Protein Crepes (cleaner than pancakes)

 So I can't really take credit for some of these, they are things that get passed around. I would like to share how I have made these after my client told me how she made hers. These are great when you are eating cleaner and can't have protein powders or fruit. SUPER EASY! Here are the instructions for a quick and simple Single Serving.

1c Egg Whites
1/2c Oatmeal
cinnamon, pumpkin spice, Splenda to taste. (those were my choices, but you could add your own favorite sweetener, or cocoa powder, even a flavored Crystal Light or equivalent - I got lemon to try at a later date!)

Blend in a Magic Bullet (or other blender)

Lightly grease the pan with coconut oil. Like with the Protein Pancakes, once you see bubbles on top, it's time to flip. Should make 2 large crepes or 4 small crepes depending on the size pan you use.

IDEA: If you need your healthy fat at this meal, add Almond Butter into the crepes and roll! My favorite is the Fresh ground from the machine at Whole Foods. YUMM! :D

< 4 Weeks Out: NPC Governor's Cup

Here I am at just under 4 weeks out! I have really been lifting hard and am noticing a lot more definition and lines that I have NEVER had! My hamstrings are finally peeking out! All machines and their weight are a little different, but at my Sunday gym I actually was about the same weight for leg curls as for leg extension. finally getting some more balance! I lift as HEAVY as I can, and my body is feeling it!

Even though I have taken a mental break, I have made progress. I am 126lbs, and 16%BF. I definitely need to lean out so diet changes are being made. A LOT of things are coming out of my diet, and I'm ready. When coach tells me to take things out, I do it. So I had prepared my food so the Steel Cut Oatmeal is going up into the freezer until I can have it again. I am up, well doubling, my cardio so 6hrs/week. I get paid for 3 hehe. All I keep thinking is "I need to find a few cycle classes to sub!" I do NOT like cardio! I love teaching, and I love getting PAID! :D Tomorrow one of my clients and friend is going to do the Stair Monster with me. SO GLAD! The goal is 120lbs (or less) and 12%BF. At San Jose last year I was 118 at just under 13%BF day of show and of course we always are looking for improvement. I am REALLY excited to see what my body looks like 'stage-lean' now that I have worked for almost a full year on building muscle.

 My body is breaking down however and I have an appointment with my chiropractor tomorrow. This is VERY important with my scoliosis. Things are crooked to begin with so as I build muscle and things get pulled even more in the wrong directions it causes pain. My 'loose shoulders'(they sublux, or dislocate with movement) are hurting, as well as my whole spine pretty much, and now my elbow. My Chiropractor is very unique in that she does soft tissue work. She pinpoints the problem and works the muscle. She doesn't just 'pop' things. I go in with pain, and most cases leave pain free, and I've gone in after some pretty bad issues(ie flipping over my head and landing on my hands popping my shoulders out while snowboarding).

Another interesting thing on my 'mental break' was that my stomach got really bloated, and I was holding a LOT of water. I don't know if I was taking in too much protein with my baking using eggs, protein powder etc or if it was sugar, I'm not sure. But, it does reinforce my current clean eating. It never used to bother me but I have been pretty much eating clean for quite a while now that I think even small changes affect me.



I also am having a lot of fun meeting new friends! I was a little nervous as none of my girls will be competing with me in these next 2 competitions, but I have met other girls through mutual friends who are doing these shows and I am super excited to meet them! Having others is such a great motivation to keep you on track.

So, tomorrow I start my new diet! Coach told me to post my info and pics weekly to keep me on track and hold me accountable, so here I go! ;)

4 Weeks Out - NPC Governor's Cup

Ok, here we go again! It's been a lil bumpy, but I have really been pushing my lifting lately. Today I had to skip my lift after I taught cycling on account of my body was just hurting in too many places. Going to hit abs and calves tomorrow and let my shoulders and back rest. I'm aiming to get back to creating that chest line on Saturday. lol, yes I have cleavage, but I need MUSCLE 'cleavage' haha. I switched and added pec dec after watching a video on the differences between the fly machine and the pec dec by Jim Stoppani. This is what is going to help me get that inner line. I've also been seriously hitting the abs 3x/wk with a 10lb weight plate and 4-5 exercises, just like any other muscle group. I got a lot of the exercises from Mike McErlane on Muscle & Fitness Trainer.

