Just finished watching ‘The Bachelor.’ I’ve only seen a couple seasons, but this one is good.. Jake is so cute 
.. But moving on..
FITNESS
I promise honesty right.. well I missed my workouts today and I feel both guilty and physically icky. I guess it’s good that I wasn’t just being lazy, but was instead completely swamped with work. This has happened a couple times recently and it’s not cool. Exciting opportunities have presented themselves recently, but I need to take my own advice and stick to my workout schedule even if other things come up. The truth is, when I miss workouts I just don’t feel guilty, but it also impacts my energy level, mood, and efficiency. So even if I’m getting work done, I’m not as focused. I know that making my workout time ‘sacred’ (of sorts) is equally as important for me emotionally as physically. So there’s only one thing to do.. make tomorrow better.. get in the gym and kill my workouts!
NUTRITION
Rainy Day Oats
It’s been a dreary rainy day here in Scottsdale. But these sort of days are few and far between, so I always enjoy them.
A rainy Arizona day certainly calls for a warm bowl of oats. I was in the mood for pumpkin, so I went with Pumpkin Coffee and Pumpkin Oatmeal. At some point you’d think I’d get sick of it..
My DaVinci Sugar-Free Syrup stash is getting low.. Yay for them being one of my OpenSky products.. coming soon!
Pumpkin Oats were as lovely as ever (1/4 c Oats + 2 tbsp Oat Bran + 1/3 c Pumpkin, topped with 2 tbsp TJ’s Omega Trail Mix)..
Mid-morning snack was Protein Yogurt (6 oz Greek Yogurt + 1 scoop PB Protein Powder) topped with 1/2 Apple & 1/2 tbsp Carob Powder..
Bake Away..
.. the stress. I was a bit on edge today, so I did one of my favorite, non-athletic, relaxation exercises.. I baked! Recently I saw a recipe for Eggless Brownies on FoodBuzz. The picture won me over, they just looked so rich and moist. But naturally I tweaked the recipe to add protein and good fats. I didn’t have Cocoa Powder on hand so I subbed in Carob Powder. You never really know what will happen when you try new recipes cooking with Protein Powder, so I was cautiously optimistic. But these turned out so good. They’re rich & moist, and although I wouldn’t go eating the whole pan, the nutrition facts are definitely better than the average brownie.
Protein-Infused Carob Brownies
1/2 c Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 c Chocolate Protein Powder (I used Nectar)
3/4 c Sucrant (a 0-cal sugar substitute)
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Coconut Oil
2 tbsp Unsweetened Apple Sauce
1 c Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze mixed with 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
2 tsp Instant Coffee dissolved in 1 tbsp H20
3 tbsp Walden Farms Chocolate Dip (optional)
Add-in Possibilities: Nuts, Coconut Flakes (optional)
Mix dry ingredients together first, then mix in wet ingredients. Pour into a greased pan and bake at 350 F for 20 – 25 minutes. Naturally I tried a piece right out of the oven, but I suppose you’re suppose to let them cool I didn’t get a good pic of these but they’ll be making an appearance, for sure, in the following days. (makes 9 brownies)
Crisis Averted
Can you believe up until yesterday I was living in a squashless house! :p I think that’s the first time I hadn’t had a squash stash since November. No worries, it was remedied, and this afternoon I cooked up a lovely Spaghetti Squash. I love how much one squash makes!
Afternoon snack was ~1/2 c Spaghetti Squash + 1/4 c FF Cottage Cheese + ~2 tbsp Pumpkin Hummus.. yum, love this combo!
Oh and great Pumpkin Hummus news! I’m turning in my Food Diary to my trainer this week, so I had to calculated the nutrition facts for my Pumpkin Hummus. The recipe made ~3.25 cups of hummus, which is equivalent to 26 2-tablespoon servings. Look at these stellar stats..
Dude, I Could Totally be a Vegetarian
Dinner tonight was a new flavor combination for me, and it was fantastic!
Low-carb Whole Wheat Tortillas + Kale cooked with Garlic + TJ”s BBQ Shredded Chicken-less + Sweet Potato Cheetahs + Pinto Beans + Grilled on the Foreman = Vegetarian deliciousness. I don’t know what it is, but grilling just makes magical tastiness happen
Dessert was of course a Protein Infused Brownie with 1/2 serving Protein Ice Cream (1/2 scoop Cookies & Cream Protein Powder + 1/2 c UVAB + 1/4 tsp Xanthan Gum + Stevia + Ice). No pic.. it wasn’t all that pretty.. but it’s the taste that matters right?
FUN
If you’re interested in a little Bloggie Valentine’s exchange, Janetha at Meals & Moves is collecting info! I’m in.. anything to perk up an otherwise not particularly joyful holiday for us single folks :p
And, last but not least.. I did an interview with the smart, fit & fantastic Vee at VeeChats, check it out here
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