New year!

Hey cupcakes! It's been tough to blog during the holidays. I've been trying to spend as much time with family, friends, and my boyfriend as I can. Last night my Cory taught me how to ice skate. It was a blast, but let's just say I need more practice. 

I bought a new book. It's called the Ultrasimple Diet. It's a seven day plan to get rid of toxins and inflammation. Since I have problems with ibs, acid reflux, asthma, and food allergies and intolerances I decided this was a good approach to take. It's just seven days! I am going to go shopping for all the supplies Friday or Saturday and start on Sunday. Instead of making a New Year's resolution that I cannot stick to, I am trying this out! I will keep you all updated as it goes along! 

Later taters! Happy New Year! 

Christmas lunch

Here is my plate from Christmas lunch at my grandma and grandpa's today! You can eat healthy at family get togethers! 

Later taters! Stay strong and dedicated 

New recipes for a healthy lifestyle

Today I was experimenting with some new recipes! I made dairy free banana bread and dairy free chocolate chip cookies. I also calculated the nutrition for each recipe I made so I can log them in my lose it app. Here are the recipes:

Banana bread:

In a food processor grind 2 cups of oatmeal, 1 t baking soda, 1 t cinnamon. Dump into a bowl and then add 2 t vanilla , 2/3 c egg whites, and 2 t olive oil,   And 3 bananas. Process until smooth. Next combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients and dump into a bread pan covered with parachment paper. Bake at 375 degrees (F) for 35-45 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean. It makes 8 servings and here is the nutrition 

Chocolate chip cookies:

In a food processor blend the dry ingredients 2 c oatmeal, 1 t baking soda. Dump into a bowl. In the food processor grind 1 banana, 1/4c egg whites, 1 t vanilla, 1/4 c melted coconut oil, and 1/2 c coconut sugar. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Then mix in 3/4 c dairy free chocolate chips. Bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet at 375 for 11-14 minutes. It makes 14 cookies and here is the nutrition per cookie 

That's all I have time for today! Later taters! 

Some meal prep ideas

I am getting some inspiration for after the holidays. Here are some pictures of meal ideas I got from a few fitness accounts on Instagram 

I cannot wait to get back to meal prepping! My family gets mad if I prep at home because my Tupperware takes up all the space in the frigde 😂 I am still hitting the gym and working out everyday. Tomorrow morning I am getting up at 6am to go to the gym before Christmas brunch with my boyfriend's family. Dedication and consistency!! 

Later taters! 

Grocery

Today I went to the grocery with my mommy and sisters. I snagged two spaghetti squashes to make some delicious food for this week. I'm going to top it with sautéed peppers, mushrooms, and onions as well as a little left over chili my mom made with venison. I also made some cookies to eat for my pre workout. The ingredients were: a banana, dried plum pieces, egg whites, cinnamon, oatmeal, baking powder, and vanilla. Today was my rest day for working out. I would love to be able to workout every single day but my body really needs at least one rest day.

Later taters!

 

Homemade Beef Jerky

Two days ago my boyfriend and I decided to make homemade beef jerky. I found a recipe on pinterest that I thought we could try. 

Here is a screen shot of the marinade recipe we used. We did not add fish sauce. Combine all of this in a bowl. Meanwhile, allow the meat to set in the freezer for about 60-90 minutes so that you can cut the meat. Once frozen, cut into thin strips (about 1/4 in.). Place the meat  in a large bowl and pour the marinade over top. Mix with your hands, and then place into a gallon zip lock baggie. Let it sit in the fridge overnight, Then next morning or afternoon I placed our meat onto two dehydrators. Then were on the dehydrators for about 20-24 hours. You can also bake the meat in the oven for 6-8 hours on 170 degrees (F) turning half way through. After the jerky is done, allow it to air out for about 24 hours. I am going to store ours in the fridge. 

I did cardio this morning at the gym and I have Christmas with my boyfriend's family tonight! I will give you all some tips tomorrow about how to survive holiday get togethers. 

Later Taters!

Preparation for a Healthy Life

Good Morning cupcakes!

I know that New Year's is right around the corner and many people like to make New Year's resolutions. This post is all about products I love.

