The Life of Tori + workout

Hello Cupcakes,

I wanted to catch you up on the life of Tori. 

Sunday I drove back to grad school from my hometown. It was such a beautiful day, I couldn't help but snap a few pictures. It only takes me about an hour and a half to get back, so the drive usually goes pretty fast. I like to always have snacks with me whenever I am traveling. This time I brought  Go Chomps with me. This is their new flavor called Crankin' Cran. I absolutely love hot things and let me tell you what... this sucker was SPICY! If you love hot things you need to try this. I mentioned more about Go Chomps in this blog post: Friday Favorites . There is also a link if you are interested in purchasing some delicious protein packed snack sticks.  

Here is another beautiful shot from my road trip back to school. The sky was so blue & I couldn't get over it!

I don't know about you guys, but I love sweating during my workout. It makes me feel like I really accomplished something. I put some Sweet Sweat on my abdominal area and went to do some cardio at the rec center. I completed 45 minutes on the stair climber & 15 minutes on the elliptical. I am currently doing 1 hour of cardio 3 days a week in between my lifting days.  

Today I did a back and ab workout I would like to share with you all!

Do 5 sets of each Superset (when two exercises are done in a row without a break). Supersets allow you to build endurance while lifting and also help you sweat more!

Superset 1:

-cable rows X 10

-assisted pull ups X 5-8

Superset 2:

-cable lat pull downs X 10

-cable straight arm pull downs X 10 (slow & lighter weight)

Superset 3:

-back extensions x 10 ( with weight)

-high cable rows x 10 (heavy weight- use back muscles)

Superset 4: 

-hanging leg raises (knees to stomach) with dumbbell between feet (I used 10 lbs)

-dumbbell rows x 10 each side

-weighted oblique crunches X 10 each side

I finished with doing 2 Youtube videos:

7 min. Abs

5 min. Abs

I hope you find this helpful and.... Happy Hump Day!!

Later taters xoxo

"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away."

(All the exercise pictures are from google images)

Black Bean Brownies

Good morning cupcakes!

I hope everyone is making the most out of their weekend! I wanted to share a new recipe with everyone. I was inspired by one of my roommates who made me black bean brownies for my birthday. Here is how my brownies turned out:

They are so gooey and delicious! They have just the right texture. If you are worried about the black beans in the brownies... please do not worry! You cannot taste a single black bean in this recipe. The beans replace the flour in a normal brownie recipe so that these brownies will have more fiber, protein, and vitamins. Who doesn't like a healthier brownie?

Here is my recipe (I adapted one from Chocolate Covered Katie):

*Some tips when making these brownies:

-Mine took a little longer to bake, but I used a glass 8x8 pan. I think I baked mine for 20-23 minutes. When I took them out of the oven they still looked under cooked, but I let them cool for 10 minutes and then placed them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before cutting them. This worked best because they are so gooey and fall apart. 

-If you like less gooey brownies, you could use 4-5 T coconut flour 

Last night I grilled some chicken for meal prep and used some to make this delicious chicken veggie bowl. It has grilled chicken breast, cucumbers, green peppers, black olives, and banana peppers. 

This was my breakfast this morning. I had 1 banana and two eggs topped with homemade guac. I also had a little piece of my black bean brownies. 

Here was the best part of the eggs <3 

Remember: "It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away."

Later Taters xoxo

Comment below! I love to hear from my readers!

Meal Prep for a Week

Hello Cupcakes!

Let's get right to it...

Here is my meal prep for the week. This picture is some chicken I marinated in the refrigerator overnight. This is one bag of chicken breast tenderloins. I marinated it with olive oil, garlic, red onion, oregano, jalapenos, and white wine vinegar. 

Here is the finished grilled tenderloins. I will be separating these chicken tenderloins into 4 oz portions with my food scale. 

I prepped some sweet potatoes. I cut up 3 large sweet potatoes and topped them with some coconut oil and garlic and herb Mrs. Dash seasoning. I baked these in the oven @ 350 degrees for 1- 1 1/2 hours. 

Here is what they looked like when they were finished. 

I also made some baked jicama. I took 2 large jicamas and cut up some garlic & onions to add to the mix. I placed everything on a foil lined baking sheet and added some coconut oil. I baked this at 350 degrees for about 1 hour. 

Here is some mashed cauliflower I made. I added jalapenos to this one and let me tell you what... it's spicy!! If you want the recipe click this link:Mashed Cauliflower. 

I cut up some honey-crisp apples and Asian pears. 

Here are some banana pancakes I prepped. If you want the recipe for these click this link:Paleo Pancakes

Here are my egg white muffin cups. I sprayed a muffin pan with olive oil then added prosciutto to 1/2 the cups. Next, I filled the muffin cups up almost to the top with egg whites. I sprinkled the eggs with sliced green onions and jalapeños. I baked these in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes and then 375 for 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on these so they don't over cook! 

