Whats on my list

This weeks grocery trip.

The usually veggies: spinach, peppers, avocados, cucumbers, celery, kale, tomatoes, apples, bananas and tomatoes.

Salmon, white fish and canned tuna.

Whole wheat bagels and wraps.

Rice cakes :)

Frozen strawberries

 

A good tip when grocery shopping is to try to buy most of your groceries from the perimeter of the store. Of coarse there are things you need that are not going to be on the outside but really try and stay away from anything overly processed. Frozen veggies are better than canned. Learning to read what is in your food is super important. If you can't pronounce or recognize what is in your food then stay away. 

Delicious turkey meatballs

These are so delicious!! Start by thawing out your extra lean ground turkey.

To the turkey I added chopped up spinach, onions, red peppers, crushed up Kashi fire roasted vegetable crackers, salt, pepper and italiano seasoning. 

 Roll them into balls and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Mmm mmm Enjoy :)

Challenge of the week... Proper water intake

I love Mondays. For me its the perfect day to refocus and stay on track. This is my third week following a diet and work out plan. My first week I was really focusing on my workouts and planning for how I was going to have to eat. My second week I was getting workout and eating on track together. This week I need to make sure I am not only sticking with my workouts and eating clean but also taking in enough water. While I am pretty good with making sure I drink water throughout the day. I am not drinking the amount of water that I should be taking in while I am bulking.

The average women should consume 2.7 liters of water a day and men 3.7.

Water is so important. It helps with digestion, your skin, keeps your kidneys healthy and helps you feel full so that you dont over eat. When you are trying to build muscle the intake of water also helps increase protein synthesis which helps your body ingest protein better.

So this week on top of keeping up with eating clean and my workouts I will be carrying this Gallon of water around with me. I do have to drink more than the average women due to my diet and workouts.

Join me this week in making sure that we are all getting the right amount of water. Being dehydrated makes you feel tired and fatigued. So lets keep our water bottles full!!! :)

Hello abs!

I usually start off my workouts by doing a blast to my abs. Today these are the ones I did. I push it until I can't go anymore. Only one set.

 

Pikes on a ball:

 

V-sit with a weight (usually I use a kettlebell)

 

For this next ab exercise I use the decline bench and either a weighted bar or a wooden one and then twist side to side. Once I can't go anymore I do a regular sit up on the bench until my abs are on fire.

 



 



 



Tomato and avocado bagel

Here is a quick and easy lunch idea!

I usually only use one half at a time. 

 I mash up the avocado and all I add is a little pepper and mustard. Mix it all up. Top off the bagel with some tomatoes and a little more pepper! Quick, easy and tasty. Mmm mmm

Regularly I add a can of tuna to the avocado if I am not having a protein on the side and add some cucumbers or spinach to it.

Enjoy!

 



Meal prep Monday

Since I stay at home my meal prep for the week is a little different from a typical meal prep because I am not taking meals to work with me that need to be made before hand. But I do still cook up some stuff, mostly for my lunches. Any stay at home mom can attest that time flies in a day and being as prepared as possible helps.

Whether you are making premade meals to take to work or just prepping some of the food you will need for the week. You will want to stock up on some Tupperware. I just use the zip lock containers, they are super affordable and when they are worn out you can just throw them away.

I started my prep for the week by cutting up one red pepper and one orange. I usually do a yellow and a green one as well. I cut up two tomatoes and one cucumber. Then I precooked three fish fillets (tilapia) and three chicken breast. The only seasoning I use is Mrs. Dash.

I have made the mistake of cooking up to much and then having to throw it out. You want to think of the week you are going to have. Are you going be home for lunches, or will you be going out for lunch with people from work etc.? Better to do a mid week refill on the foods your out of then waste it.

As I said before my lunches are usually rushed so this way I can make myself a healthy lunch in 15 minutes. Typically my lunches are a spinach salad topped with chicken or fish, with all peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocados, pears, and toasted almonds. I swear I could eat this every day.

I typically have more time to prepare supper so that is why I don't precook it. I try to have half a plate of green veggies, a lean protein and usually rice.

