My May-ish Nutrition & Training Plan

   Since I have now filled every available hour I have with clients (YAY!), I have to be really strategic on how I can keep MY training! I don't need cardio, I teach 7 classes a week! One of them is a Bosu Bootcamp class, which is full body conditioning. I work out at 7am on Sundays with mom, so we do a lift together then. One of my friends who I am coaching on Figure Posing is trying a 5x5 program, so when I came across a 5x5 Kettlebell Program by Mike Mahler of Aggressive Strength, I was all in! He had a 3-day and a 2-day split. I chose the 2-day because I really don't know if I can squeeze 3 more workouts in, but I should be able to do two. 

I looked at the plans and came across one by JNL(Jennifer Nicole Lee). It had 6 meals, but 3 were Protein shakes. I want to try to stick with mostly whole food, also I don't feel as full after a shake. I have one shake at night before bed that is leaner, mostly just protein. And the 2 items under 'Afternoon Snack" are actually separate, the Shake there is my post-workout shake. I'm excited about my food here, and this is really what's most important! You need to LIKE your food, or you will never stick to it. And let me tell you, I'm getting a little tired of throwing out nicely packed meals of tilapia at the end of the week! So here goes, let's see how I do! And if you try it, or have questions, feel free to post away! ;)

Breakfast    Item                                                              Calories    Fat     Protein    Carbohydrate   Fiber
1/2 tablespoon (0.7 oz) of Honeys: Plain                               32        0           0              8.7                0
1 tablespoon (0.6 oz) of Laura Scudder's: Nut Spreads:
Old Fashioned Peanut Butter, All Natural, Smooth                100       8           3.5             3                 1
1/2 medium [7" to 7-7/8" long, 6.6 oz as purchased]
(4.2 oz) of Fresh Fruits: Banana, raw                                    53       0.2         0.6          13.5              1.5
1/2 serving (1 oz) of Seeds: Chia, dried                                 69       4.4         2.2           6.2               5.3
1/4 cup (8 oz) of Trader Joe's: Yogurts: Greek Style,
Low-Fat, Plain                                                                     40        0.8        6               2.3               0
1/3 cup (8 fl.oz) of Milk & Flavored Milk: Cow, Fat-Free,    30        0.2        2.9            4.1               0
1/4 cup (2.9 oz) of Breakfast Cereals, To Be Cooked: Oats,
Rolled, regular or quick or instant, dry                                  78        1.3          3.2          13.6              2
 (Fridge Oatmeal)                                                          Total 402     14.8g      18.5g     51.2g          9.9g
Morning Snack Item                                                         Calories    Fat     Protein   Carbohydrate   Fiber
1 cup, not packed (8 oz) of Cottage Cheese: Low-Fat (2%) 203      4.4       31.1           8.2              0
1 cup, halves (5.4 oz) of Fresh Fruits: Strawberries, raw       49       0.5        1             11.7              3
                                                                                  Total   252      4.8g    32.1g      19.9g           3g
Lunch Item                                                                      Calories    Fat      Protein  Carbohydrate   Fiber
*3/4 serving (2 oz) of Tyson: Canned Meals:
Premium Chunk Chicken Breast                                           45       0.8        9.8             0                 0
1/2 cup, with seeds, yields (5.3 oz) of Fresh Fruits:Grapes,Red or Green
(European type, such as Thompson seedless), raw                52       0.1        0.5           13.7             0.7
1/2 medium [3" dia, 7.1 oz as purchased] (6.4 oz) of Fresh Fruits:
Apple, with Skin, raw                                                           47       0.2        0.2           12.6             2.2
1 tablespoon of Kraft: Mayonnaise: Reduced-Fat,w/Olive Oil 45       4           0                2                0
1 cup shredded (1.7 oz) of Fresh or Dried Vegetables:
Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw, edible portion                            8        0.1        0.6            1.5             1
1 slice (1.2 oz) of Food For Life: Breads & Bread Rolls:
Ezekiel 4:9, Sesame Sprouted Grain                                       80        0.5        4              14                3
                                                                                  Total 277       5.7g   15.1g        43.8g         6.9g  
Afternoon Snack Item                                                    Calories      Fat     Protein   Carbohydrate   Fiber
*1 container (6 oz) of Chobani: Yogurts:
Greek, 0% No-Fat, Apple Cinnamon                                    140         0          14             20                1
1 scoop (1.8 oz) of Labrada: Nutritional Drink Mixes:Lean Pro8,
Super Premium Protein, Strawberry Ice Cream Flavor, dry    220         8          25             12                4
                                                                                 Total 360         8g       39g          32g             5g
Dinner Item                                                                     Calories     Fat     Protein   Carbohydrate   Fiber
1 cup (8.6 oz) of Eggs: Chicken Egg, egg white,
cooked, no added fat                                                          126        0.4      26.5           1.8             0
2 cup (1.1 oz) of Fresh or Dried Vegetables:
Spinach, raw, edible portion                                                  14       0.2         1.7           2.2             1.3
1/4 cup, pieces or slices (2.5 oz) of Fresh or Dried Vegetables:
Mushrooms, white, raw, edible portion                                    4      0.1         0.5            0.6             0.2
1 ladle, 2 tablespoons (1 fl.oz) of Old Country / HomeTown Buffet:
*Condiments: For Taco Bar, Pico de Gallo                              10      0            0                3                 0
1 serving (1 oz) of Kraft: Cheese: Natural Shredded, Shreds, 2% Milk
Reduced-Fat, Mexican Four Cheese                                      80      5             7               0.5              0
 (Egg White Omelet)                                                Total 234      5.7g     35.7g         8g              1.5g
Evening Snack Item                                                        Calories    Fat      Protein   Carbohydrate    Fiber
1 serving, 2 scoops (1.3 oz) of Chocolite: Nutritional Drink Mixes:
Protein Shake Mix, French Vanilla, Strawberry or Banana   150        3           24                8                5
                                                                                  Total 150       3g        24g              8g             5g

