Daily Eats + Piña Colada Protein Shake!

Happy Thursday

A few posts ago I said that I was going to give my results with the Chalean Extreme program once I was finished. Well, that won't be happening. I didn't watch my calorie intake as well as I should have. So, needless to say I didn't get the results I was hoping for. Better try next time! I'm actually putting all workouts on hold and giving my body a week of much needed rest. I'm going to be doing lots of yoga this week and some short high incline walking on the treadmill. For my next fitness challenge, I'm going to be doing Ripped in 30 again, but alternating extra cardio and yoga each day. I'm also going to keep better track of my calories and hope that helps!

I realized that I haven't created a post yet based only on what my daily eats are, mostly because I don't remember to take a picture until AFTER I've already gobbled it all down. So, today I actually managed to snap some pictures of my eats! Yay!

Breakfast (270 cal):
I've been having a craving for pancakes lately, so I made some protein pancakes! They were delish!

In the mix: 1/3 cup 2% cottage cheese, 1/3 cup egg whites, 1/3 cup rolled oats, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and a dash of salt. Topped with 1/4 cup greek yogurt, strawberries and a drizzle of maple syrup.

I also had an iced coffee to go with it! I love putting my iced coffee/latte in Starbucks cups. hehe

In the mix: 2 pumps sugar free caramel syrup, 2/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 2/3 cup strong coffee (This is for a grande size)

Lunch (310 cal):

I dusted off my electric griller and grilled up some fresh zucchini. Zucchini is so good like this! 

Cooked on HIGH for 5 minutes on each side

I paired my zucchini with a strawberry spinach chicken salad and some homemade balsamic dressing.

In the mix: Spinach, mixed lettuce, 4 oz chicken breast, cucumber, strawberries, sliced almonds and balsamic dressing

Post-Workout Shake/Snack (170 cal:

I've also been having a craving for a key lime pie shake, so I picked up some lime juice at the store today. It was a little on the thin side, but it actually did taste pretty close to key lime pie! I'm still perfecting the recipe, so once I have it just right, I will be sure to post it. 

Snack #2 (100 cal):

Big bowl of homemade brown bag popcorn! 

3 tbsp unpopped popcorn kernals in a brown bag, folded down several times and microwave for 1:30-2:00 minutes

Dinner (350 cal):

More zucchini, with mashed yam(this was an odd color yam, not bright orange, but it tasted yummy!), and 4 oz shredded chicken mixed with 3 tbsp of my blender salsa!

I always like to have dessert after my dinner, so to satisfy my sweet tooth I had an overflowing bowl of watermelon!

Snack #3 (200 cal):

About 2 hours before bed, I had some cottage cheese with apples, cinnamon and some stevia. The recipe actually came from a video I saw from Jamie Eason.

Total Calories: 1400

Look at all the food you can get for 1400 calories if you pick the right things!

I've been drinking a lot of protein shakes lately, but the same boring old flavor can get kind of dull. If you have vanilla protein powder though, the possibilities are endless! I came up with this recipe the other day and it was SO GOOD! Like, "I can't believe this doesn't have 800 calories" good! The flavor that I came up with is piña colada, and I think the taste is pretty much spot on.

Piña Colada Protein Shake

Serves One - Approximately 230 cals

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup coconut water
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• 6 oz frozen pineapple chunks
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder

Put all your ingredients in a blender and blend, blend, blend! 

*******

Try it out and let me know if you like it! 

Blender Salsa!

I don't know about you, but I love super simple 4 ingredient recipes!

Since I moved in with my hubby 2 years ago, I had been buying store bought salsa, as we use it on a regular basis. Well, that all changed when I stumbled upon this recipe on pinterest. It also tastes 10x better than store bought, and is much cheaper! What's not to love?

Blender Salsa

Makes approximately 48 oz.

Ingredients

• 1 - 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1 - 10-14 oz can of diced tomatoes with green chiles or rotel
• A handful of cilantro
• 1 medium onion, diced into chunks
• salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to a blender and pulse a few times until everything is chopped up and combined. You want it to still be chunky, so make sure not to over blend, unless you want salsa soup! Pour into a container and store in the fridge!

This salsa tastes delicious on just about everything, and is even perfect on top of a homemade burrito bowl!

Here's how to make one if you don't dine at Chipotle:

Question of the Day:

What's your favorite food to put salsa on?

Redo?

Hi guys! Happy Father's Day!

So, I pretty much failed at trying to update this blog more often...soo maybe the second time around will be better?

