Protein Pumpkin Muffins

Yes it's the start of fall so of course I am going to post something with pumpkin in it.

However, I've been making these for the past few months and it just dawned on me that I have yet to blog about these amazing muffins that I devour weekly.

Pumpkin has ~Vitamin A 2650 IU that, my friends, is a A LOT of Vitamin A.
Why does this matter?
Well because Vitamin A has a multitude of health benefits for the body including, eye health, skin health, teeth and bone health, and is made from the powerful antioxidant beta-carotene which in current studies has helped fight cancer.

So eat up my friends.

Oh did I mention each muffin is ~64 calories, 8 carbs, 4g protein, and 2g fiber? Yup.


Enjoy.

Makes ~18 muffins
Ingredients
1 15oz can of pumpkin
2 cups oat flour
2 scoops vanilla protein powder
1/2 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
3-4 large egg whites (~9tbs)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

*Optional: a handful chopped walnuts


Directions:
Preheat oven 350 F. 
Mix everything in a large bowl.
Scoop about 1/4 cup into each muffin tin compartment.

Bake for 15-18 min, until toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy!

p.s. Serving size is ~3 muffins.

Summer Apple Chicken Salad

Have a pita? 

Fill it with this, your taste buds will thank you. 

Something you may not know about me is that one food motto I hold strong too is anything "white" and/or "solid" generally at room temperate I don't allow into my diet. Food items in these categories include: mayonnaise, white bread, ranch dressing, butter (now, I'll bake and/or cook with it every now and then but you wont see me putting it on my daily bread), crisco or any cooking agent that is in that category, velveeta....(I still don't really know what it is, but sorry all you nacho lovers my cheese dip will NOT include that solid in a box "cheese"). 

So with mayo out, let's say hello to plain greek yogurt. The healthy, high protein, extremely versatile yogurt.  I chose to buy plain greek yogurt and then season/sweeten it up myself to keep as many preservatives out of my diet. So far so good! 
Check out this Greek Yogurt Parmesan Chicken: it will rock your world.

Now,
thanks to  The Gracious Pantry  I have been inspired to create yet another wonderful and easy to make work lunch. 

Bonus, it's high in protein, clean eating, and low in fat! Feel free to double, triple, quadruple as needed.

Ingredients: 
4-6 oz chicken breast
1/4 cup greek yogurt
1tsp garlic powder
2 tbs chopped red onion 
1/4 cup granny smith apple, chopped
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp black pepper
pinch of salt 

Optional: add chopped celery, exchange the apple for grapes, and/or add chopped nuts.

 
Directions: 
Shred/chop your chicken as desired. 
Mix everything together and....

Voila! 

LiveFit Update (a.k.a.Phase 2 Week 8)

Well... I was in a car accident.

A pretty bad one;  

actually coming home from the gym...

I totaled my car and badly banged up my knees

How did this happen?!? 

Well it was snowing in May....really... MAY!

 I miss you so cal, I miss you.

 Praise be to God, I am alright and no one was badly hurt.

Sad thing? 

I had to put a  little hold on LiveFit. 

Not for too long though.

It's been about a week since the accident and I picked up day 55 this past Friday. 

Since I bruised my knees pretty bad the doctor told me to lay off the heavy weight lifting the requires leg strength for about 2 weeks.

She did say I could move this up if I felt like I could handle it, but to go slow. 

Friday I was not ready, but today is Sunday and they are doing/feeling okay. 

Still look ugly--bruises don't go away quickly. 

But I think come tomorrow I will start up day 54 (I did 55 before 54 since 54 is legs) and finish week 8 and thus finish phase 2.

I apologize this wont be like my other posts where I give weight lifting and food advice, but I didn't want to leave the people following my journey, now and in the future, hanging.

I look forward to the new challenge and am excited to start phase 3!!!!! 

Pictures from phase 2 will come soon! 

** *UPDATE Same day: I should have looked into phase 3 before I posted this. First 2 weeks include high pressure on the knees with all those plyometric jumps. 
So I think its best if I repeat week 8 just to get back into the momentum. I promise to push my self hard.
  I got this!***

 My thoughts exactly:

If you interested in following my journey,

 CLICK HERE and scroll down.

