Triceps Overload

Happy Saturday, everyone! This is one of my favorite days of the week. Next to football Sundays of course. But alas, it is not football season unfortunately. I am currently watching the Bruins game so I apologize in advance if this post seems erratic in any way. The refs might as well have their helmets on backwards, they are calling the most ridiculous penalties right now.

I started off my morning with one of my favorite meals. I am still waiting for my protein powder to come in so this morning I started off with Mixed Berry Oatmeal. 1/4 cup oat bran and rolled oats cooked with 1.25 cups of water till the liquid is absorbed. Added 2 tbsp of wheat germ, 1 tbsp of ground flax seeds, blueberries, and sliced strawberries. On top I added some chia seeds and unsweetened shredded coconut. On the side I had the usual suspect of 4 egg whites and salsa.

After breakfast I went to the gym to focus on a problem area of mine, triceps. I know there is no such thing as spot training, but I would like to tighten up that muscle as much as I can while I work on burning the fat over it. 🙂 I also did 20 minutes on the elliptical incorporating 5 minutes of HIIT at the end for a little cross training action during this running plan.

Triceps Obliteration

Overhead Triceps Press 3×15
Close Grip Bench Press 3×20
Skullcrushers 3×15
Bent Over Triceps Kickbacks 3×15
Triceps Cable Rope Pulldown 3×15
Triceps Cable Rope Overhead 3×12

Since I am still missing my protein powder I made a smoothie today that was epic even without it. I used plain Oikos Greek yogurt to get in that protein, a cup of almond milk, some frozen strawberries and raspberries (organic unsweetened), and a frozen banana. It was sooooo creamy and delicious. I am rockin’ these smoothies lately.

For lunch, I had to usual salad beast with turkey. I would post my dinner for later, but it’s just leftovers from yesterday. Nothing exciting this weekend. I am trying to figure out how to start this term paper, but unfortunately my procrastination is getting the best of me. How am I supposed to concentrate when there happens to be a game on tv? Let alone, a playoff game. 😉 Yes, I am a tomboy… Yes, I know it’s not normal for a girl to like sports as much as I do haha.

I’m not sure why all my pictures are so dark! I apologize, it was actually really sunny and nice out today. I really need to invest in that camera. 😉 How did you all like my guest post? She’s awesome right?

Bikini Series!

Gooooood evening! I am using this time of procrastination to show you some daily eats and tell you about something super exciting! First the food!

Breakfast

Like I said in my last post I had some oatmeal and eggs! 1/4 cup rolled oats, 1/4 cup oat bran cooked with 1.25 cups of water until the liquid was absorbed. I then added wheat germ and ground flax. Topped with homemade honey cinnamon peanut butter, sliced banana, and chia seeds. Then I had 4 egg whites and salsa on the side. Delicious way to start off almost every morning. Still waiting on my protein powder clearly. 😉

Lunch

I was really lazy today, as per usual… So I made a turkey sandwich with low sodium deli turkey, 2 slices of low carb whole wheat fresh bread from When Pigs Fly, dijon mustard, spinach, and a slice of Sargento Natural Cheese Blends in cheddar and mozarella. On the side I had some delicious grape tomatoes. I eat tomatoes like they are going out of style. Seriously.

Dinner

I had the same thing as last night because I didn’t have a lot of money to spend at the grocery store this week. Sorry for all the boring foods, I have some fun stuff planned for next week! But I had steamed broccoli, chicken breast, tomato sauce, and nutritional yeast with a side of healthy garlic bread. I made that with another slice of bread, some smart balance, garlic powder, and garlic gold. Yummmmyyyy.

I should probably continue to read these articles for the term paper I need to write this weekend. I know what you all are thinking… Didn’t she say she was starting that earlier? Uhhh… I started about 30 minutes ago. I know, I’m awful at this whole time management procrastination thing. I think maybe one day I will get better… But that’s just silly wishful thinking.

Now here’s the title of my post. Tone It Up, the nutrition plan I bought a while back and follow loosely, is releasing their Second Annual Bikini Series Challenge. Last year’s was awesome, even though I wasn’t a part of it. I have done all the workouts and they are awesome. They do great giveaways to keep you motivated, daily challenges, tons of new workout videos, and lot’s of fun other posts. If you want to sign up here is the link! I promise you, it’s 8 weeks of motivation and fun.

WIAWW #3

Happy Humps Day!

I am really happy everyone is liking these posts! They are my favorite ones to do! It helps me stay on track by being completely honest about what I am eating with absolutely no judgment. Plus, I had a day full of delicious clean eats, which made my overly cheated stomach very happy about. 🙂

Breakfast 7:00 a.m.