Breakfast

I had a yummy Tone It Up protein pancake this morning. This is pretty much my go-to protein pancake recipe. Plus, it also keeps you full for a really long time! I ate this at around 11 am, and wasn't hungry until around 4. Yay for keeping the rumbling tummy at bay! Recipe to come later at the end of this post. :)

Recent Eats

We've been having tons of green smoothies and salads in the last two weeks due to an awesome find at the 99 cent only store. I scored 4 GIANT 1 lb tubs of organic spring mix and baby spinach for 99 cents each. Talk about a bargain! I haven't seen this size before in a regular grocery store, but I know the 9-11oz ones are atleast $4 or more. 

After purchasing them though, I realized maybe it wasn't such a good idea to buy so much because I wasn't sure if it would last, but it did! I think it also had to do with a little trick I found a while back about putting a paper towel in with your greens to soak up any moisture so they stay crisp. We polished off 3 of the 4 tubs a couple days ago and now we have only a little bit of spinach left for one more green smoothie. Time to stock up on more greens again!

I had a really late lunch today...like 3 hours late! We visited with the hubby's dad this afternoon and didn't get home til around 3' o clock. I didn't have a chance to get in my workout this morning before we left, so after the Hubs left for work at 4, I had a quick snack and kicked my butt into gear! Hehe I've been doing Chalean Extreme for the last month and a half so once I'm finished, I will post results! :)

After my workout, I whipped up a quick protein green smoothie! I had a sample packet left of Plant Fusion unflavored protein powder, so I added that to my usual mix (Frozen mango, peaches strawberries orange peach mango juice, and spinach). It tasted alright, but it was a bit gritty. 

Dinner

I wasn't very hungry by the time my usual dinner eating hour rolled around, so I whipped up something easy and light..

Three eggs with two egg whites, scrambled with spinach and doused in some Tapatio! I also had a slice of whole wheat double fiber toast with mashed avocado and salt. Deeelicious!

Then my sweet tooth kicked in and I fixed up this combo...

Sweet potato covered in cinnamon PB2 frosting! 

Nothing like some comfort food and the season premiere of True Blood!

***

Don't worry, I didn't forget..here's the Tone It Up protein pancake recipe as promised.. 

Tone It Up Protein Pancake(s)

Adapted from ToneItUp.com

Ingredients

• 1 scoop(32g) protein powder**
• 1/4 cup liquid egg whites
• 2 tbs almond milk
• 1 tbs ground flaxseed
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 mashed banana
• Handful of blueberries (optional)

Mix together the first six ingredients, then add your mashed banana and mix well. Pour into a pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Add your blueberries on top of the batter and cook covered on low for 5-6 minutes, or until ready to flip. Once set, flip over very carefully and cook another 1-2 minutes. Plate up your pancake and top with fresh fruit, yogurt, or maple syrup! Enjoy!

**I have only used whey protein powder before with this recipe, so I'm not sure how others will turn out. I know in the original recipe they use brown rice protein powder, but I believe they use half the amount that my recipe calls for.

*** Flipping this monstrous pancake can be a challenge, but even if you do mess it up a bit, it still will taste just as delicious!

Calories ~ 200-250(before toppings) depending on your protein powder

Slow Cooker Chicken, Rice, and Vegetable Soup

I love comfort food, but most of them aren't very good for your health or waistline. However, this delicious chicken soup is sure to satisfy your craving and is packed full of simple clean ingredients!

Not only is this soup healthy and easy to make, it's also a cheap meal as well! It only costs about $4 to make the entire recipe and is only about $0.30 a serving!

Slow Cooker Chicken, Rice, and Vegetable Soup
Makes approximately 14 cups ~ 116 calories per cup

Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken breasts, thawed
• 1 cup long grain brown rice, uncooked
• 16 oz. bag  of frozen mixed vegetables
• 4 extra large chicken bouillon cubes 
• 10 cups water
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to a large crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours.
2. After the soup is done, remove chicken breasts to shred, then add back to soup.
3. Stir it up and serve!

So what are you waiting for? Get crockin'! :)

Healthy Orange Julius!

Good morning everybody!!

I want to start off this Tuesday with an awesome smoothie recipe that I came up with last night. It's a healthy Orange Julius!

It's so delicious, and tastes like an orange creamsicle! I have to admit that I've never really had an Orange Julius, that I can remember at least. I was always more of a Pina Colada Julius kinda girl. :) I always had one whenever we went to the mall, which was pretty often! No wonder I was a chubby kid!

Anyways, please try this recipe out! It's so simple, requires just 5 ingredients, and is only 100 calories! You also don't need any type of fancy blender for this. I just used my good ol' magic bullet! Worked like a charm!

100 Calorie Orange Julius

Makes one serving

Ingredients

• 1 naval orange, peeled
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/4 cup nonfat greek yogurt**
• 1 tablespoon stevia in the raw (or sweetener of your choice)
• 4 ice cubes
• 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum*

Directions

Add all ingredients in a blender and blend for 45-60 seconds, or until ice is blended in completely. Add a straw and sip away!