The first product is my cooler that I take with me to work and class. I bought mine on amazon. (link to my lunch box ). This allows me to fit all of my food and prepped meals into it. I also put 2 ice packs in. Here are some other lunch boxes, but they are a little more expensive than mine.

I love my Tupperware! I have different sizes. Eventually I will probably get glass containers, but for now I am a poor college student and have cheap plastic ones. (amazon Tupperware link )

I do not know what I would do without my food processor. I use this to make homemade almond butter as well as other nut butters. I also use it to make banana icecream. I use it to chop up a lot of things. I make pancake batter in it. My food processor is my life saver. (food processors on amazon )

When I am really serious about counting my macros I like to use a scale to correctly portion out my food. This is harder to do over Christmas break and the holidays, so I have just been trying to eat as healthy as I can. When I am at grad school, I like to weigh out my food, so a food scale is helpful. (link to food scales on amazon )

I am a huge fan of at home workout equipment. Here are some pictures of some of my favorite things:

 I have 5, 10, & 15 lbs.

Those are the basics that I like to have around my house. If you want to spend a little more money, these are helpful

Some food products that I love 

The vanilla and cookies and creme are delicious!

link to amazon

I buy mine at Target or Kroger

Those are just a few of my favorite food things right now! 

That's all I have for today! My workout later will be 30 minutes on the stair climber with a sweatshirt on (I love to sweat!) and then 30 minutes on the elliptical. I will do an ab workout on my stability ball and I will do a made up leg workout and push ups at home. 

Later taters!

Dinner

Tonight I am making a stir fry! I have mushrooms, onion, green peppers, Olive oil, garlic powder, and reduced sodium kidney beans (not pictured because they're pre cooked and I will stir them in at the end to warm up). 

Happy Hump Day

Good afternoon my little cupcakes!

Today I had to do my workout all at home, so here are the links to the videos I completed (about 45 minutes to complete the whole routine):

stability ball workout
15 minute full body workout
How to Train like a Victoria's Secret Model
 Autumn sweat session Just complete the workout part of this video (minutes 1-12)

Warning: You will sweat! :D

Later today I will do:
-3 sets of 10 pushups
-ab workout on the stability ball
-3 sets of 10 tricep dips
-stretches

Yesterday I looked up some new recipes to try. One was a dairy free cookie recipe I may make to take to a Christmas on Saturday. Another was a protein waffle recipe. I received my new flavor of Plant Fusion Protein Powder.... COOKIES AND CREAM!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies:
1 1/4 c. oat flour
1/3 c.shredded coconut
1/2 c. coconut sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 T. coconut oil, melted
5 T unsweetened applesauce
1 T vanilla extract
4-5 dates, pitted and chopped
1/3 c. dairy free mini chocolate chips
Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, mix the coconut oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Add the wet mixture to the dry mix until incorporated. Fold in the dates and chocolate chips. Mixture will be sticky, so use a melon baller to scoop out the dough and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown on edges. Wait 10-15 minutes to remove from baking sheet. Store in an airtight container. (Recipe from http://www.hungryhappens.com/ )

Protein Waffles:
1/4 c. oatmeal
1 egg white
1 scoop of protein powder
2-3 T of almond milk/soy milk/regular milk
Vanilla extract (optional)
1/4 tsp. baking soda
Directions: Mix everything in a bowl and put into a waffle iron. Top with fruit or your desired topping

That's all I have today! Remember consistency is everything... eat healthy, workout, drink lots of water, enjoy the little things, and SMILE!

Later Taters!

Don't forget it!

Waist slimming tips and advice

Many people talk about losing fat around their stomach. Let me tell you something.... You cannot spot reduce. To reduce fat around your mid section, you have to lose fat around your whole body. You cannot do endless sit ups and expect to lose that belly. What you can do is eat a consistent healthy diet along with consistent exercise. Cardio is going to help you melt the fat, but you must also lift weights. Lifting weights produces more muscle in your body which will fire up your metabolism and burn fat throughout the whole day. If you are really serious about losing weight, I suggest 30- 60 minutes of cardio at least 5 days a week along with 30 minutes of lifting weights. If you have never exercised before, start off slow and work your way up to this amount. All of my previous workout posts follow these guidelines. I have been switching between arm days and leg days for my lifting schedule. I really enjoy ab workouts, so usually do an ab workout everyday. I also like to workout on weekends. People complain that they do not have time to workout during the week, and then they do not workout on the weekend. The weekend is when you actually have more time. Get off the couch and MOVE!