I will be checking in with Fatima on Monday, so I will post my progress pics from then.Below are some pics I was happy with a little whiel Time to really cut some things out and be strict! I am very happy with my progress, but I definitely need to lean out a bit, which I can totally do if I'm on target. It's just such a mind game because I've been all over the place. And people don't really help, as well-intentioned as they may be. Last week a guy told me I 'look bigger'....he didn't qualify that but i was assuming he was giving me a compliment lol. This week a customer came into my office and said I had lost a lot of weight. hmmmm....sigh.One day you feel pretty buff, the next day you feel you look 'normal', then you feel lean, then you feel fat. ugh. Thank God I have a coach to tell me objectively!

So here are my changes from my previous training:

San Jose last july I did 2 Cycle classes a week. Now I teach 3. (lol YES, I GET PAID to do cardio!)

San Jose Split:
  Day 1 - Legs. abs
  Day 2 - Chest, back, bis, tris
  Day 3 - Shoulders, abs

NOW (not necessarily in this order)
  Day 1 - Legs, calves
  Day 2 - Chest, bis, abs
  Day 3 - back, tris, abs
  Day 4 - shoulders, abs
  Day 5 - butt, shoulders, calves

As you can see, a LOT more lifting. I need more muscle, and I prefer it to cardio so I'm buring cals, increasing my metabolism and building muscle. More protein, I need to be better about eating my carbs and healthy fats. I am also carb-cycling by eating  a smaller amount of carbs on my days off. I will be very interested to see my changes. Also a big deal coming up...my anniversary of training for competition again! I met Fatima mid April exactly 12ks out of San Jose, the weekend of my first 5k run. It will be interesting to put those first pics next to my April pics this year.

Chocolate (Protein) Muffins

Oh ya, they're real! ;)

Again, I make a double batch, but will give you the break down of 1 serving and you can multiply as you wish.

1 whole egg
1/2c egg whites (I use Lana's Egg Whites)
1/2c oatmeal
1 banana
1 scoop Chocolate protein powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1T Cocoa powder
pinch of salt

Just like the last few, we start with the original Pancake Mix batter and modify the flavor and the shape. SO MANY possibilities! The addition of the baking powder(my clients recommendation) helped the muffins to rise. Add it all in the blender. Pour into cupcake molds. I have two kinds. The regular pan I used paper cups for the ones I wanted to give out, and the black one I have is a soft plastic non-stick one. It's Awesome, and I used nothing in it, no spray - nada!

Place in oven preheated to 350 degrees and back for 15 minutes. And there ya go! Enjoy! Again, please share if you have tried them and let me know what you think in the comments!

 

DONUTS?!?!

Who says a Competition Diet can't be fun?

 
I was at Target the other day and scoffed at a donut maker I saw. Then, Thursday night I was thinking about how Fridays are donut day at work. I so missed that. And I had an epiphany - I was going to make my own donuts. It's a mental thing, lol. Being able to have MY donuts, feel part of the Friday fun and still be good. I have posted all the photos below.

I started out with the same recipe as my Protein Pancakes(Pic 1). However, I accidentally put in 2x the egg whites, so i then had to double everything else to make it right(Pic 2). I usually bake a double-batch, so this made a Quadruple batch!! No worries, food for 4 days! 

Single Serving (multiply as desired)
1/2c Egg Whites (I use Lana's Egg Whites)
1 Whole Egg
1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
1/2c Oatmeal
1 fruit (I split it, so 1/2 banana, 1/2cup strawberries) -lol easier to double the batch
   * the banana gives it the consistency of bread and holds better. I split
      the fruit as I have bananas on heavier workout days & strawberries
      when I need a leaner breakfast. I call it my compromise ;)
 Seasonings as desired (I like cinnamon, Vanilla extract, you can use cocoa power, diff protein flavors, etc)

Blend all ingredients in blender. Pour into donut maker. I got this one at Target for $30. If you want to see it, it's the Sunbeam Donut Maker. I tried to make a glaze....I will need to keep working on it. I used some coconut oil as it hardens as it cools, and tried to use Truvia and cinnamon. Doesn't quite work like sugar, lol. I tried dipping the donuts in, and it cooled on those, but hard to get it on the donuts.

