Pumpkin Protein Bars = DELICIOUS!!!

Breakfast: 4 egg whites & strawberries

Snack: 2 turkey meatloaf muffins
Lunch: 3 bean turkey chili and carrots
Snack: 2 carrot cake protein bars
Dinner: broiled chicken breast, sweet potato fries & cucumbers
Snack: 3 pumpkin protein bars -- see recipe below. 

Exercise: LiveFit Day 18 - Legs

Today was a tough workout!! My legs were still sore from Monday so it was killer. Good thing I have a couple recovery days this weekend!! ;) At the gym today I had to ask for help. I wasn't sure how to use the barbell machine thingys. Luckily there was a nice girl who totally looked like she knew her way around the gym, so I asked her. She helped me out and then I was able to do my squats with the barbell. :) GO ME! I'm workin' on my Carrie Underwood legs. haha and I never did find a stand up calf raise machine, so I just found some kettle bells and did my own calf raise. :D

Then I went and picked up Matthew from daycare and we played some hockey and he put his spiderman suit and ran around the apartment like Spiderman. haha He's showing me his muscles!!! Aren't they big!? That's what I told him :D

Then I made dinner and played a little Dora & Diego on my nook with Superman! It was a grand ol' time! Then we dropped him off and Justin went back to plowing snow. So... I was doing a little organizing and came across some of my super old cd's!!!!

Yep!!! That's the Spice Girls & The Backstreet Boys! I'm jammin' out to a little Backstreet's Back ALRIGHT! haha This brings back some good memories. lol

Anyways... I baked some Pumpkin protein bars tonight and they are TO DIE FOR!!!! Seriously, so good! I can't stop. Good thing they are low cal and healthy. :) Here's the recipe!

Pumpkin Protein Bars

Ingredients:

• ½ C Xylitol Brown Sugar Blend (Ideal)
• 1 - 4 oz. jar baby food applesauce
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 ½ tsp. ground ginger
• ½ tsp. ground clove
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 - 15 oz. can of raw pumpkin
• 2 C oat flour
• 2 scoops vanilla whey protein
• ½ cup almond milk
• ½ C chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Spray a 9 X 13 Pyrex dish with non-stick spray.
3. Combine first 11 ingredients and mix well.
4. Add the final 3 ingredients (4, if adding walnuts), and mix until incorporated. Spread batter into the Pyrex dish and bake for 30 min.
5. Makes 24 squares.

Nutrition Facts:

Nutrition (without walnuts): 1 square = 47 calories, .7 g fat, 8 g carbs, 3.7 g protein

Nutrition (with walnuts): 1 square = 63 calories, 2.3 g fat, 8 g carbs, 4 g protein

Recipe from http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-easons-livefit-recipes-pumpkin-protein-bars.html

I made my bars with walnuts and LOVE them! Hope you enjoy them too!! Goodnight!!

Officially a member @ Family Wellness!!

Breakfast: 2 slices of healthy banana bread
Snack: 2 turkey meatloaf muffins & carrots
Lunch: turkey sandwich on Ezekiel bread with thin cheese & hummus & carrots
Snack: 2 carrot cake protein bars and 1 rice cake with energy mix PB
Post workout: Shakeology with OJ and water
Dinner: broiled cod with peppers & celery -- not a fan of cod!! texture = weird

  

Exercise: LiveFit Day 17 - Chest & Triceps

Today was an exciting day!! I got a gym membership!! WOO HOO! I got a membership at Family Wellness. It's so nice because I now have access to group fitness classes, actual weight machines, treadmills, ellipticals, a track!! (I'm excited about the track for training for my 10K or half, depending on how training goes). They also have a court where I can play volleyball, a POOL!! and I can get discounts on massages... I've never had one of those before. :D They also have cooking classes there and other fun stuff! OOHHH I'm so excited. haha Can you tell I'm excited??? ;) muahaha. 

Anyhow... I went there today to do my workout instead of making it work at home with my dumbbells. It was sooo nice!! A little awkward because I was the only girl weight lifting...but I got over that pretty quickly. When I have my sexy bikini body in a couple months, the other girls will wish they were weight lifting. lol jk. But seriously, I'm GOING to have that bikini body! :D hehe Well... it's kind of weird having my workout done in the afternoon. I'm so used to doing it at night. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my free time. I'm actually thinking that I'll go to bed early! I am TIRED! oooooofda. I'm a little bummed that I didn't get to watch F.R.I.E.N.D.S. this afternoon like I usually do, but I guess I've seen every episode more than once and working out is a little more important. aaaand I'd rather go to the gym when it's not so busy in the afternoon versus in the evening or night. So bring it on!!! :D Enjoy your evening! 

...and in the mornin', I'm makin' waffles!!

Okay... how many Shrek fans do I have out there??? Notice the name of the post??? Donkey says it! :D I love that part! Anyhow...