*Note: This ingredient is optional, but it does make a thicker smoothie. Just be careful not to add more than 1/8 tsp to your smoothie or it could become very gelatinous. Ick!  

**You could use vanilla greek yogurt if you prefer, or that is all you have on hand, and sweeten to your liking. Soy yogurt would work as well for a vegan version. :)

I started up yet another workout schedule again, so we'll see if this will get me closer towards the direction of getting toned up! It's a mix of workouts from both Turbo Fire and Chalean Extreme, with one P90X2 ab video. There is a little bit of everything mixed in through out the weeks. There are 3 days of high intensity cardio, 2 days of weight lifting and 1 day of yoga. I think yoga should be incorporated into any type of workout program, or at least some form of extended stretching. It's a nice reboot from your previous days of hard work!

For those curious about this month's workout, here is printable workout calendar for next month if you would like to take the challenge! 

Click to print and view full size

What is your favorite smoothie?

Do you practice yoga once a week or more?

F21 Infinity Scarf

Hi Everyone!

Today I have my first crochet craft to show to you all! It's a super warm and cozy infinity scarf!

I found the pattern on Ravelry, which is a huge community of knitters and crocheters, and they have thousands of free patterns, patterns you can purchase and pictures of completed projects!

Anyways, back to my scarf, you can find the pattern here, but I will also be posting it down below along with some action shots!

Forever 21 Infinity Scarf

Yarn: Red Heart With Love in Eggshell, 7oz skein (370 yards)

Hook Size: J-10 (6mm)

Pattern

Ch = chain

Sc = single crochet

Dc = double crochet

Tr = treble crochet

Hk = hook

St = stitch

Sk = skip

Notes:
- The beginning ch-4 always counts as the first stitch.
- The stitch marker isn't actually necessary, but putting that in the pattern makes it a little easier to explain.

For a scarf with 10 repeats:

Ch 36.

R1: Place stitch marker in 6^th ch from hk. Tr into next 2 ch. Dc into ch with marker. Remove marker. *Sk 1 ch (from the second tr). Tr into next 2 ch. Dc into the skipped ch. Repeat from * 8 more times (only one ch is left unworked). Tr into last ch.

R2: Ch 4, turn. *Sk next st. Tr in next 2 sts. Dc in skipped st. Repeat from * 9 more times. Tr into last st.

Repeat R2 as desired.

To make the scarf wider or narrower, add or subtract chains in your starting chain in multiples of 3.

**I made my scarf only 8 repeats across, so I Ch 30 in the beginning.

Happy Crocheting!

Six Ingredient Cookies

Hi everyone!

 Man, I'm really bad at this updating your blog thing, Haha. I'm going to make it my goal this year to update more often, and actually put up some crafts! I have been getting back into crocheting again, and I have lots of completed projects that I want to share with you guys! ^_^ But that is for another day..today I have a new recipe to share with ya'll! (I watch Paula Deen's cooking show too much -_-)

 Six ingredient cookies! Okay, so the original recipe is actually only 2 ingredients, but I added a few extras to make them yummier! I stumbled upon this recipe a few days ago on Blogilates, which led me to google "2 Ingredient cookies" and I found a similar recipe on The Burlap Bag. I already had some ripe bananas on hand, which I had to hide since bananas disappear quick around here, so I figured I would try it out! 

Okays guys..these cookies are amazing! Now just to warn you, they don't taste like your average sugar-filled, buttery cookie. Actually, I think they are even better than regular cookies. The key though is using extra ripe bananas so they are super sweet. :) No need to add any kind of sweetener! If you use raisins/and or nuts instead of dried cranberries, along with gluten-free oats, these are Gluten, Sugar, and Dairy Free!

Okay, I'm done rambling, here is the recipe!


 

Six Ingredient Cookies
Adapted from The Burlap Bag
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 cup of quick oats*
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries**

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mashed bananas first, then mix in the rest of the ingredients and shape into cookies on a greased baking sheet.
3. Bake for 15 minutes, then let cool on sheet for 1 minute before transferring to a cooling rack.
4. Eat within 2-3 days, or store in the refrigerator to keep longer.

Makes 10 servings.

~60 calories per cookie

*If you only have regular rolled oats, pulse in a food processor/blender a few times to make your own quick oats, or chop with a knife.
**Replace with any add-in you want! Raisins, Nuts, Chocolate chips, the possibilities are endless!

Yumm..Look at the giant cranberry!

The perfect treat when paired with a cup of coffee or latte! 

What is your favorite kind of cookie to indulge in?