nav-left cat-right
cat-right

Been Too Long

Posted by on Jul 27, 2010 in Nutrition, Recipe

Thank you all for your great & supportive comments on yesterdays post! It’s always a little nerve-wracking crossing into more personal talk, but I suppose it comes with the territory when blogging about health & fitness.. but thanks you for being so wonderful :)

FITNESS

Just a standard Leg & SS Cardio Day..

Weights: Legs.. Wide-Leg Squats, Front Squats, Squat Jumps, Leg Press, Toe Raises, Hamstring Curls, Singled-leg Hamstring Curls, Leg Extensions, Glute Kickbacks

Cardio: Same thing, just split into 2 session.. Alternating 5 min. Jog at 6.0 with 5 min. 10% Incline Walk for 60 min. total.

Tomorrow’s check-in day with my trainer.. I’m a little worried, but it’s the numbers that tell the story so we’ll see!

NUTRITION

I’ve been in the mood for this for a while, but kept forgetting to mix it up the night before.. Vegan Overnight Oats with a side of Slimmed PB Protein Ice Cream..

After lifting I was so ready for lunch.. which means no creativity :p .. and I’m just diggin this salad lately.. Baby Spinach with Pinto Beans, Salsa and Artichokes.. I dived in, with no photo-evidence. But it looked the same as yesterday.

Beans

With my current macro-mix, beans have been the perfect addition to my diet. I’ve always liked them, but it’s one of those foods that I tend to forget about. But check out all the lovely benefits:

  • Vegetarian protein
  • High in Fiber
  • High in Iron & Vitamin B

Tips to make them more digestable:

  • Soak beans for several days, changing the water twice daily, until a small tail forms on the beans.
  • Use a pressure cooker. This also cuts down cooking time.
  • Experiment with your ability to digest beans. Smaller beans like adzuki, lentils, mung beans and peas digest most easily. Pinto, kidney, navy, black-eyed peas, garbanzo, lima and black beans are harder to digest. Soybeans and black soybeans are the most difficult beans to digest.
  • Experiment with combinations, ingredients and seasonings. Legumes combine best with green or non-starchy vegetables and seaweeds.
  • Season with unrefined sea salt, miso or soy sauce near the end of cooking. If salt is added at the beginning, the beans will not cook completely. Salt is a digestive aid when used correctly.
  • Adding fennel or cumin near the end of cooking helps prevent gas.
  • Pour a little apple cider, brown rice or white wine vinegar into the water in the last stages of cooking. This softens the beans and breaks down protein chains and indigestible compounds.
  • Take enzymes with your meal.

Source: Institute for Integrative Nutrition

Revamped

Jenna had a scrumptious looking Banana Zucchini Bread on her blog the other day, which reminded me it was about time to make Chocolate Zucchini Muffins again. This time I made a couple changes to fit my macros:

Even More Slim, Low-Carb Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

1 scoop Cake Batter Protein Powder

1 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

Stevia Extract to taste

1/4 c Egg Whites

~1 c grated Zucchini (1 medium)

Mix dry ingredients together first, then mix in Egg Whites, and fold in Zucchini. Pour into sprayed muffin tin and bake at 350 F for 40 minutes.

I compensated for subtracting a scoop of Protein Powder by not adding Apple Sauce, and it worked great. The texture was the same and the Stevia gave them plenty of sweetness.

Stats for the whole batch (made 4 muffins)..

Welcome Back

Eden had a post on Spaghetti Squash the other day, which reminded me that it’d also been way too long since I’d had it! So dinner was 1 cup Spaghetti Squash (roasted at 375 F for 40 min.) with 4 oz cooked Tilapia, Crushed Tomatoes, Roasted Garlic and the last bit of Fat-Free Feta.. completely hit the spot :)

It’ll be the usual for dessert tonight.. I’m leaning towards a PB Ice Cream (using 2 tbsp Sugar-Free PB Syrup) and Waffle Protein Cookie (using Capella flavor drops)..

FUN

Do you watch Mad Men? I’ve seen every episode, but don’t currently have my television plugged into cable (just the DVD player), so I missed the premiere. But regardless, if you’ve seen the show then you have to agree that the lovely Lara, of Thinspired, would be perfect.. vote for her to have a walk on role on the show!