This was the best oatmeal I have had in forever. I am doing a review soon on Coach’s Oats and Love Grown Granola later on today, so keep an eye for that. But for breakfast I had a bowl of Coach’s Oats, which happen to be the best oatmeal ever, along with a serving of homemade honey cinnamon peanut butter, Love Grown Sweet Cranberry Pecan Granola, peanut butter chips (clean), sliced banana, and chia seeds. It was so amazingly delicious from all of those crazy good flavors together I couldn’t even stand it. Highly recommend everyone try this… Like yesterday. 😉

Mid Morning Snack 10:00 a.m.

When I got back from class I was getting pretty hungry, which is no shock since I am always hungry every single three hours haha. It’s literally without fail. So I had a turkey meatloaf muffin (Recipe by Jamie Eason) and 12 raw almonds. Held me over quite well until lunch and was some serious good eats!

Lunch 1:30 p.m.

So I had to work today, which means my pictures are super stellar for you guys. I can’t wait till I actually get a camera and can start taking actual appetizing pictures of my meals. This whole iPhone camera can only get you so far. Sometimes my food looks really awkward. Like the turkey “balls” you see above. TWSS… Sorry. 😉 So for lunch I had a salad beast as usual. I try to get as many veggies in as possible after a weekend full of cheating because my body feels deprived of nutrients haha. Today’s salad beast included low sodium deli turkey, spinach, grape tomatoes, red bell peppers, and cucumbers topped with balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and some garlic gold. It was delicious! 🙂 It filled me right up too since it was absolutely massive. I can pack away a lot of food apparently haha.

Mid Afternoon Snack 4:00 p.m.

For my snack on the way home from work I had 2 pumpkin protein bars (Recipe by Jamie Eason) and a couple handfuls of blueberries. I am really enjoying blueberries lately, they have been so tart and delicious. I have been eating insane amounts of them! One of my new favorite fruits apparently. Then again, I love all fruits. 🙂

Dinner 6:30 p.m.

I got to have a quinoa bowl for dinner! It was so amazing. I love quinoa bowls so much especially when loaded with roasted vegetables prepped the night before, some chicken, and loads of nutritional yeast. It’s the bomb dot com people. Hop of the nutritional yeast bandwagon! It is the best invention ever. 🙂

Roasted cauliflower and broccoli are the best. I have an obsession with roasted vegetables. They are so good.

Dessert 8:00 p.m.

So I got a little hankering for something sweet so I rummaged through my freezer to have a So Delicious Coconut Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich. I love these little guys. They are such a perfect size and for only 90 calories they aren’t that bad. Of course once I start the Eat Clean Diet I will have to say good bye to them. But until then I am enjoying every last bite. 😉

Stay tuned for another workout post and a review on the Granola and Oatmeal! Hope you guys enjoyed today’s post, these are so much fun to write.

Good Eats

Hey all!

I hope you all liked the focus of earlier’s post! I know it was so much more serious than you are used to seeing on here. But don’t worry tonight’s post is light and full of delicious food!

I started off my morning bright and early before my class. Every time I am forced to wake up that early oatmeal is my best friend. I made another batch of my standard chocolate peanut butter oats with sliced banana and chia seeds. 🙂 They never let me or my belly down in the morning.

I was ravenous with hunger when I got out of class because if you don’t feed me every 2-3 hours I become quite the diva. So I took a handful of almonds and added some goji berries for a lovely little trail mix combination that I enjoyed thoroughly. I highly recommend goji berries, they are quite delicious and seriously good for you. Don’t even get me started about raw almonds, they are my weakness next to peanut butter. Shocking, I know. 😉

Guess what I had for lunch today before the gym?! Anyone? Did someone guess salad beast, why yes you would be correct. Want to take another stab at what kind?! CHICKEN AND APPLE?! Man, you guys are good. I have become a little over obsessed with this salad and feel the need to now change it up for you guys before you get bored with me haha.

At the gym my roommate and I completed a shoulders and abs workout that looked like this:

Lateral Raises 3×15
Front Raises 3×15
Shoulder Presses 3×12
Upright Rows 3×15
Plank: Hold for as long as you can
Side Plank on each side: Hold for as long as you can
Russian Plate Twists 3×24
V Sits 3×24
Crunches on the machine 2×30, 1×40

My abs were burning! Haha, I am such a wimp. But seriously, I felt this all up and down my abs.