Meal prep does take some time but it saves you more in the end. Its a great way to make sure you are staying on track. If you are packing lunches to take to work with you don't forget about your snacks!! Kick up that metabolism by eating 5-6 meals a day.

Some of my go to snack are, apples and peanut butter, rice cakes, grapefruit or oranges!

Hope this is helpful :) Try prepping meals for your week and let me know how it goes.

 

Challenge of the week... Clean Eating

This week I am challenging myself to eat clean for the week.  Come on and join me (you know you want too). There is only a couple of rules to this challenge.

Rule 1: Eat whole foods. Pretty much if you can't easily recognize, let alone pronounce, all the ingredients then pass on it.

Rule 2: Don't complicate it. Eating clean is about taking it back to simple. Focus on having some veggies, a lean protein, some healthy fats and whole grains.

As much as eating clean immediately makes you feel better, less bloated and more energized it still is tempting not to give in to a snack from the gas station or a fast food place. I love creamer in my coffee, it is something that I treat myself too. I thoroughly enjoy every single sip of it. But for the week my almond milk is going to do the trick.

Its important to focus on how good you feel and to really listen to your body! So many times we aren't even hungry but yet we find ourselves going to the cupboard and eating something that doesn't benefit us and in twenty minutes we are hungry again. 

Also drink up!! Water has been proven to help concentration and help your body with the ability to burn calories.

 

Good luck!

Whats on my list

Having the right food on hand is key. I like making sure my fridge is stocked and I have the right snack foods to grab. If not I find it so easy to fall off track. I try really hard to only keep healthy choices in my house, might as well try and limit temptation as much as possible. My meal plans for the next week aren't anything super exciting, and I eat a lot of the same food repeatedly day after day. It doesn't bother me as long as I am not hungry. Every week or two I will be posting what is on my grocery list.

Items not shown, extra lean ground turkey, frozen green beans, salmon, tilapia and chicken.

I love Rizopia organic brown rice pasta. The only ingredients it contains is organic brown rice, organic white rice and water.

I also love Almond Breeze. I add it to most of my smoothies and my protein drinks. Its a great alternative to add into your coffee also.

I buy caramel chocolate chip rice cakes. They are a healthy treat and it satisfies my sweet tooth. I also grabbed a bag of plain rice cakes, I love eating them with peanut butter and fruit.

If you haven't tried spaghetti squash yet, you have too. I love it soo much. Its super easy to cook and healthy for you too :)

 

Protein Pancakes

These protein pancakes are one of my favorite go to recipes for breakfast! They are so delicious. I will usually make a big batch ahead of time. Just pop them in the toaster and then I'm set. .

Super Easy Protein Pancakes:

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1/2 banana

1/8 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup oats

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp. almond milk

2 egg whites

Throw it all into a blender and your set!

 

 

Top them off with some natural peanut butter and some fresh fruit. Sooo good. Try them out and let me know what you think :)

 

 

I guess everyone starts somewhere...

This is exciting!! My first post.

I have found a coach and can't wait to start working with her. I will do my contest prep with her, which are the 16 weeks before my contest. So I don't start working with her until February. Until then I am on my own! Scary thought. My brother in law has extensive knowledge in this field (lucky for me) so I am constantly serving him with 20 questions about what I should/shouldn't be doing. If I feel like it is getting to hard for me to do this on my own until then I could hire a personal trainer. I live in a small town so unfortunately personal trainers are hard to come by and I would have to travel out of town to have one.

I had a workout plan made up from me and I follow that. Until February I am "bulking" so I am doing pretty basic bodybuilding workouts and have little or no cardio. Yay for that!

I am a little reserved about posting my "before" pictures but I am going to anyways. I am excited to see progress.

STATS:

Height: 5'4"

Weight: 123 lbs

Upper Arm: 10"

Bust: 32 1/2"

Waist: 26 1/2"

Hips: 33"

Thighs: 21"

So this is my start. Already I feel like this is going to be as big of a mental challenge as it will be a physical one. Right now I am taking it one day at a time and counting down the days until I meet with my coach again! Looking forward to everyone coming on this journey with me!