FITNESS

Just plain old Cardio today. I’d planned to go to Yoga in the afternoon, but my appetite after fasted cardio (not purposeful, just wasn’t hungry first thing this morning) got the best of me. Today I just did 20 min on the treadmill, mostly a brisk walk (~4.0) at an incline (9%), then 20 min Elliptical Intervals. The weather’s been so nice, there’s really no excuse for not running outside. So I checked out a couple loops around my neighborhood today and plan to try that tomorrow.

NUTRITION

Each meal today was completely inspired by blog world!

I would have never in a hundred years thought to create these flavor combinations.. but then beautiful people and their amazing blogs & ideas came into my life.

First up: Cornbread for breakfast with Yogurt (of the Goat’s kind) and Nut Butter.. I bet you can guess who inspired this… yup.. the fantastic HEAB again! ..

I re-heated a slice of Pumpkin Cornbread, then topped it with Goat’s Milk Yogurt, Homemade Healthy Pumpkin Butter and Chocolate Peanut Butter Sauce (~1/2 of 2 tbsp Peanut Flour + 1 tbsp Raw Cacao Powder + ~2 tbsp H20).. so so good!

Dinner was inspired by Bobbi’s, of N’ Her Shoes, Cran-Apple & Swiss Sandwich. I used a low-carb wrap, 1 tbsp We Can’t Say It’s Cheese Cheddar Sauce, deli Turkey, a little fat-free Feta, dried Cranberries and ~1/2 sliced Granny Smith Apple. Then grilled it up on the Foreman. I completed the meal with a little Kale Salad and Carrot Sticks..

The delicious layers..

I was having a major Chocolate craving tonight.. thankfully I was prepared. The other night I made crockpot Spirited Butterscotch Hot Cacao, and had leftovers in the refrigerator. It was equally as good chilled, and perhaps even better served in a cocktail glass.. just for fun..

What are some of the foods or flavor combinations that the blogosphere introduced to you? For me the flavor combinations are endless but some of the specific foods include Kale, Kabocha, Seitan, and Chia Seeds!

I did wanted to clarify something I should have said however. I know it is ABSOLUTELY possible to eat completely clean in a way that is for purpose & pleasure! I should have been more specific, because in my last post I was referring to eating for purpose in a way, kind of like what is needed in the last few weeks before a physique competition, where food variety is very limited. I think clean eating in general provides amazing variety and is completely purposefully healthful

There is the case for people who say they get pleasure from the fact that they look a certain way due to eating so purposefully. I completely respect & understand that.. but I’ll stick with my clean eating variety

So moving on..

I haven’t been posting as much this last week, and will probably stick to a similar schedule the next few weeks, because frankly, I was getting a little bored with myself :p I’m at the crucial 3-weeks out cut-off point where I am eating pretty much exactly the same thing every day, and my workouts are pretty much exactly the same. Not really the most exciting blogging material. But I do have a couple slightly different things today..

FITNESS

I just didn’t feel like going to the gym today.. I felt like working out.. but just not at the gym. So I took advantage of the tennis court right in front of my apartment unit, and my apartment gym. It went something like this..

30 min. Outdoor

• Warm-up: Jog around the perimeter of the condo complex
• 100 feet together Jump Rope, 100 boxer Jump Rope
• Lunge walks down & back length of Tennis Court
• 3 laps around perimeter of Tennis Court
• 100 feet together Jump Rope, 100 boxer Jump Rope
• Side Squat “Crab Walk” down & back length of Tennis Court
• 3 Laps
• 100 feet together Jump Rope, 100 boxer Jump Rope
• 12-15 L-Handstand Push-ups against fence
• Repeat all of that for 30 min.

30 min. Indoor

• 15 min. Resistance Elliptical (making sure HR stayed elevated)
• 15 min. Incline Treadmill

It was wonderful to get a workout in outdoors.. plus the added benefit of getting my daily dose of Vitamin D. Speaking of, this article was on Livestrong today: Vitamin D, What you need to know.

NUTRITION

I have no idea why it hadn’t occurred to me to do this before. Top Ramen (along with Kraft.. yes only Kraft.. Macaroni & Cheese) was one of the few foods I liked as a child. Love a healthy substitute!

(edited: Forgot to include the Soy Sauce and switched out the picture for the prettier version I ate tonight :p)

Tip Top Ramen

1 bag Shirataki Tofu Noodles – Ramen Style

1 c Low-Sodium Chicken Broth

1 tbsp Reduced-Sodium Soy Sauce

Mrs. Dash Onion & Herb Spices

4 oz cooked Chicken Breast (or another healthy protein source)

Drain and pat noodles dry. Mix together Noodles, Broth and Spices stovetop or in the microwave. Add Chicken in near the end of heating (so you don’t over-cook).

I was out of the Ramen-shaped noodles for this batch, and it isn’t the prettiest display..

Nutrition Facts: 242 calories / 39 g P / 7 g C / 5 g F

The other thing I’ve been enjoying, in order to make sure I’m getting enough healthy fats, is adding 1/2 tbsp ground Flax and 1/2 tbsp Chia Seeds to my Slimmed-down PB Blender Protein Ice Cream..

FUN

Next Your Nourished Life Newsletter will be going out this coming week. Sign up in the box to the right!

What were your childhood faves?

Saturday went something like this.. worked at Prejudging for the NPC show from 9am-3pm, ran home, hit the house like a tornado, ate, fell asleep for 30 min., woke up, got ready, left for night show around 5pm, then I was there till around 11:45pm.

I didn’t take many pictures. It was a big show for a local NPC with around 200 competitors.