My quadruple batch made approximately 4 servings of 9 or 10 small donuts each. 

They are cute and fun and make me happy! And will TOTALLY trip out any other competitors who see me eat them, haha 0;)

 

Playing Head games with yourself

This week was Valentine's. I was not plagued by the fact that, yet again, I don't have anyone. That actually didn't even bother me oddly enough. I didn't even notice Valentine's Day coming. What irked me the most, what that everyone else was DOING something. Valentine's Candy!!! Dinners! ugh. On top of it being a very stressful week for me, with lots to figure out trying to manage my time and make some tough choices.

I went on a 'date' with a girlfriend of mine who's boyfriend was away and went to Panera for a salad. I felt guilty over my chicken salad. But I NEEDED it. I used to have a cheat meal a week and let me tell you it was a FAT one! I don't get those now, but I did need something, some kind of treat. Well, then I had more. I'm not going to go into details, but it was not what I should have had. So I am really balancing two lives, two ways of thought. On one hand, "come on! You can't eat like this forever! You should be able to have a treat one in a while, to stay sane and make this a part of your life that you can continue." And this is because I have had a problem of going out of control off-season and then having to diet like crazy to get down to where I already was. So to me, it is a great accomplishment if I can train myself to have a 'regular' healthy meal from time to time and then eat 'clean' the rest of the time. A cheat meal can jump/trick your metabolism and aid in weight loss and serve as a mental upper, something to look forward to and keep you going, as a reward. On the other hand, "the other girls are not cheating! They are killing themselves to beat you and you need to do the same. You need to be strong, and NOT cheat! Every cheat takes you farther from your goal". It is very hard, and there are a lot of people on either side of this view.

So I decided to give myself a mental break. I had what I felt I needed to be sane. I gave myself an out. The option to NOT do the show. To take this week, and get through what I need to get through and keep doing the best I can and see what happens in 2 weeks. See how I feel then and what I look like. Here's the odd thing. There was a meeting and there were some great looking croissants and muffins. So, I told myself I could have one. I kept looking at them every time I walked by. You know what? I didn't have one. I made the decision not to. I have used reverse psychology a lot on myself. My first season I could literally smell EVERY food on the 1/2 hr drive back home each night. Finally I just told myself, "you know what? You CAN eat that! YOU are the one CHOOSING to this. No one else is here, or will see, and it's no one's business really." And just telling myself that, made me think that no, I don't need this now. This food will be around forever, I can have it whenever I want, like after the show. After I get lean if I still want i can have that.

You start seeing your body differently. Depending on your water/hydration levels, what you've worked on that day or the previous day, you can wake up thinking: I look amazing/I look soft/I look fat/I look lean/I look normal and so on. You sometimes just need to trust the process, your trainer or yourself. Keep at it and the body will change. That is why it is so important to have a coach/trainer that can give you an objective opinion. Today, I think about how much I need to lose(6lbs, TOTALLY doable) and I'm down to 16%BF. But I feel very soft. ugh. Only listen to the positive unless you can be objective. Find what works for you. Sometimes it may be a pep talk, or others a lecture, or maybe just some time to yourself to reorganize your thoughts.

Let me also say, I DO have every intention of doing this show. Im actually dieting harder on my own and carb cycling than I have before. I have more muscle and look better than I have ever looked. So I have lots of creative ways I will be keeping my food fun and will be sharing them with you. Stay tuned! ;)

Spinach & Egg White Omelet

This is one of my favorites lately. I started out with a quick recipe which I'll summarize at the end. I will give you my current spiced up recipe to start.

2-3 cups Spinach
1 cup egg whites (I use Lana's Egg Whites)
Tony Cachere's Creol Seasoning
Lawry's Garlic Salt seasoning
Salsa (if allowed)

Heat pan with Olive oil (extra virgin).
Add 1 chopped clove of garlic to brown and lots of spinach.
Sprinkle with Garlic Salt.
Cover and allow spinach to steam.
Stir spinach, garlic and seasoning and place to side.