LiveFit Phase 2 Week 7

Phew! This week FLEW by. 

I have been so busy, that that days just seem to blur together! 

I didn't add up my weekly weight total because I just didn't have time. But I know I upped my weights yet again and she was not kidding when she said we would be sore because she up the set total from 3-4. 

Body part of notice, my thighs! 
I have always been self conscious of my legs because they are big. I have come to terms with this over the years and when I was heavy into running they became big in a lean muscle way. However, thanks to this program, I have the beginnings of beautiful definition. Like GOOD LOOKIN' definition that you know you admire from a far in the gym in really buff people....I've started that... be jealous!

Weight Training Tip: Squats!
 
One of the most effective full body weight training exercise out there are weighted squats.  Most people think that they are just a leg exercise but if you are performing them with the proper form you will know right away you are using your entire body to do the exercise. 
Don't let the weight intimidate you and give it try with these great instructions from healthylivingforyou.tumbler.com 

How to Squat
The Squat Setup

• Approach the rack with the bar at approximately mid-chest height.
• Move under the bar and place it on your back. Hold the bar in place with your hands.
• Stand with and even stance. Your feet should be shoulder width apart with your feet facing out at a 30 degree angle.
• Lift the bar out of the rack and take ONLY one step back. Take a big breath. Tense your entire body. Squat.

Squatting Down

• Start from the hips – Bend at your hips and sit back into the squat. Imagine you are sitting down on a seat. The hips joint should always bend before your knees.
• Check your knees – Keep your knees out. Your knee joints should be pointing in the same direction as your feet all the way down. If your knee buckle in it normally means that the weight is too heavy.
• Keep your weight back – Keep your weight distributed towards your heel.
• Go all the way down – You should always aim to squat to at least parallel. Meaning, your hip joint needs to be at least parallel with your knee joint. This is incredibly difficult to judge yourself, even with the aid of a mirror. Ask someone else to assess your depth either in the gym or by video taping.
• Think about squatting up - On the way down think about squatting up. This will help to prepare your brain and make the upward movement easier.

Squatting Up

• Bounce off the bottom – At the bottom position of the squat your hip muscles should be tight – storing energy. Use this energy to help you bounce out of the bottom of the squat. Ensure that you are bouncing off the hips – not the knees.
• Focus on your glutes – When powering up out of the squat concentrate on squeezing your glutes together.
• Drive your hips up – Most of the power for the squat comes from the hips. Drive the hips in an upward motion.

Racking the bar

• Step forward. Ensure that your bar is over the pins before lowering the weight.

Food!!!!

I am finding it hard to eat a mid-afternoon 'meal' that includes 6 oz or meat and a carb because I have a desk job, and for lunch I can leave and it's no problem whipping out that meat, but mid-afternoon, I'm still at a desk and whipping out 6oz of meat is pretty odd. 

So I normally try and make  meal with equivalent protein. 
Some examples of this would be: 

• a pita filled with 2 tbs of almond butter mixed with 1 tbs plain greek yogurt, and 1 tsp honey and half of a banana paired with lots of veggies. 

• 1/2 cup cottage cheese with lots of veggies and some rice cakes, 

• a protein shake with some rice cakes.

• 1 oz of Almonds and veggies

Any other ideas? I would love to hear them! 

I have been sticking to the no starchy carb for dinner and after though. So I'm proud of that. 

About to start the last week of phase 2: Week 8 and I know I've got this! 

LiveFit Phase 1 ULTIMATE Results

 

Wow. Wow. Wow. 

4 weeks CAN make a difference. 

First things first: 

PICTURES!!!!

Jamie, along with many health-nuts out there, are right,

 ABS ARE MADE IN THE KITCHEN. 

Seriously, we hardly did any abs workouts, but look at that definition!

And of course arms! We do a LOT of those so I'm glad to see some change!

YEAH PROTEIN! 

Now, actual measurements

Chest increased : 34 to 35in

Arms increase:  11.3 to 12in

Hips decrease: 37 to 36.5in

Waist decrease: 34 to 33.5 in

Thighs increase: 21.5 to 22in

Calves decrease: 15 to 14.7in

Forearm increase: 8 to 8.5 in

Shoulders increase 42 to 42.5in

I feel incredible. I am so excited to see what happens in phase 2!!! 