To be honest, I can’t help but laugh at some of the silliness that goes on with this “sport” sometimes. Of course everyone there wants to win, you probably wouldn’t enter a competition if you didn’t. But it’s all subjective. You’re being judge on an appearance, and with that comes a lot of opinions. Yes you can shape your body and build muscle over time, and there is also a genetic component. Pros have been competing for years.. for most people it takes that long. I’m not sure if it’s misplaced expectations, or what. Everyone who gets on that stage has overcome obstacles and worked really hard to get there. So if the judges like someone else’s look better that day, ok fine.. maybe tomorrow they’ll like yours.. all you can do is your best, with your circumstances. You can just do your best and be thankful to be there!

Sunday was.. not so dramatic In fact, I hung out by the pool with friends, went grocery shopping and fell asleep on the couch at 7pm. I woke up two hours later, and figured I might as well try to sleep through the night.. that failed.. which is what leads me to blogging now..

Back with regular posts soon! Have a great start to the week!

Oh, and the first Your Nourished Life (YNL) Newsletter is going out tomorrow (finally, yay!).. you can sign-up in the box to right

This is how I plan to feel Friday evening (actually a pic from a presentation I did today!) ..

Hope your weekend is going well and Happy Valentine’s Day!

But I had to post this! Danelle was one of my childhood best friends. There were a few years there where we were inseparable. She has an amazing talent, a strong family and is a wonderful mom.. she is a true idol

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUe_utIVFr8&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b]

I heard that unfortunately something came up and she wasn’t able to go to Hollywood, but I know huge things are in her future! I’ve had the pleasure of listening to her play in person too..

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF270aN2yuk&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGrcq4pWuYY&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b]

Have a wonderful Hump Day!

PSA #1: Do Not Put that In Your Eye!

If you use this product..

DO NOT, under any circumstances, but it directly into your eye and/or wash off contacts with it. I know what you’re thinking, it’s contact solution, it’s suppose to go in your eye right? WRONG! And I have a rather red & burned cornea to prove it. Apparently this is some special kind of solution. This is my first bottle of it and it works great.. if used as directed. You have to use that special little container and let it sit for some length of time.

But yesterday I got something stuck to my contact, so I took it out, rinsed it with the above solution and put the contact lense back in. As soon as it touch by eye it felt like someone had poured acid on it and it started burning like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I started screaming, my roommate came running, I couldn’t get the contact out right away because my eye immediately dried up. Seriously excruciating! Finally got it out, I’m crying, my roommate doesn’t know what to do.. it was a mess..

Upon further inspection, there is a red box on the container with the following WARNINGS: Only use the “special” lense case provided, Do not remove lenses from case for at least 6 hours, Do not rinse lenses  prior to inserting into eye, Do not squirt directly into eye.

I’m considering caring this around in my purse, it would work as well as mace.. And I’m wearing glasses today!

PSA #2: Gladeware doesn’t Always Hold Food..

So yeah, after burning my eye out last night, I got up this morning with the idea of making fresh Granola, Pumpkin Coconut Nut Granola to be exact. So I got the Pumpkin out of the fridge.. and Splat!

Yeah.. I of course had more Pumpkin stashed away, so the Granola experimentation continued.

Granola Take 3.. or is it 4, 5?

I adapted Allie’s (at LiveLaughEat) recipe, making 1/4 the serving size and replacing Pecans with Walnuts & Almonds and the Olive Oil with Coconut Oil.

I don’t think I stirred it enough because it ended up getting a little overcooked, but still tastes good, especially on top of Pumpkin Yogurt!

Looks like I’m going to be 0 for 2 with Football today, gah, ah well.

Tomorrow’s a busy one: volunteering at the PF Chang’s Rock n’ Roll marathon, workouts, then a couple parties. Not a bad way to end the break!

I went to my program’s happy hour for the first time since May, and had a margarita (my favorite drink) for the first time since my birthday in August. One drink was enough.. I love being a cheap date :p I had a lot of fun, but was home by 10pm, shows what a crazy party animal I am!

Time management and planning has come up in a couple posts lately. The Candid RD also had some great advise in a recent blog: Time Management Strategies for Eating Healthier

FITNESS

Nothing new to report here :p Ended up taking a rest day, which I think was probably needed. Tomorrow I’m looking forward to a Yoga class in the morning, working legs with my trainer in the afternoon, and maybe a Spin class depending on how I feel after weights. Leg days are my favorite and it’s always more fun with a trainer, so I always look forward to Friday workouts!

NUTRITION

I was excited for breakfast this morning.. Pumpkin Oats in a Jar! .. Perfection!

Of course for lunch I wanted to finish up the rest of the kabocha but new I needed to add protein to the mix, so I stuffed the leftover half with a serving of Protein Pudding (1 scoop Cake Batter PP + 4 oz Oikos) and 2 tbsp Trader Joe’s Omega Trail Mix. If you haven’t tried the Omega mix, do so immediately, it’s awesome!

I tried re-heating this under the broiler, but it only half worked.. or perhaps I was just impatient hungry.

There aren’t too many pictures from today because it was just one of those snacky undocumented sorta days. However, smelling all the yummy Mexican food at happy hour made me want to make a healthy version when I got home. The result was a delicious Chicken & Hummus Quesadilla. I’d never thought to add hummus before but had seen it on a couple blogs, and WOW. I used a Tahini Hummus, sprinkles of goat and chedder cheese and chicken breast and grilled it on the Foreman. So happy with how it turned out!

Christmas is a week from tomorrow.. craziness! I’m going to Seattle (where I grew up and my parents still live) on Tuesday through the following Monday. I already looked up the closest local gym and will certainly need it with all the baking that will be happening. I can’t wait to share with you some of my very favorite holiday recipes that have been past down for generations!

What are your workout plans to stay on track over the holidays? And on the other end of the spectrum, what is your absolute favorite Christmas baked treat?