Mug Chocolate Protein Cake

The post-workout dessert is my favorite. 

I have to workout after work which puts my dinner and/or my 6th meal( snack) after the fact.
Now, I am trying my best to stick the the rule of "no starchy carbs after 7 pm" ~3 hours before I go to bed,  and it's hard, until I found this! 

Packed full of protein, I can now have my cake and eat it too!!! 

Chocolate cake, on a bed of greek yogurt surrounded by sweet slices of banana. Yummy. 

Oh and bonus, it only takes about 2 minutes to make. 

Adapted from Sprint to the Table

Ingredients: 
3 tbs egg whites
1/4 cup oats (blended)*
1 truvia packet
1/2 tbs ground flaxseed
2 tsp cocoa powder

1/4 cup greed yogurt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 truvia packet
cinnamon to taste
chopped banana

*I took 1/4 cup rolled oats and pulse blended them until they became a powder.

Directions: 
Thoroughly mix blended oats, flaxseed, egg whites, truvia packet, and cocoa powder in a mug.

Microwave for ~1 min until cooked. 

Stir together greek yogurt, vanilla, truvia, and cinnamon in a small bowl . 
Gently remove cake from mug and place on top of greek yogurt. garnish with chopped banana. 

ENJOY!!!!

Nutritional Information:

222 cal * 31 carbs * 5g fat * 18g protein* 6 fiber*

LiveFit Phase 1 Day 1

 

Well I did it. 

Day 1 complete. 

It was not as easy as I thought it was going to be. 

Honestly, I thought 3 sets of 12 per exercise, I got this. 

However, by the 3rd set for a few of them I was literately falling on my face (Narrow push ups). 

Now don't count me out yet.

I did have a few great sets: tricep pull downs and bench press were completed with ease and in total I lifted 4,140bs in an hour. 

Not bad, not bad at all. 

Interested in learning more? 

Read THIS

So here were the workouts and my numbers: 

Wide Push Ups: 3 set
My body weight x 36

Narrow push ups: 3 sets OUCH!
my body weight x 36

Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 sets
20x12 each x 36

Flat Bench Cable Flyes: 3 set OUCH!
20x12; 15x12;  10x6 + 15x6

Standing Dumbbell Triceps Extension
20x12 each

Tricep Pull down
60x12 each


I'm in this, and still have the newbie adrenaline.

As for the food, I've stated in my intro to the challenge that I am using her meal plan as a guidline for my diet. And even though I upped my calories to 1400 I couldn't eat that much!

 I got myself to 1300 but man I was so full!  

Mostly because I ate a TON of protein: 130g. when my normal was around 75g. 

I know it's important to eat a lot in this first phase to help with muscle building so I will keep it up  and eat...fun concept right! 

Here was my meal layout for day 1:

Breakfast: Protein Shake:

--Body by vi, with water and 1/2 tsp mango pineapple drink mix (great value), 1/4 cup frozen strawberries

      104 cal; 12g protein 

  

Snack: 

--1/2 cup plain greek yogurt with cinnamon, 1 truvia packet, and 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1 hard boiled egg

       136 cal;  17g protein

Lunch: Turkey roll ups

--6 oz of mesquite turkey breast with 5 cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cup sliced cucumber, 1/2 cup brown rice, 1 tbs spicy brown mustard 

       315 cal;  37g protein

Snack: 

2 turkey balls, 2 sweet peppers, sliced carrot, and celery   

     265 cal; 20g protein

Dinner: Chicken Pita

5 oz shredded chicken breast in sauce: 1 tbs spicy brown mustard 1 tbs greek yogurt, pepper, 2 sliced cherry tomatoes,  1 cup chopped romaine lettuce, 1 Joseph's whole wheat pita 

      181 cal; 30g protein


 

Snack: 

~1/2 cup greek yogurt; 1 tbs peanut butter; 1 Truvia packet; 1 tbs cocoa powder--DON'T DO THIS, WAY TOO MUCH,  I couldn't finish it.

          ~ 131 cal; 12g protein

 

Here are my start photos: I look forward to posting progress through out the phases

KEEP IT UP! 

WANT TO SEE MY PROGRESS?

  CLICK HERE and SCROLL DOWN 

 

LiveFit 12 Week Challenge

 

 

I've been looking for a good challenge to do for quite a while.