So if you are wondering what my meal plan looks like, here it is: 

Monday- higher calorie

Tuesday-lower calorie
Wednesday-lower calorie
Thursday- lower calorie
Friday-higher calorie 
Saturday-lower calorie
Sunday-lower calorie

Here is what a higher calorie day would look like FOR ME (everyone will be different):

Breakfast: 1 Apple, 1 egg, 2/3 c egg whites, 2 T green onion, 1/4 t coconut oil, 1 c homemade unsweetened but milk, cold brew coffee

Lunch: 1 1/2 c mashes cauliflower, 1/4 t coconut oil, 1 clove garlic, 2 T green onion, 4 oz grilled chicken breast

Dinner: 1/2 c sweet potatoes, 1/4 c jicama, 4 oz grilled chicken breast

Snack 1: banana pancakes ( 1 banana, 2 eggs, 1/4 t coconut oil

Snack 2: 4 T hemp protein powder, 1/2 banana, 1 serving spirulina (blend with water) 

Snack 3: 1/3 c dry roasted edamame

Lower calorie day:

Breakfast: 1/2 Apple, 3/4 c egg whites, 2 T green onion, 1/4 t coconut oil

Lunch: 1 1/2 c mashed cauliflower, 1/4 t coconut oil, 4 oz grilled chicken breast, 1 clove garlic, 2 T green onion

Dinner: 4 oz grilled chicken breast, 1/2 c sweet potatoes, 1/4 c jicama

Snack 1: banana pancakes ( 2 eggs, 1 banana, 1/4 t coconut oil) 

Snack 2: 4 T hemp protein powder, 1 serving spirulina, 1/4 banana, blended with water 

This was my breakfast this morning. I had 1/2 banana, 1-2 T homemade almond butter, 1/2 c egg whites, & 1 whole egg.

That breakfast was pre- 4 mile walk with my boyfriend's mother. She asked me to do the Fort4Fitness with her. Of course I said yes! It was the perfect day for a nice walk. This was the start of the 4 mile. 

After our 4 mile walk, we went out for breakfast. Here is what I had: 2 eggs, fruit, bacon, and 1 piece of wheat toast (first piece of bread in probably 4-5 months). It actually came with 2 pieces of toast, but I really don't enjoy it that much, so I only ate 1 piece. 

Let me know if you have any questions about meal prep or how I made any of this. Comment below and I would be more than happy to answer! I hope you all have a fantastic rest of your weekend!

Later Taters xoxo

"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away"

Friday Favorites & Birthday Recap

Hello cupcakes!

Well, yesterday was my birthday and everyone made it so amazing. I had a great day! Yesterday morning my boyfriend had flowers delivered to me (now remember he is 547 miles away). How cute are these flowers? He wrote me the sweetest little note to go with it. 

My grandma sent me this adorable card with another sweet message inside. 

Oh and I forgot I started my morning out by waking up at 5am to go to cycling class! It is kind of weird waking up when it is still dark out. I feel like it is so peaceful though because most people are still sleeping!

After working all day and going to class, I came home to this sweet surprise my boyfriend had delivered to me. He got me that necklace, 3lbs of almonds, and new bands for my fitbit.... he knows me too well!

One of my best friends sent me this wonderful card. She is seriously the sweetest! This girl and I are similar on so many levels it is kind of scary! We lived together in an apartment during my undergrad at Purdue. We were actually neighbors growing up (we live less than a mile from each other). 

This morning was leg day and for some reason I decided to wear these workout pants... bad idea! It looks like I peed myself because I sweated so much. Does anyone else have this problem? I also used Sweet Sweat on my abdominal area. 

I recently ordered a print of this picture in a 16 x 20 picture! I told Cory to pick out his favorite picture of us and he chose this one. I also got a frame for it on sale at Hobby Lobby for 50% off! 

Here is a picture of Cory and I on my birthday last year. He bought me tickets to a Colts game!

Some more Friday Favorites: 

1) This picture from Cory and I's hike up Crowder's Mountain. I just love this place. I feel like once I move there, I will be going at least once a week. The view at the top is breath taking!

2) Visiting Home! This weekend I am back home at my parents' house. I lived in this house since from the time I was 5 until I went to college. There is comfort in coming back to my childhood home. Who couldn't love this view. This is looking out from the  front deck. 

Here is their cute house (plus I couldn't pass up the beautiful day). 

3) All the animals at my parents' house

This is Jessie. She is a Rottweiler and the biggest lover ever. She is a sweetie! One of my favorite dogs ever.  

This is Brayden. My mom rescued him from our local animal shelter a long time ago. He is a timid little guy. 

They also have some little barn kittens right now. Here is 3 out of the 4.

Lastly, our horse! Meet Angel. 

This is Trigger. He is my horse. I've had him since 7th grade.

This is Patron and Emi. Not pictured: Chief. 

4) Mashed Cauliflower... I am in love with this right now. I can't get enough! 

5) Jicama! Another one of my favorite foods right now! I cannot get enough of this either. I will be making both mashed cauliflower and jicama for part of my meal prep. 

Here are the link ups for today's post: Momfessionals , A Little Bit of Everything , Grace and Love , A. Liz Adventures ,  & September F A R M . If you get a chance, check out their blogs! Each one is cute and unique. 

Stay tuned... tomorrow I will be blogging about my meal prep! It's going to be a good one!

Later Taters xoxo

"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away"