nifty low-cal tweaks + treats

so out of desperation really i’ve figured out a few tweaks to make here and there to make my recipes better – so i wanted to share my latest one!   my protein pancakes are super yummy – but as you know, when you make any protein pancakes, they are runny and are very thin!  well – i’ve been adding psyllium husks to my protein pudding at night for a long time now because it adds fiber and if you let them sit a bit, they expand…so you feel more full!  so i thought i’d try adding just a tablespoon of those to my protein pancake recipe and sure enough…it made them nice and fluffy!  you can buy the psyllium husks at any health foods store (whole foods, trader joes) or at a supplement store too.  they add a ton of fiber to whatever you add them to and 1 tablespoon only adds 20 calories!  just make sure you’re drinking enough water when using these in your diet.  oh but they made my protein pancakes about 10 times better – so exciting!

another treat that i just discovered (to add to my list of cinnamon and splenda creations) is when watching calories, it’s hard to include peanut or almond butter in your diet because they’re so calorie dense.  so – that leaves me eating a plain apple all alone and it’s just boring.  SO i took 1/4 cup non-fat greek yogurt (which is MUCH creamier than regular yogurt – plus super high in protein) and i added a teaspoon each of splenda and cinnamon!  it seriously tastes like cinnomon cream cheese frosting!  so i dip my apple slices in that and i’ve got me a sub-100-calorie treat with 14g of protein!

lastly, i wanted to share my chocolate protein souffle recipe that i have about an hour before bed every night!  i’ve had 3+ months to perfect this so it’s a great way to curb my sugar cravings and also keep me full through the night!  it’s using this new protein (i may have mentioned it before!) from fasttracktofatloss.com called protein freeze.  the idea behind is it is to literally use this protein powder to make ice cream…but there are recipes for all kinds of yummy stuff. the reason i love it is that it’s really low-calorie (only 130 cal per scoop).   so here is my chocolate protein souffle:  i take a scoop of the chocolate protein freeze, added 1/4 c chocolate almond milk (unsweetened so it’s only45cal), and then 1 tbsp psyllium husks and mix thoroughly.  let it sit for about a minute to let the psyllium husks expand.  microwave for 25s, take it out and stir it…then microwave another 20-25s and it forms this super yummy brownie-like yummy goodness around the edges with a still gooey inside like a souffle!  the entire yummy treat is only 150 calories but has 22 g of protein per serving.  SOOOOO good!

that’s it for now!  more to come later…

MIA + 2 weeks out!

yes….i realize i’ve been M.I.A lately…but here i am!   i convinced myself that no one would really notice – until i started getting emails from people saying they’ve missed my blogging!  not only that – but emails of support as i near my next competition.  so first of all – thank you…1/2 of you i’ve never met and you’re so supportive of my little endeavors.  honestly – i’ve been slacking on my blogging for a few reasons:

1) i’ve been super busy.  i’m so happy to report that fitlosophy is doing so well and it’s kept me running around in circles.  i will be blogging about that shortly as soon as the deals get a little closer to being final…so keep your fingers crossed!  so that’s a good thing – i’ve been busy and just working to grow this little company that i love oh-so-much. 

2) another reason i’ve been busy is that i’ve started to train a few select clients so that is taking up quite a bit of time, but i must say that i absolute love it!  one of my guys has lost 12 lbs in 4 weeks and i’m not sure who’s happier – him or me!  i just realize i have an absolute passion for helping people and that combined with my love for fitness and health makes training a no-brainer for me.  i originally got certified so i looked ‘legit’ for fitlosophy, but i didn’t know i’d love training so much! 

3) and finally – i have to admit that this competition is just SUPER TOUGH to commit to like the last one.  since that was my first one there was just the element of newness and excitement and that, coupled with all the support i had behind me made it easier to stay focused.  now – i’m just tired…hungry…and tired of being hungry!  so i just haven’t been as excited to blog when i’m not as ‘in it’ and as motivated as i think i should be.

all that said – i’m blogging now because it’s important to express everything…not just the good.  as i stated before, the weeks after the competition were tough.  and having to jump back into training for this next competition was really hard.  it was easy in that i could go back to my ‘structure’ that i thought was what i needed, but it wasn’t exactly fun to go back to those hours-on-end on the stepmill, or eating sub-1300 calories.  it’s tough…and without the energy around it being my ‘first competition!!!’  – well i’m just getting through each day.  moreso, i think i’m just craving (pun intended!) getting back to life.  while i love the competition – the goal – and the process of achieving something…i also miss my life being more about what my body looks like or what i’m eating.  while i am proud of myself for taking my body to the extreme and achieving a great goal, i’ve also come to realize that i have so much more to offer than just what my body looks like…and that i have to accept that i looked just pretty damn good before i started competing too!  it’s this whole body dysmorphic thing that you go through – where after you’ve been so fit, so lean, it’s hard to go back to just normal.  and normal for me is pretty darn fit!  that’s going to my challenge post-hawaii is getting back to being me…both physically and mentally.  i’m SO ready to enjoy the summer and all that that entails.   anyone that knows me knows that i’m a health nut anyway – but i also enjoy most anything in moderation.  that means golden spoon on saturday afternoon with my girlfriends, a glass of wine at a nice dinner, sharing dessert with friends, or even (heaven forbid) skipping  a hard-core workout at the gym to go enjoy a day at the beach.  

so that’s where my head is at.  but i must stay focused.  only 2 weeks until hawaii and my reward: HAWAII!  i can do this for 2 more weeks…i’m just hoping my body reacts to my workouts and diet and is where it needs to be.  i still have about 5lbs to lose and i’m sure i can do it and will be ready for the competition…but either way, i’m going to be proud of myself just for doing it and will reward myself by laying on the beach and reading for hours on end.  oh i can’t wait!  i just got done planning out what i need to do to get ready before i leave.  as of tomorrow i have to start tanning at the tanning beds again and then at 1-week-out the fun begins: painting, exfoliating, manis and pedis, and oh the joy of asparagus!  should be interesting with the diet and everything while also traveling to hawaii.  i will have to board my flight with a little cooler of asparagus, brown rice, tuna, and oats!  i have to prepare the week before like crazy…but i’m not going to worry about that now.  i still have work to do before that! 

lastly – i thoroughly enjoyed my off day after 6 straight days at the gym and for my active rest i went rollerblading at the beach….beautiful day and just what my mind/body needed.  so i must go prep my food for the next week and get things done…then after i finish my gallon of water, it’s off to bed by 10!  and thanks to those of you who reached out to me via email – so sweet and so appreciated.  i promise to not go 2 weeks again…i’ll be giving a play-by-play up to hawaii!  13 days…and counting!