people in my life that understands my desire to do this, tagged along with me for the show and the 5.5 hour drive there and back. Thanks DEE! Love you!! We went the morning of the show to see pre-judging. With no music on stage, each group of competitors, in their division, came out and posed for the judges. Some looked very confident, others looked scared, either way, I am sure that they were all nervous to some degree.

The night show is geared more towards the crowd. The music was pumping, each contestant was introduced individually along with a short bio. When the emcee would get to the portion of the bio that described what the contestants were interested in, each one of them was interested in training/working out/weight lifting. Duh. You have to be, right?

So, long story short, I am going to put in the work after my marathon is done. I am going to follow a contest prep schedule for a while and see how my body responds. If I like what I see, I will go back to a building phase for a while and hire a contest prep coach to see me through 16 weeks of contest prep when I am that far out from a show that I choose to do.

A few people question my desire to do this, or to even look like this. I know that this may not be appealing to everyone, but this is something that I really like and am really into. This is a sport. These women are athletes. Below is the overall winner of the NPC southern Indiana women's figure event.

Ashley Lemmons

This week's diet, so far!

Tuesday, March 22nd

Preworkout: NO Explode
Post Workout: Eggwhites with mushrooms, jalepenos, and 2% cheese
Meal: handful of nuts, 1 wedge of Laughing Cow light, green tea
Meal: Large veggie salad and 3 turkey muffins
Meal: Muscle Milk Light
Pre-workout: Handful of organic animal crackers (not the best choice but needed energy for second workout)
Meal: Whole wheat pita pizza

Wednesday, March 23rd
Preworkout: NO Explode
Post Workout: Eggwhites with Muschrooms, jalepenos, and 2% cheese
Meal: Handful of nuts and dried fruit
Meal: Freshii Noodle bowl
Meal: New Whey Shot
Meal: 1/2 Buffalo Chicken wrap from Freshii
Meal: Wine and cheese its (Uh, yeah)

Thursday, March 24th
NO WORKOUT, OFF DAY
Meal: Eggwhites with veggies in 2 corn tortillas
Meal: 1/2 buffalo Chiken wrap from Freshii
Meal: 1/4 cup cooked Quinoa with veggies and lemon juice
Meal: Muslcle Milk light
Meal: Pita Pizza
Meal: Casien protein and dark chocolate square


As you can see, during a given week, I am repeating a lot of food. That is because this is how I shop and prep my meals for the week. This week has been a little boring so far, with a couple of cheats. Next week, I am going to aim for more variety.

Pizza with a side of re-inspiration

For those of you that know me, you might be aware that I am facing some challenges at home right now that aren't going to be easily resolved without a huge, heaping dose of stress!

Thinking back to how I used to handle these types of situations; a bottle (or two) of wine, bad TV, and a pack of smokes, I feel the need to be ultra cognizant of my emotions right now in order to prevent picking up bad habits.

For the past couple of weeks, amidst some of the aforementioned stress, I haven't been eating the best and there have been a few more glasses of wine than what I consider to be "on plan". I have forgiven myself and I am moving forward, hoping to turn some of the negative energy into energy that I can use to finally start seeing gains in the gym and putting miles and miles on the open road in preparation for my marathon that is less than 3 months away. I have been re-inspired.

So....all that said, this weekend was fabulous!

I hit the gym hard on Saturday, crushing my legs and still experiencing DOMS 2 days later. Sunday was back, biceps and a spinning class led by an instructor that must have been under the influence of some type of speed. Today? HIIT cardio session and heavy HEAVY triceps and chest.

All this working out makes a girl hungry. A trip to Trader Joe's resulted in an easy pizza; whole wheat pita bread, organic pizza sauce, skim milk mozz, and veggies, veggies, and more veggies.

In order to stay 100% accountable, I will be sharing my diet here each and every day for the next month.

4:30AM: Preworkout: NO Explode, Glutamine
6:00 AM: Postworkout: Chocolate whey protein shake with BCAAs
9:00 AM: Baked Oatmeal
12:00 PM: Veggie salad (Romaine, brocolli, tomatoes, mushrooms, edamame), 2tbs Trader Joes spicy peanut dressing, 3 turkey muffins, 2 capsules CLA, Glutamine
3:00 PM: Protein Shot
6:00 PM: Veggies and 4oz of chicken
Right before bed: Casein with fresh strawberries and dark chocolate square