Wow what a busy couple of days its been! BUT
I saw U2 in concert last night! I’ve never followed them particularly close but I figured it’d be a good experience, and boy was it! Such an amazing show. If you ever get a chance to go see them, whether you consider yourself a fan or not, DEFINITELY GO!
The stage was crazy cool
They called it the "spaceship"
I hit the gym at 6am to make up my Shoulders & Back workout I missed the day before. Then it was off to school where I heated up my breakfast, which was Egg Whites with Cinnamon, Coconut Oil and Walden’s Maple Syrup. Of course I grabbed a Dutch Bros Coffee on the way in, just a drift coffee with Sugar-Free Coconut & Sugar-Free Hazelnut
B-Fast
Had 4 hrs of class then rushed to the gym to meet with my trainer for a leg workout. I’m just about 4 weeks out from my competition now, so we’re moving more towards slightly lower weight, high reps, with perfect form. Today we did a completely new split and it definitely kicked my butt. I was hoping to make it back to the gym to work on my routine but I was pooped. I find myself saying that a lot lately, I suppose the carb-cycling is really starting to take its toll. Oh well, I’m still seeing changes so it’s totally worth it!
I was super hungry by the time I got home and decided to mix up more protein pancakes (they’re always best fresh off the stove!). This time I mixed in a couple tablespoons of Pumpkin for an extra kick, then topped it with Coconut Butter. It turned out soo good! I think the pumpkin helped keep it a little more moist. Maybe the best I’ve ever made 
Pumpkin Protein Pancake yumminess
So I decided I must start converting to tea, I’m just drinking too much coffee, so when I saw this at Whole Foods (when I ran in to pick up Coconut Butter) I thought I’d give it a try. I heated half Unsweetened Almond Breeze, half water and let it steep for at least 10 minutes.
Mate Chocolate
Review: I suppose I’m use to the stronger flavor of coffee and I didn’t really taste the chocolate. I think this could grow on me and there are tweaks I can make for it to suit me better.
Before heading to the concert I experimented a bit with my standard protein shake. Inspired by the various recipes I’ve seen lately with Starbuck’s Via, and needing a pick-me-up to get me through the late night, I founded the:
Double Mocha Protein Shake
Pheww, and that was only Tuesday! Though there’s not much to report today. Pumpkin Protein Pancake for breakfast, Chicken & Spinach for lunch, Tilapia & Egg Whites for dinner.. another Protein Pancake and coffee along the way. I got in a good resistance HIIT session at the gym and practiced my routine for about an hour. It’s coming along and I’m starting to feel much more comfortable with the choreography
Oh, I promised to post my Protein Pumpkin Crunch recipe. I mixed this up yesterday and it really hit the spot come mid-day snack. Sadly I didn’t get a picture, but I’ll be having this again next carb-day for sure and will get one then Note, it is a carb-day snack for sure!
Pumpkin Protein Crunch
I’m working on a few different topic articles related to fitness contest prep and product reviews, so look for those in the near future. Off to enjoy drooling over the goods on Top Chef and catching up on my Reader count. Have a wonderful night everyone!
I’m clueless when it comes to tea, for a tea-newbie, who loves her coffee & lattes, what would you recommend I try?
Fun Links
For tea recommendations, my favorites are:
Bengal Spice by Celestial Seasonings (it’s like chai tea, but caffeine free)
Zen by Tazo (green tea)
Sleepytime by Celestial Seasonings (chamomile tea)
All peppermint teas!
Ooo that protein pumpkin crunch sounds awesome! Isn’t pumpkin kind of high in carbs? Di you say you were cycling? Or just doing low carb until the show?
Twitter: NourishedFit
says:
Carb cycling. Pumpkin has 9g carbs for 1/2 cup, so not too bad. I usually will only have only a tablespoon or 2 mixed into a protein pancake or something on a low day. But I had the pumpkin crunch on a high day so I could fit it in!
Your pumpkin crunch sounds fantastic! I’ve been looking for clean carb options in place of oats.
I go through Yerba Mate phases… but it’s just not the same as coffee or tea. Nothing like a cuppa hot black tea with milk. But I’ve been trying to get into green tea and chinese black tea… basically, teas that don’t need milk to taste good. I don’t know why… seems more pure I guess. If you’re looking for something totally decaf, look out for rooibos tea and its flavor variations (early gray and vanilla are nice). Also, dandylion “tea” exists as a substitute for coffee and is actually quite nice!
Perfect, thanks for the suggestions. I’m still learning what I like but I did pick up a Tazo variety pack that has early grey along with a couple fruity types. So hopefully I find something to suit me!
Low carb diets are definitely the best way to lose weight and get ripped. Obviosuly taking it to the extreme is never good and thats why carby cycling works so well.