After my weight loss challenge--the biggest, and forever ongoing life challenge yet,-- I challenged myself to not only complete a half marathon, but to not stop running no matter what time I got. 
Thank goodness for the training guide they gave us because guess what, I finished that baby, non-stop, in under 2 hours! 
WHOOP WHOOP! 

After that my challenge was to stay fit and healthy for my wedding, which I believe I did. :)

But since then, nothing really. Just healthy eating, and blogging. 

So now this. I am a huge fan of bodybuilding.com. They have tons of great resources for all body types and personal fitness goals--not just bulking up! 

I love their nutrition guides, recipe forums, and fitness programs.

So here I am. 

Day one of Phase one.

About the Program:  
Created by Jamie Eason

The program's focus: Healthy Muscle Building and Clean Eating.

For the muscle building she has you perform ~ 1hr to 1 1/2 hrs  worth of strength training exercises. To start, 3 sets and 12 reps of each workout; 60 sec rest between each one.  This fluctuates as you go through the  three phases, decreasing reps because you are increasing weights and you eventually add cardio.
Each day you focus on a different muscle group and build your up your strength. 

For me, since phase one has no cardio I think it will be the hardest. But that's the challenge, right?

Along with the workout  she provides you with a daily workout/weight lifting routine along with a meal guide: 6 meals a day (pretty normal for me!)  
I say guide because it truly is just a guide. She tells you to eat a certain amount of protein, starch, and veggies each meal but it's your choice of what to eat. 
She does provide a "approved" clean eating food list with the measurements of the the foods that you should choose from, but you have to know how to put meals together yourself-- A daunting task for many, a foodie adventure for me. 

I've decided for my own sanity, that I will do the workouts 100% but I will only use her meal plan as a guideline for my diet. I have been eating 1200 calories for so long it scares me to increase my calories but I will do so so that I can increase my muscle mass. So I've ventured between 1400-1500 calories daily, uping my protein intake from 65-70 to 100-120g and just hope it all works out. 

Either way I think this will be a great challenge. I want to focus on becoming a stronger woman, and if you've ever seen Jamie Eason-- Google image her---she is the girl to follow. 

I will be posting weekly and sometimes bi weekly about the program to keep my self accountable as well has a have an accurate log of my progress. 

If you are interested in the program or want to start yourself here is the link: 

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer.html

12 weeks. Here we go! 

each post includes workout and eating tips

• LiveFit Phase1 Day 1
• LiveFit Phase 1 Week 1 Results
• LiveFit Phase 1 Week 2 Results
• LiveFit Phase 1 Week 3 Results 
• LiveFIt Phase 1 Week 4 Results 
• LiveFit PHASE 1 FINAL
• LiveFit Phase 2 Week 5 Results 
• LiveFit Phase 2 Week 6 Results 
• LiveFit Phase 2 Week 7 Results 
• LiveFit Phase 2 Week 8 Results
• LiveFit PHASE 2 FINAL 
• LiveFit Phase 3 FINAL (weeks 9-12 combined) 

 

 

Heavenly Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake Quick Cake

My oh my, am I loving this quick cake.

Honestly, it makes making dessert so much more exciting because I don't have to slave over it.

I just pop it in the microwave for 1 min, think of some awesome topping...

like strawberry cheesecake, 

and then eat it.

Yup.

Yum.

Yours.

Ingredients:
3 tbs quick cake mix--hit your head on a counter because you didn't think of this, easy recipe HERE

2 tbs water
1 tbs plain greek yogurt
2 medium strawberries.
1 tsp cheesecake pudding, sf/ff


Directions: 
Make your topping first, because your quick cake will be done in a minute...no really.

Add in greek yogurt and pudding, blend away unil you have a creamy yet till strawberry-chunky frosting.

Mix cake mix and water in a mug very well.
Microwave for 1 min.
Gently tap out baked cake from mug.
cut in half.
Layer half of your frosting on one half of the cake. Top that with the second half and then frost the top with the rest.

ENJOY!!!!

Nutritional Information

1 cake

125 cals * 28 carbs * 1g fat *  3g protein * 1g fiber

Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing

Ranch is not my favorite salad dressing, BUT I sure did love it as dip for many many other foods. However, along with many other foods during my healthy lifestyle change, ranch was almost eliminated. 