                                                              GRAND TOTAL: 1675    42g      164.4g     162.9g        31.3g
22% of the calories are from fat, 39% from protein, 39% from carbs and 0% from alcohol.

*NOTE: Some of these items are for value purposes only. ie:
-I did not drive to Hometown Buffet each day to get Pico de Gallo, lol. I got it at Safeway!
-Flavors can be alternated for items, the values must be same or close(shakes or greek yogurt)
-I cheated and used canned chicken. I forgot to defrost my chicken!.
(As calculated on CalorieKing.com)

Exercise
-I teach 3) 60min Cycling classes, 3) Aqua classes(taught on deck), and 1) Bosu Bootcamp class. Aiming to squeeze in 2) 5x5 Kettle bell workouts(2-day split) by Mike Mahler. (bodybuilding.com)  

5x5 Kettlebell Training by Mike Mahler

JNL's Fitness Model™ Thai Curry Chicken and Grape Salad Sandwich

No Cook Refridgerator Oatmeal by The Yummy Life

My Egg White Omelet

Fridge Oatmeal - Courtesy of The Yummy Life ;)

A friend of mine shared this link with me and it looked like a great idea! I decided to try it right away. This is how I discovered Chia Seeds. There are MANY more recipes and ideas over at The Yummy Life blog and Facebook page, these are just the two that I tried.

Raspberry Vanilla Refridgerator Oatmeal
(this I changed to my favorite, Strawberries!)

Banana Peanut Butter Refridgerator Oatmeal

Check out The Yummy Life!
Check out The Yummy Life on Facebook!

Quick & Easy Sweet Potatoes - Dessert Style!

Ok, so SUPER easy and quick! I used Jersey Sweet Potatoes(yellow) but you can also use my other favorite Garnet Yams. Run your potatoes under water and use a veggie scrubber to scrub the dirt off. I eat the whole thing including peel for the added vitamins! Cut them into small to medium sized pieces. I sprinkled Splenda & Cinnamon over them, then bake approximately 1hr at 350 Degrees F. :)

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;)

 

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! ;)