What’s your favorite sweet bread? I think mine would have to be Pumpkin.. though Banana Chocolate Chip runs a close 2nd..

16 Responses to “Been Too Long”

  1. jord says:
    July 28, 2010 at 4:51 am

    I learned the hard way about black beans. It was probably the most delicious black bean soup I have ever eaten, but I'm terrified to make it again even with doing the beans differently. Complete misery for the whole household. Live and learn, right? lol

    Good luck with your trainer tomorrow. :)

    Reply
  2. Run Sarah says:
    July 28, 2010 at 7:06 am

    Great tips! I usually buy canned for convenience but beans are a huge part of my diet! They are such an awesome source of natural, inexpensive, easy to prep fiber and protein. I've surprisingly never had problems digesting them or anything, either!

    Reply
  3. edenseats says:
    July 28, 2010 at 1:11 am

    I had some spaghetti squash AGAIN tonight! Its the best. I like it slightly crunchy? do you like it well done? I actually prefer it to shirtaki noodles. It do it in the microwave cause I get so impatient! but its fabulous with some nooch and melted almond butter.

    Reply
    • NourishedFit
      Twitter:
      says:
      July 28, 2010 at 3:27 pm

      I've never tried making it in the microwave.. how long do you "cook" it? That would have been perfect last night, I was literally eyeing the oven watching the clock tick down I was so hungry, haha

      Reply
      • edenseats says:
        July 28, 2010 at 4:25 pm

        Yea, as I said, I'm SO impatient! about three min, depending on how bid your piece is. Sometime, I'll cut a huge one into thirds or a smaller one in half, but the beauty of the microwave is that if its not ready, just add another min, Mines pretty powerful so three min works.

        Reply
  4. April says:
    July 28, 2010 at 10:13 am

    Boohooo…I can't have beans anymore. They're one of my trigger foods.

    I did make one of your protein cookies last night and it was AWESOME!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  5. erica says:
    July 28, 2010 at 4:35 am

    Hi Alyson – long time girl:) If that's you on the right right now – you gotta help me sista:) You look fabulous!!! I love your recipes. And keep it up…You know I am the queen of TMI on my blog. And you look great. I am all for doing what makes you feel good. Boobs or no boobs. xoxoxo E

    Reply
  6. Mary Beth says:
    July 28, 2010 at 4:38 am

    Good luck today w/ your trainer!
    As for your cookies–I wanted to tell you, last night I made one and for some reason it turned out very puffy and soft–I'd rather have them crumbly and crusty iin my ice cream. Anyway, the oven was already on, so I popped it in the oven for about 5 minutes and it crisped right up! Try it, you might like :)

    Reply
  7. Joanna says:
    July 28, 2010 at 5:00 am

    Zucchini muffins? I'm all over them!

    Reply
  8. Naomi(oneFF) says:
    July 28, 2010 at 10:28 am

    love the tips and love beans! i had a salad bar from whole foods yesterday and packed on some chickpeas (soaked) and eddamame! oh and also lentils! they are just so versitile and go with any dish! love em :) those zuchinni bites look SO good!! Im afraid to bake these days in worry I will eat the whole batch haha!

    Reply
  9. Heather (WTB) says:
    July 28, 2010 at 1:55 pm

    You and your sweet treats. I don't know how you do it b/c I'd not be able to stop eating them. I just don't even bake anymore. I love banana nut bread….can smell it now. Oh, that's the banana I just finished ;-)

    Reply
    • NourishedFit
      Twitter:
      says:
      July 28, 2010 at 9:01 pm

      That's why I always try to just make single serving sizes.. and what I love about this recipe.. it made 4 muffins, and I get to eat all of them :p Because I'm the same way, I cannot be trusted with a plate of real brownies, hehe

      Reply
  10. Jody - Fit at 52 says:
    July 28, 2010 at 2:20 pm

    Can't do beans & too lazy to do what you have to do to eat them! ;-)

    Sweet bread…. molasses spice.. YUM!!!!!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

You can add a link to follow you on twitter if you put your username in this box.
Only needs to be added once (unless you change your username). No http or @ Twitter