Breakfast: 1/2 a protein waffle with almond butter & strawberries - see recipe below. It was so filling, I could only eat half.

Snack: 2 turkey meatloaf muffins

Lunch: spinach salad with grilled chicken, peppers, cucumbers, sunflower seeds & balsamic vinaigrette

Snack: 3 carrot cake protein bars

Dinner: leftover bowl of 3 bean turkey chili

Post Workout Snack: protein fruit smoothie

Exercise: LiveFit Day 16 - Back & Biceps

Today was a busy day!! Work was steady... and then I had a dentist appointment after work. Just a 6 month cleaning and everything looked good!! Except they did tell me that I should get my wisdom teeth taken out. :/ So they sent a referral and I asked about the cost and stuff and they said its quite a bit cheaper if I stay awake during the surgery rather than being knocked out. So... I'm contemplating that. Then they gave me fluoride, and as you know, you're not supposed to eat or drink anything for at least a half hour afterwards. Well... I ate lunch at 12:30 and by 4, I was starving... so Sorry Dr. Charlie, I didn't wait that long. :/ I ate me some delicious carrot cake protein bars!! and drank water of course! 

Then I went engagement ring shopping with a friend. I even tried some on for myself. It was fun!! :) Hunny....I have some ideas for what you can get me for our anniversary. ;) haha

Then I came home and put some leftover chili in the microwave and then started my workout!! Once again, it was a killer! My arms are dead and typing is taking all I've got right now. So you better be happy I'm blogging. ;) jk But seriously... it was tough. I couldn't even finish a couple of my sets.

Then I made a super yummy protein smoothie after my workout, and because I was so weak and my dang smoothie maker thingy always gets stuck...I couldn't get the blender part off!!! :( I just wanted a smooooothie! Is that too much to ask?? :(

And then I got super lucky and got it open after I banged it on the counter a couple of times!!! So I was a happy girl slirpin' on my smoothie!

And now I'm ready for a shower & bed...but before I do that, I need to share my new protein waffle recipe with you that I had this morning!!! Super yummy!!!

Clean Protein Waffles

Ingredients:

• 2 cups oat flour
• 2 cups soy (rice milk or regular milk work fine as well) -- I used almond milk
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
• 3 egg whites
• 1 whole egg

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients into a mixing bowl using a whisk.
2. (optional) you can also add a little flavor to these by adding 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon cloves or 1 teaspoon almond extract. Use your imagination here.
3. Cook in your waffle maker and serve.

recipe from http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-protein-waffles/

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!!! Smell Ya Later Peeps! ;)

3 Bean Turkey Chili!!

Ok...time to play catch up with my meals from over the weekend. I was a very busy girl this weekend and spent little time at home so I did not do as well as I would have liked with my diet. :/ But I'm back on track today!

Friday

Breakfast: 4 egg whites
Snack: 2 chocolate protein bars --check out the recipe on my recipes page
Lunch: (light) whole wheat ham sandwich with this cheese & hummus, carrots
Snack: grannysmith apple with crunchy PB and a carrot cake protein bar --check that recipe too. YUM
Dinner: whole wheat pasta with olive oil, chicken, shrimp & garlic seasoning
Snack: carrot cake protein bar

Saturday

Breakfast: 3 egg whites & a small homemade whole wheat waffle with PB
Snack: Luna protein bar
Lunch: 2 hard shell tacos with carrots & celery
Snack: dark chocolate birthday cupcake
Dinner: 2 slices of pizza (1 cheese & 1 pepperoni) and some bbq chips
Snack: string cheese


Sunday

Breakfast: 4 egg whites
Snack: Luna protein bar, handful of bbq chips
Lunch: (light) whole wheat grilled turkey sandwich with thin cheese & hummus, carrots
Snack: carrot cake protein bar
Dinner: turkey burger on (light) whole wheat bread and cucumbers
Snack: 2 chocolate chip cookies, fruit snacks & string cheese
    YIKES!! My weekend was rough... I just got a bit of a reality check as I was typing it out. :/ No more of that!

Monday

Breakfast: 4 egg whites & blackberries
Snack: 2 turkey meatloaf muffins --check out the recipe on my recipes page!
Lunch: (light) whole wheat turkey sandwich with thin cheese & hummus, carrots
Snack: 3 rice cakes with Planters energy mix PB
Dinner: 3 bean turkey chili - check out the recipe below!!
Snack: blackberry, strawberry banana protein smoothie

Exercise: Jamie Eason's LiveFit Day 15 - Legs

I also want to note that I added a tab on my page for you to track my LiveFit journey!! You can see what workouts I'm doing, have done, and have yet to do!


I was a very busy girl this weekend and watched ALOT of hockey!! Friday after work I was able to take a nap. A much needed nap, I might add! Then we made a quick dinner and went to my SIL (sister in law) Sarah's house and watched the Sioux hockey game with them and my in-laws were also in town. After the game we went back home and went to bed.  