Pour in 1 cup egg whites(I use Lana's Egg Whites).
Sprinkle in Garlic Salt and Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning.
Place spinach on egg whites. (In this picture I had to add more spinach because it shrinks a LOT!)



Fold egg whites over and brown.
Sprinkle seasoning on top if desired. 

-Ok, so the Quick & Easy way?
The first time I did it, I just poured in the egg whites, sprinkled the seasoning, tossed in the spinach, let it cook and then folded it when ready. The spinach will cook on its own in the egg whites.

Top with Salsa if allowed/desired.

Season your food!

When I first started competing I had no clue. I was given a mealplan, and quite frankly, was in shock. I thought I ate healthy! I didn't think I could have anything not on that piece of paper. I didn't think to how to cook it. It didn't help that our kitchen was being remodeled so all i had was a microwave in the garage, and a little plug-in pan. I ate a lot of my veggies raw, or my food plain. I ate tuna out of the can. Sometimes on spinach, usually dry. By the end my mom took pity on me and started cooking some of my food. I got better and realized I could use some salsa and seasonings. Some of the stuff I don't use during competition season now, but you can use off-season or for general healthy recipes. Today I'm going to go over what you CAN use, because as easy as it sounds, we just don't think about it until someone mentions it.

If you are off-season, or just eating healthy here are some great spices to try. They do have salt, so watch how much you use, make sure to drink plenty of water. Your body will hold water the more sodium you have, but also will adjust to the level you take in. As you get closer to a show, you will want to use less, and especially as you drop water the last week these come out for sure.
I LOVE Garlic Salt! I get the kind that has the parsley in it as well. I use that on pretty much everything. Garlic Salt and Lemon pepper(Black Pepper, lemon peel, salt, onion, garlic) are great on fish, especially together! Old Bay is a seasoning a client shared with me, great for fish and other items. It has celery salt, red pepper, black pepper and paprika.(another favorite spice of mine) Lawry's Seasoned Salt, also some paprika, turmeric, onion and garlic. Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning is nice and spicy! It has salt, red pepper, black pepper, chili powder and garlic.

 

Some other items I never knew I loved. Cholula! This I discovered at IHOP, and would use it on my eggs. Its a great hot sauce. Mustards - I never was much for them. But now...oh my! The flavors! This one I show, French's Honey Mustard is the one I found that has <1g sugar per serving. Some can have a lot of honey and hence, a lot of sugar. Check the labels. Dijon, honey dijon, many flavors to choose from. These definitely have salt, make sure no sugar. These along with the above get taken out closer to show depending on your training. 

 These are your plain spices, no salt added. Black pepper, Red pepper, Paprika, Garlic Powder, Basil, Parsley, Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Solute, anything in the seasonings that does NOT have salt. These are ok pretty much up to the show. Especially with fish you can use lemon with the garlic powder and parsley and brown in the pan...delicious!

 

And of course, ANY vinegar is ok up to the show. They have 0 cals, 0 sugars, 0 salt, etc. Balsamic(great on salads, tuna), Apple Cider(hunger/sweet cravings, very close to the body's natural pH balance so has MANY uses), Malt vinegar(on white fish, pretend its fish 'n' chips!), just make sure its PLAIN vinegar with nothing added to it.

Of course, I will have more quick and easy recipes with these seasonings coming soon! ;)

Veggie Mash

I DISlike veggies. I'm like a kid. Give me peas or corn, I'm fine. But this GREEN STUFF??? yeck. Here's a recipe I came up with to trick myself into eating them. There's no specific amounts, use as much as you need and flavor to your own taste preference.

Mixed broccoli and cauliflower
Garlic Salt mix
Red Pepper (cayenne)
Cloves Garlic

Put the broccoli and cauliflower in the steamer.

Use a large fork and mash.





Brown/roast garlic cloves in a pan with just a little olive oil

Add garlic cloves, garlic powder seasoning, and red pepper to taste.

 That's it! Pretty short and easy, but MUCH easier to eat. Gotta LOVE Garlic! ;)