Today's workout for me will again be 30 minutes of the stair climber and 30 minutes on the elliptical. Go hard if you are doing cardio. You should be breathing heavy and feel the burn. I like to make motivational workout playlists on spotify to keep me going. I will also be doing some leg and ab workout videos:

Full body stability ball workout

Ab workout on a stability ball (run this 3 times)

calves and legs

Inner thighs

My meal plan for today looks like this:

Breakfast: cinnamon raisin french toast (recipe)

Post workout: 1 cup of unsweetend almond milk with a serving of plant fusion protein powder with celery and carrots

Lunch: salad (lots of vegetables and homemade dressing) with 3-4 oz of lean protein 

Snack: 1 banana and 24 almonds

Dinner: salad (lots of vegetables and homemade dressing) with 3-4 oz. of lean protein

Snack (if hungry): apple

Other tips for a slim waist:

1) Drink green tea.

2) Limit added sugars and unhealthy carbs (white bread, pasta, white flour, etc.)

3) Drink lots of water. It is important to drink a big glass of water when you first wake up because your body just went without water the whole time your were sleeping. 

4) Important for me: limit your baking or else do not eat all of the batter while you are baking.

5) Get sleep! This is very important because as an adult we need 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Sleep helps to speed up your fat burn. When you do not get enough sleep, you will crave less healthy food.

6) Do not skip meals. This slows your metabolism. It is especially important to eat breakfast. There are people that say they are not hungry when they wake up. You can train your body to be hungry when you wake up! Try not eating as close to bed time. Start off by eating a banana within 30-60 minutes of waking. Then build up to a more complete breakfast overtime. 

7) Hold yourself accountable or have some goal in mind. Sometimes it is helpful to have a buddy that is trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle and then you can keep each other accountable. I like to take progress pictures. Hang the jeans you would like to fit into in a visible place.

8) Find healthier swaps for some of your favorite foods. For example, if you love french fries cut up sweet potatoes and bake them in the oven.

That is all I have for today!

PEACE! Later taters! 

Monday

Good morning cupcakes!

Today I had a check up on my foot and the doctor released me! Yay! (I had foot surgery back in August where they removed a bone and reattached a tendon) It has been one interesting journey and I am so glad to be back to normal.

Today's workout:

30 minutes on stair climber- fat burner
30 minutes elliptical-manual
Ab workout
Arm workout

I made french toast the other day and wanted to share the recipe with my followers. All I did was mix egg whites, cinnamon, and vanilla in a shallow square Tupperware. Then I dipped cinnamon raisin Ezekiel bread into the mixture. Coat both sides and then cook on medium in a skillet. Make sure you cook both sides. I just ate this plain by itself because the raisins give it a sweet taste. If you want you could add fresh fruit or nut butter on top.

I am thinking about writing a long post tomorrow! Is there anything you guys would like me to address in that post!? Comment below!

Later Taters!

Healthy eating on the go!

Today I am driving down with a friend to help my boyfriend move out of his fraternity. He will be done with school in May! I like to be prepared when driving or going somewhere so I packed some food to take with me. I have a protein shake made with unsweetened vanilla almond milk and vanilla bean plant fusion protein powder. I also have a little container of nuts, an apple, carrots, and celery. Not pictured is my water that I packed. Be PREPARED! It will help you reach your goals mentioned in a previous post. 

Well off to help move! 

Later taters! 

Saturday Fun at My Parent's House

Here are the two painted slates that I made today! They turned out so cute. I looked up Christmas paintings on Pinterest and looked at them to paint these. 

Tonight my sister and I are watching movies. I decided to do the rest of my workout while watching. Here's what I did:

Lateral side raises x 10

Front shoulder raises x 10

Shoulder presses x 10

Repeat 3 times on the 4th round do each until failure. 

Bicep curls x 10

Wide bicep curls x 10

Forearm bicep curls x 10

Repeat 3 times through and 4th time until failure for each exercise 

Tricep kickbacks x 10

Tricep dips x 10

Tricep presses x 10

Repeat 3 times through and 4th time until failure for each exercise 

Rows x 10

Delt flys x 10

Repeat 3 times through and 4th time until failure for each exercise 

Ab circuit: 

Do each exercise for a minute

Plank

Side plank (30 sec) each side 

Bicycles

Knee to elbow plank

Heel touches

Reverse crunch

Leg drops

Later taters! Peace out! 