Want read more about the program and get some weight lifting and food tips?

 CLICK HERE and scroll down.

LiveFit Phase 1 Week 4

I MADE IT! Phase 1 of 3 complete!

I am so happy and proud of myself. I made it an entire month with no-cardio, a huge feat for this cardio addict. But I feel amazing. In fact This is the best i've felt, ever!

I'll be posting my results from Phase 1 in different post since I want these posts to be focused on each particular week, just for my personal reference. But stay tuned!


How was week 4? Long.

Seriously, this week dragged on for me; workouts included.
I loved everything we were doing but I felt like it was taking more time to do a set than normal.
But I again, completed every work out and will now enjoy this 2 day break before I began the next phase which includes cardio!


Weight Lifting total: 31,260lbs!!!

Impressive: I know. For this final week I upped my weight sets by 5-10lbs  and even though I was quite sore--a feeling I have a love/hate relationship with--i felt very strong. 

Weight Lifting Tip: Unsure when to up your weight? 

Here is a simple guideline; If you can complete one set of 12 with ease and in perfect form it's time to up your weights. If you do up your weights say from a 15 to a 20, and you are half way through the rep with the 20lb but can no longer complete the rep in proper form, switch back to the lower 15lb weight and finish the rep. It will take your body time to build the strength to hold the 20 for the entire rep but you also don't want to over work your body and hurt yourself. Remember form is everything!

Food wise I felt like I was all over the place. I didn't have a food prep day so I was always running around trying to figure out what to have to equal 6oz of meat. 
I ate 2 meals of Tuna , cooked 4 chickens breasts (for 2 meals) , and cooked some ground turkey which made it into one meal and I have yet to comsume the other. 

Some things I made: Tuna cakes, Tuna sandwich, Chicken salad with rice cakes, Fiesta Chicken salad, Ground turkey with brown rice and broccoli. 

I still have a healthy shake for breakfast, usually a hard boiled egg and a homemade protein bar for snack, lunch, veggies with either hummus or cottage cheese for snack, dinner, and some high protein dessert: protein cake, chocolate protein shake, greek yogurt with cinnamon, vanilla, and banana. Yummy!

Food Tip: Meal prep! 

It's hard, I'm not going to lie, especiallly if you are not a single person becuae I am also trying to figure out what I can make that my husband might want too! But it is key. If any thing get those snack prepped for the week. I hard boil my eggs, make my protein bars, and prep my veggies on Sundays so that during the week I can just grab them and go. 

I am sooo excited, and a littler nervous to start Phase 2. There are some changes in the diet and as mentioned before, in the workout out--cardio! 

I'm looking forward to posting my End of Phase 1 Results. Coming soon! 

Clean High Protein Meal Ideas

 

Hello there! 

As a participant in the Jamie Eason's 12 week LiveFit trainer program (Read more here) I have to eat a LOT of protein every day: 130-140g.

This almost doubled my previous intake but man do I feel better, fuller, and more energized.

I apologize if you are vegetarian. Most of these wont suit your fancy.
I'm a meatatarian--it's a personal choice--and most of these meals are packed full of the stuff.
But don't shy off yet you veggians I have some awesome snacks and desserts that may suit your fancy.

This week:  

Chicken Stuffed Sweet potato                    Directions:
4 oz chicken breast, shredded         Wash sweet potato and puncture
1 medium sweet potato                    several times with a fork.
1/4 tsp chili powder                         Microwave for 5 min. Then flip
1/4 tsp garlic powder                         and microwave for another 5.
1/4 cup black beans                         Carefully slice potato up and
salt and pepper to taste                    mix up the insides to get them
greek yogurt for garnish                  soft. Toss shredded chicken and black beans in spices  and top over sweet potato. Garnish with a dollop of greek yogurt.
265 cal * 35 carbs * 3g of fat * 28g protein* 8g fiber