Apparently I am in the mood to share all my food so why the heck not. For my snack after the gym I made a strawberry and banana smoothie. In the magic bullet went:

6 strawberries
1 banana
2 tsp chia seeds
A small scoop of vanilla chobani
Splash of almond milk
1 cup of water
1 scoop of Sun Warrior Vanilla Protein

Calmed my ravenous hunger since I had to stop at the grocery store after the gym while my stomach was growling. What a test in self control.

Onto my dinner that I was/am super excited about! One of my favorite soups is broccoli and cheese soup… However, it is super caloric in it’s normal creamy form. As I was reading the PBFingers blog I love so much I stumbled upon her new recipe for healthier broccoli and cheese soup. Under 300 calories per serving… AKA I was so ready to make this it wasn’t even funny! By the way, it was delicious and I am obsessed with this soup and want another bowl. But I must have some self control and save it for tomorrow for lunch… And dinner… Sshhhh. Here’s the link to her recipe. http://www.pbfingers.com/2012/02/03/healthy-broccoli-cheese-soup/

On the side I toasted up a deli flat, spread some smart balance on it, and topped with Garlic Gold Sea Salt Nuggets, Garlic Powder, and Sea Salt… Yes I like things that garlicky and salty. Judge me.

After dinner I was craving something pretty sweet so I rounded it out with a cara cara orange. Seriously, I may be obsessed with these. They are so darn good!

I hope everyone had an awesome day! I’m going to go watch the Celtics try to hold their own against the Bulls. The Bulls just happen to be the best team in the NBA currently. We are number 7 haha.

My First WIAW

Happy Wednesday!

I wanted to try something new today! I see it on so many blogs and thought it would be a fun idea to incorporate into my blog. So this post is my first What I Ate Wednesday! Through the month of February WIAW’s are being focused on getting those veggies in! I am all for veggies all the time, hello salad beast anyone? So I decided to hop on the bandwagon. So let’s get this thing moving, shall we!

Breakfast 8:45 am:
Ooooh gosh was this good! We all know I love oatmeal. I literally eat it maybe 3-4 times a week. But this oatmeal was especially good! I found this recipe on Courtney’s blog, Sweet Tooth Sweet Life. It was epic. But then again, how can Peanut Butter & Banana French Toast Oatmeal not sound to die for, right? With a pack of protein, healthy fats, and whole grains my stomach was quite the happy camper. You can find her recipe here: http://www.sweettoothsweetlife.com/2012/02/11/peanut-butter-banana-french-toast-oatmeal/

I made the peanut butter a little less thick this morning so it would spread over my oatmeal better and leave the entire thing coated in peanut buttery goodness. So if you want to do the same just add a splash more almond milk. 🙂

Mid-Morning Snack 10:00 am:
Oof so this stunk. I wen to try out my first green monster today with strawberries. Sadly, I am a huge texture person and could not get over the powdery taste. So unfortunately I will need to play around with that recipe some more before I show you guys. I chucked it, which killed me since I hate wasting food. So instead for a snack, I had another amazing Cara Cara orange with some almonds. Seriously guys those oranges are awesome… Where have they been my whole life?!

Lunch 1:00 pm:
Salad beast! Wasn’t I just talking about that?! 😉 Haha, so as you all are familiar with I had my favorite salad beast today to get those veggies going even after my green monster. You can never have too many, right? I packed the salad with 2 cups of spinach, 1 cup of kale, 1 organic granny smith apple, 4 oz of chicken breast, 1/4 of a cucumber, and 2 tbsp Annie’s Lite Honey Mustard Vinaigrette. It was super delicious… But it always is so no surprise there.

Mid-Afternoon Snack 3:45 pm:
An individual pack of baby carrots and some bell peppers! I am really packing in the veggies. I guess I wasn’t totally aware when I was eating this yesterday haha. My body must be quite the happy camper. 🙂

Dinner 6:15 pm:
4 oz turkey burger with a slice of Sargento natural cheese blend with mozzarella and cheddar. On top was a little dijon mustard. 🙂 On the side I had homemade sweet potato fries. I cut up one medium sweet potato topped with nonstick cooking spray, some cinnamon and a little brown sugar with some salt. Broiled those babies for about 15 minutes and they were delicious little fries of goodness! I was going to have a different side, but once I saw the sweet potato I couldn’t resist fries with my burger. 🙂

Nighttime Snack:
4 oz of Vanilla Chobani with a small banana and another serving of homemade honey cinnamon peanut butter on top! Such a delicious way to satisfy your sweet tooth without undoing your day! Love love love. 🙂

I hope everyone liked my first WIAW post! It was super fun to do and I will probably make this a regular thing on this blog. 🙂 It’s always fun to see everything a healthy blogger eats from time to time, right?