CHRISTMAS RECIPES

Good morning my little cupcakes!

This morning I got up early. I had 1 slice of Ezekiel cinnamon raisin bread with 1/2 c. of egg whites cooked and 1 T of naturally more peanut butter. I went to the gym to get in my hour of cardio. I did 30 min (fat burning circuit) on the stair climber and 30 minutes on the elliptical.

Now I am working on experimenting with muffins. I am trying to make a dairy free banana muffin. So far I have made a couple different batches. I tasted each one, so I have counted this towards my daily food intake. I put peanut butter on top of them (little carbs and fat for the rest of the day). Hold tight until I perfect the recipe!

Later today I plan on painting some Christmas presents (will post later), lifting weights (arm day!) and doing an ab workout. My food for the rest of the day will look something like grilled veggies with deer steak X 2 meals, celery and an apple, and a protein shake.

I wanted to give you guys some healthy recipes to make during the holidays. 

Appetizers:

black bean and corn salsa

Pepper nachos

tomato soup

Dishes:

Meatballs

Chicken

Roasted Veggies

Desserts:

flourless brownies

banana icecream

Pumpkin Cookies

Fruit Christmas Tree

Christmas Break

My break has finally started and it feels good to spend some time in my parents house. Tonight I helped my mom make dinner. We had deer tenderloins and vegetables (asparagus, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots) on the grill. It tasted heavily! I missed grilled food so much. Food has such a different flavor when it's cooked on the grill. I also made some healthy mini muffins to eat for breakfast. All they involved were flaxseeds, oatmeal, an egg, almond milk, vanilla, baking soda, and cinnamon. I am going to have so much free time on my hands I am not going to know what to do with myself. I plan on having a killer workout schedule. Today's workout was an hour of cardio this morning (stair climber and elliptical) . Tonight I lifted weights (shoulders and biceps) and did an ab workout. Tomorrow will be cardio and legs! Here is my inspirational photo for myself. The picture is my stomach goal for January 1st. This photo was taken 2 winters ago. Fight for what you want. Work for it! Goals challenge us. I hope to have some amazing progress photos for you all....stay tuned. Progress photos are a great way to stay motivated because you can see how much progress you have actually made! 

Later taters! Stay dedicated 

Tips for this season

1) Holiday Parties make it seem like you cannot stick to your healthy lifestyle. There are some things you can do to help you stay on track. Eat before you go to parties. This will leave you less hungry during the event and you won't seem to gobble up everything. Also, do not skip meals during the day to make up for calories you will consume there. It will only leave you feeling more hungry at the party as well as slowing your metabolism during the day.

2) Take emergency snacks with you everywhere. If you are going shopping, take some almonds, a banana, carrots and celery, etc with you. I like to take my meals with me if I am on the go. I just pack a little cooler and make sure I am still staying on track to reach my goals. It will help you save money and help your waistline.

3) Exercise! Stay active during the winter months. I know that it feels so good to stay in your nice cozy bed, but WAKE UP! GET UP! and GET MOVING! Set yourself up for success. If you do not have time to wake up in the morning and workout, make sure you are motivated to workout after work. If you have a gym membership, pack your bags in the morning so that you do not have to come home. If you are going to workout in the morning, set your gym stuff out the night before. It takes less effort to get ready to go in the morning if the prep is all done. Make a plan for the week and write it down. Keep yourself accountable.

4) I like to set up challenges to motivate myself. For example, if I knew I was going to a Christmas at my grandma and grandpa's, I would challenge myself by bringing a water bottle and saying I am going to drink 4  bottles of water while I am there (my water bottles are big -28oz, and I am usually at their house all day). Making sure you are hydrated is very important. Sometimes we mistake hunger for thirst.

5) Comment below about what tips or advice you would like...pretty please! I would be more than happy to try to answer any questions in my next post!

Peace Out! Later taters!

Today's workout

Cardio/Abs/Arms

Good Morning!

This morning I did 25 minutes on the stair climber and 35 minutes on the elliptical.