Turkey Avo Sandwich             Directions
6 oz of turkey breast                 Toast 2 pieces of whole wheat bread
1/2 avocado                               meanwhile, mix avo, garlic powder,
1/4 tps garlic power                  pepper, salt, onion flakes, and lemon
1/8 tsp pepper                           in a small bowl. adjust flavor as
1/8tsp salt                                 desired. Fold in chopped tomatoes.
1/2 tsp onion flakes                  When bread is toasted, smear avo mi
1/4 tsp lemon juice                   evenly on slices. Layer turkey breast
                                                      3 grape tomato, chopped          and close.
                                                      2 slices whole wheat toast
421 cal * 31 carbs* 14g fat * 49g protein * 9g fiber

Mug Protein Cake              Directions:
3 tbs egg whites                   Blend oats in a blender until a powder.
1/4 cup oats (blended)         Thoroughly mix oat flour, egg whites,
1 truvia packet                     truvia packet, flaxseed and cocoa
1/2 tbs ground flaxseed        powder in a large mug. Microwave
2 tsp cocoa powder              for ~1 min until cooked.
1/4 cup greed yogurt            Mix greek yogurt, vanilla, truvia, and
1/2 tsp vanilla                      cinnamon in a small bowl.
1 truvia packet                     Remove cake from mug and lay on the
cinnamon to taste                 bed of greek yogurt. Garnish with
                                                      chopped banana                   sliced banana and extra cinnamon.
222 cal * 31 carbs * 5g fat * 18g fat * 6 fiber*

Cottage Cheese and Veggies
1/2 cup cottage cheese
veggies of choice; my favorite are:
sweet peppers, carrots, cherry tomato,
celery, and cucumber.

nutritional value will vary on the amount of veggies and the type of cottage cheese you use: 4%-fat free ,small curd to large curd.  But 1/2 a cup will have ~12g protein!!! 


ENJOY!!!

All nutritional information provided is for reference purposes only. Nutritional value may very based on the ingredients used

I'll be posting a few of these protein loaded meals, snacks, and dessert so stay tuned!

*Update* For my next list of Clean High Protein Foods 

Click {HERE}

LiveFit Phase 1 Wk 3

 

Week three was harder mentally than anything else.

 I just had a lot going on and was tired after almost everyday after work--the time I go to the gym-- that the gym just didn't seem to be my friend. I did do every workout to its fullest and always felt satisfied with my work so that is check off the list. 
 
I did, however, mess up my workout schedule because I didn't notice until Thursday that the amount of rest days was reduced to 2 from 3 so I had to workout on Saturday (a day I normally don't) because I took off Wednesday. 

It wasn't too bad. The gym, at least the weights section, was pretty bare so I had the weights station to myself for the most part. 

My body? Still feeling amazing. I love eating, period. And the fact that I get to eat a lot on this program is a bonus. I still watch the amounts I consume caloric wise;  approx 1300-1450 cals with 130-135g being protein, but my body is responding really well. 

This week's body part that I noticed change is the inner part of my thigh. I've always had bigger legs, even with the unhealthy weight gone, they just got big in muscle instead of fat...anyways, us bigger legged woman--You know that part that touches together at the top of the inner thigh, well mine has shrunken a lot over the last year but has not completely stopped touching together when standing feet close together, until now! It's pulled in and looking great!!!! It must have been those wide legged bar bell squats....OUCH. 

Strength Training Tip: 

• When weight training providing your body with maximum nutrition is key. It is highly encouraged to take a daily multivitamin, a fatty oil (fish or flaxseed), extra calcium if needed. These are to make sure you body is fully equip to build and rebuild lean muscle while maintaining a healthy balance everywhere else.

Food wise, I have some awesome recipes that have been coming out on my blog: quinoa pizza bites with turkey pepperoni, turkey balls, chicken stuffed sweet potato, and  tuna cakes. Many more to follow. 

I am also still working on that high protein meal post with pictures and recipes posted all in one location for easy access. It's coming, I promise. 

Food tip: 

• Don't think Chicken, Turkey and Fish are your only healthy meat protein options. Feel like a steak? Go for it!  There are some great nutritional value in lean red meat. 

Some options: 

• London broil
• Top round
• Plank/skirt steak
• Pork chops 
• Bison 
• Other game meat.

If you would like to read more about the LiveFit 12 Week challenge and my previous week  results

CLICK HERE

I am excited to start week 4 just to say I made it a whole month on the program.