BUT NOT NOW!!!!!

Thank goodness for the wonderful person who posted this recipe and also that person who pinned it on Pinterest. 

Using my all time favorite healthy food: Greek Yogurt, how can I not love this. 

With only 2 ingredients and 200x more healthy for you, you can't go wrong.

                                  So make some and dip your veggies in it!

Ingredients:
1 packet ranch "DIPS" mix (NOT the salad dressing mix)
1 cup of Plain greek yogurt
*optional: 1/2 cup of milk (makes it more liquid-y, perfect for salad dressing, but if you want a thick dip omit)

Directions:
Mix it all together in a small bowl. 
Serve with your favorite veggies, or drizzle over a salad. 

Gahhh so good. 

ENJOY!!!!

Treadmill Cardio Blast

 

I did this Treadmill workout and man o man was my heart in my throat well before it was done. 

This is no joke high-interval work out and will get your blood pumpin' 

This is not a beginners workout. 

I don't care if you've been running for ages, 

if you are not used to interval training

--I am-- 

this will kick your bottom. 

HOWEVER, do not be discouraged if you are a beginner.

 Give it a go by cutting the time time in half...instead of 45 min try it for 22. It is repetitious. 

Now get up and give it a go! 

You'll feel ALIVE afterward. 

Trust me. 

Brought to us by Fitsugar.com

 Printable Version

 

300 Ultimate Abs

 

"OUCH!" 

is what I exclaimed breathlessly after completing this ab work out. 

But it was well worth it. 

This is not just your average sit up 1000000bagillion times workout and not your "only working your front- abdominal-area" workout 

This is a full CORE work out. 

11 workouts
1 set of 25 reps each

Have 15 min? 

Want to brag that you just did 300 abdominal exercise? 

Than check this chicka's blog out:KayciesAntics 

She has Pictures to go a long with every move 

 (They are not of her...) 

but still, a Healthy foodie's dream. 

So get your gear on and bust it out! 

Here is a List of what we are doing:

1.  In-N-outs
2. Bicycles
3. Reverse Bicycles (concentrate on these)
4. Crunchy Fog (these are the easiest for me...ODD)
5. Cross Leg/Wide Leg sit up
6. Scissors
7. Hip Butt ups (really work your lower abs)
8. Heals to Heaven
9. Roll up/V-Up (THE HARDEST ONE!!! GAHHH) 
10. Leg Climbers (I like this one, never heard of it)
11.  Kayakers (row, row, row!)

   

  

Let me know how you feel afterward!

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Two Tomato Pasta with Mozzarella, Basil & Pine Nuts

Want a healthy, light, fresh pasta for dinner? TRY THIS!

Recipe curtousy of theitaliandishblog.com
Ingredients

• 10 ounces of grape tomatoes
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced or grated
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• salt & pepper
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 10 ounces spaghetti
• 14 ounces very small tomatoes (about 8 to 10), cut into chunks
• 8 ounces mozzarella, cubed
• about 10 basil leaves, julienned

Instructions:

For the slow roasted tomatoes: 
 Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with foil.  Slice grape tomatoes in half and place on baking sheet with the garlic and 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Season with some salt and pepper.  Toss well. Bake for about two hours or until the tomatoes are reduced down and have lost a lot of their moisture. (WARNING: this will make your house smell like sweet tomato heaven and when they're done you're going to have to control yourself from eating them all)

Toast the pine nuts:
Place pine nuts in a small skillet.  Cook over medium high heat just for a few minutes, until lightly toasted. 

Make the Pasta:
Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil.  Cook the pasta just until al dente. Remove with tongs and place in a large serving bowl (don't drain- you want a little pasta water still on the pasta so it doesn't stick).

Putting it together:
Add the slow roasted tomatoes, the toasted pine nuts, the fresh tomatoes, the mozzarella, 4 tablespoons olive oil and the basil leaves.  Season generously with salt and pepper and toss well. 

*p.s. you can also make this as a side dish for a dinner party and impress all your friends :)

ENJOY!!!!

Nutrition Information

339 cals * 31 carbs * 21g Fat  * 10g Protein * 3g sugar * 4g Fiber