Random thoughts of this mornings cardio: Do NOT worry about the number on the scale. How you feel inside and out or how your clothes fit matter way more than a number. I know personally that I get discouraged when I step on the scale. Instead of weighing myself, I judge how much I need to crack down on my eating and workouts by how tight my clothes are. Today was my first day of doing an hour of standing cardio since my foot surgery in August. It was so refreshing. This is ME time. It relieves my stress. I also decided to up my cardio because I am going to be a bridesmaid in one of my best friend's weddings. I need to lose a few inches around my waist so that I do not have to pay to get my dress altered (the countdown begins).

After work and my last final I will come home and lift some weights. This is my plan:

Super set #1
3 sets of 12 side raises (shoulders)
3 sets of 12 front raises (shoulders)


Super set #2
3 sets of 10 pushups (shoulders/chest)
3 sets of 12 shoulder presses

Super set #3
3 sets of 12 bicep curls
3 sets of 12 wide bicep curls

Superset #4
3 sets of 12 tricep kickbacks
3 sets of 12 tricep dips

Superset #5
3 sets of 20 plank drives (pull your leg into your opposite elbow then switch sides)
3 sets of 20 plank leg lifts (lift one leg in plank position then switch legs)

Super set #6
3 sets of 15 each side-Oblique crunch standing with weight
plank hold for 1 minute (or as long as you can)

A superset is performed when two exercises are performed in a row without stopping.

That's all I have for you all today!

Later Taters!

New meal plan

HELLO! Happy Monday. Today is a busy day for me, so I am making this my rest day for my workout plan (its usually Sundays, but I worked out yesterday to make up for today!).

This is my new meal plan for next week as of right now....

Breakfast:1/3 c oats, 1 T flax seeds, 1 T chia seeds, 1/4 c raspberries, & water (drink lots of water when you wake up!)

AM Snack: 1 scoop of plant fusion protein powder blend with 1 c. of vanilla unsweetened almond milk

AM snack 2: 12 almonds and 1 apple

Lunch: 1/2 c egg whites, sauteed onions and peppers, & 3 oz of a sweet potato (measured cooked)

Snack: celery, carrots, & 2 T of peanut butter

Dinner: chicken stir fry (chicken breast and vegetables of your choice: I use onions, peppers, broccoli, & zucchini)

If you are still hungry between meals munch on fresh vegetables!

Grocery List:
Oatmeal
Flaxseeds
chia seeds
raspberries
egg whites 2 lg. cartons
Protein powder
2 unsweetened almond milks
vegetables for inside of omelet: onions, lots of peppers, & mushrooms
5-7 sweet potatoes
1 package of celery
1 bag of carrots
1 jar of natural peanut butter
28 oz chicken breast
vegetables for stir fry: peppers, zucchini, onion, broccoli)
1 bag of almonds
7 apples

Here is are photos of the meal plan in the app called "Lost it"

As you can see on the top right picture it give the breakdown of all the fat, carbs, and protein you have consumed for the day. It also gives you the percentage of each. The app allows you to enter your height, weight, and activity level. It determines your calorie needs to a day based on that information.

I am trying out different levels of protein, carbs, and fats to see how my body responds. Last week's and this week's meal plan incorporated a lot of protein which helps keep me full longer, but I also have been craving sweets.This week I have incorporated more fruits (carbs) to ease my sweet tooth.

I wanted to refresh my memory on my iifym calculator from a pervious post. Here is the link again: IIFYM calculator

These are my results:

Based on these results: my calories should be 1471 for the day. I am a little under with my the current meal plan I made by around 300 calories. This calculator says I need 113.4 g of protein and according to my meal plan I still need 21.4 g of protein. According to the calculator I should have 141g of carbs. In my meal plan I have 105 g. So I would need 36 more grams of carbs. According to the calculator I need 50.4 g of fat. In my meal plan I have 41 g. of fat. I would need 9.4 more grams of fat.

Based on these results I could adjust my meal plan to meet these needs. I could add another protein shake to meet my 21g more of protein need. I could add 12 more almonds to meet my fat need. I could add a banana to meet my carb needs.

My goal for this post was to help you understand how I plan my meals according to my needs. Comment below if you guys have any questions for me. I would be happy to answer any!

Time to go take another final!

Later taters! <3