Saturday we woke up nice & early to go to my nephews hockey game. Turns out...we were an hour early so we watched a little extra hockey. He won his game and played AWESOME! Then we went back to Sarah's house & had some tacos for lunch and celebrated my niece Lexi's 12th birthday. I also took a nap on Saturday. Can you tell I was a little worn out that weekend?? After my nap, my nephew Jackson had another hockey game that we went to. This time, we were on time and not an hour early. :D Unfortunately, he lost that game. But his and his team still played really hard and did well.  We went back to Sarah's house and had pizza & chips for dinner. And then we watched another Sioux hockey game. --To be honest, I didn't really watch it much. I did more socializing. :) Then we went home and went to bed. 

Sunday we woke up and went to Jackson's last hockey game for the tournament. They won and got 3rd place! It was exciting!! Then we headed home because we were all wore out from the busy weekend. We did our grocery shopping that night and I made my turkey meatloaf muffins for the week and Justin wanted me to make chocolate chip cookies. So I did...and of course, I couldn't turn them down when they were right in front of me... so I had 2 of them. :/  OH!!! And I got batteries for my camera... so I'll stop slacking when it comes to photos! :) Pinky Promise!

 -------------------------------

OKAY... Today!! OMG my leg workout was killer tonight. I am literally shaking as I sit here drinking my protein smoothie. I usually stand in the corner of my kitchen to blog because that's where I get my best internet connection. Not tonight!!! I'm on the couch...lol I made a new recipe tonight - 2 bean turkey chili and it was delicious!! I LOVED it. I also had tons of leftovers so I made sure to freeze some in individual portions so I don't have to eat chili all week long. :D Anyhow.. I'm going to finish watching Biggest Loser and then shower and go to bed!!! I'm gonna be SORE tomorrow... :D Make sure to check out the recipe below.

3 Bean Turkey Chili

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. extra lean ground turkey
• ½ cup chopped onions
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• 2 - 4 oz. cans of diced green chilies
• 1 - 15 oz. can Organic Tri-Bean Blend (drained)
• 1 - 15 oz. can Organic Black Beans (drained)
• 2 - 14.5 oz. cans Organic Diced Tomatoes (do not drain)
• 1 tbsp. Xylitol Brown Sugar Blend (Ideal)
• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 2 tbsp. white vinegar
• 3 tbsp. regular yellow mustard
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. dried or fresh cilantro
• 2 tsp. adobo sauce (optional)

Note: I couldn't find a tri-bean blend so I used a can of kidney beans & half a can of navy beans instead.

Directions:

In a large pot add onions and meat, sprinkled with garlic powder and cook until no longer pink (drain using a plate, if desired).

Next add the green chilies, beans, tomatoes, xylitol and spices (except cilantro) and stir until combined.

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer for about 10 minutes.

Finally, add cilantro. Serve hot.

You may sprinkle veggie shreds or a light cheese on top.

Recipe from http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-easons-livefit-recipes-3-bean-turkey-chili.html

Carrot Cake Protein Bars... Mmmm

Breakfast: 3 egg whites & honey vanilla greek yogurt
Snack: 2 turkey meatloaf muffins, 1 thin mint girl scout cookie
Lunch: 3/4 cup of spaghetti with a breadstick
Snack: 2 chocolate protein bars, 5 energy bites (they were so good & too addicting)
Dinner: broiled chicken breast & carrots
Snack: 2 carrot cake protein bars - see recipe below

Exercise: LiveFit Day 11 - shoulders and abs

Well, my workout was a little distracted today but it still went pretty well. My boys (hubby & step-son) were bickering as usual. It's like having 2 kids. haha But I am still very much sore!! It will be nice to have 3 rest days this weekend. Hopefully I'll keep my diet in tact. I always do better with my eating when I'm working out. Wish me luck!! Oh!! and I made some carrot cake protein bars. They're delicious!!! :D Make sure you try the recipe. Mmmm We'll be spending quite a bit of time with Justin's family this weekend because his parents are in town so I probably won't be blogging until Sunday night. I hope that you all have a great weekend. Make sure you're eating healthy & working out if you want that sexy bikini body for summer! ;)

Carrot Cake Protein Bars

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oat flour
• 2 scoops vanilla whey protein
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 4 egg whites
• 3/4 cup Splenda, Truvia, or Ideal
• 8 oz baby food carrots
• 4 oz water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix flour, whey protein, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.
3. Mix egg whites, Splenda, baby food carrots and water (optional) in a bowl.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together.
5. Spray glass pyrex dish with non-stick butter spray.
6. Pour ingredients into dish.
7. Bake 20-30 minutes.

--Makes 16 squares.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 2 squares

Amount per serving

Calories 94

Total Fat1.25g

Total Carb10g

Protein

Recipe from http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/video-jamie-eason-carrot-cake-protein-bars.htm