products that change the game

goooood morning!

i'm feeling pretty darn good today- had an energizing, stick-to-your-ribs breakfast:

 i can eat peanut butter by the spoon and jar-full. sucks that it's almost 100 cals per tablespoon and 8 grams of fat (2 saturated) though.  i've tried adding it to my oats before, but 1 tbsp doesn't provide a strong enough pb flavor, and anything over 2 makes the nutritional stats of my oatmeal skyrocket. you can't just get all willy nilly with your pb serving sizes- it adds up so fast.  even nutella- it's DELICIOUS (although way too high in sugar) but i honestly can't stay under the recommended serving size sometimes.  let's be real.  which brings me to a product that has very well changed my LIFE, overnight. thanks, Alli!!!

 PB2.  i can't tell you how many times i walked past this stuff in the store thinking 'uh, i bet that fake, powder pb crap tastes horrid.' well my friends, let's just say i was in my kitchen toasting bread at 11pm just so i could slather this stuff on there.  it comes in two flavors- original peanut butter and chocolate.  it's in powder form, so there's a little mixing required. no big deal.

2 tbsps of PB2 +

 1 tbsp of water and..

 BAM.  sweet, creamy, peanuty, chocolaty, the real deal.  i was immediately reminded of a pb smoothie my college roomy introduced me to @ Jamba Juice- Peanut Butter Moo'd.  i went to their site to check the nutritional stats on that thing and i was completely blown away.  it's a DIET DISASTER.  for the original size, it's 770 cals, 20 grams of fat, and 126 carbs.  however, can you believe we both used to get the Power size (one level above that)?! and NO we didn't buy one and share either. my goodness- i don't event want to know what those stats look like.  ironically, the power size isn't even available anymore- maybe JJ saw just how ridiculous a 1000 calorie smoothie is. *shrugs*. man, we must've had crazy high metabolism back then. nevertheless, peanut butter everything (cookies, smoothies, etc,) seem to always be calorie/fat loaded...but now, just LOOK at these stats:

2 TBSPS	PB2	Peanut Butter	Nutella
Cals	45	200	200
Fat	1g	16g	11g
Sat. fat	0g	3g	3.5g
Carbs	6g	6g	22g
Sodium	70mg	110mg	15mg
Protein	4g	8g	3g
Fiber	1g	3g	1g
Sugars	3g	3g	21g

all natural.  i can recognize and pronounce every single ingredient.

*faints*

i'm ok. next up, green tea. i am SO on the green tea kick.  i was going hard with coffee before i got preggo.  my OB told me to cool it, so my 'addiction' eventually wore off after going so long without it.   besides, i was only adding coffee to my cream and sugar- it has to be super sweet.  sure i used low cal sweetners like torani's sugar-free vanilla syrup (great stuff) but ultimately, coffee does nothing for me but stain my teeth.  i occasionally have a treat from starbucks- a tall skinny vanilla latte when it's cold out, and any of the light frappucino drinks in the summer.  but now, green tea is def my daily drink of choice these days.  i tried a different brand at WF- the 'with white tea for a smoother taste' sold me because green tea can leave quite a bitter aftertaste.

why you should drink green tea every day too:

• aides in burning fat!!!! EGCG speeds up the rate at which fat is burned in your body which produces a faster metabolism.  music to my ears.
• calorie free. long as you stick with those zero calorie sweeteners:)
• provides stable energy. no spiking of your insulin levels which means no crashing and/or burning.  also wards off fatigue, irritability, and fatty food cravings. helps keep your appetite in check!
• aides in lowering the risk of several types of cancers, including heart attack, and stroke.
• antioxidant loaded = cell regeneration = 200 times more powerful than vitamin E when it comes to destroying those skin damaging, wrinkle causing free radicals.
• the tannins in green tea help with digestion after a meal.  however they also give it that bitter aftertaste.  that's nothing a little squeeze of lemon or lime can't fix though!

*just a tip:  green tea contains less caffeine than coffee, but consider switching to decaf if drinking before bed so you can get to sleep.  for real. staring at Sonny getting some good sleep gets old real fast.

le

leaner & cleaner meatloaf + something you should know!!

another recipe for those ground turkey (or lean beef) logs.  i have never thought of meatloaf as a healthy dish, ever.  it even sounds like anything but healthy. every now and then i want it though, so every now and then i make it.  i know you'll enjoy and appreciate this flavorful, lighter, healthier, yet filling recipe. lean turkey meat loaf

the stuff:

meatloaf:

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 minced yellow onion
• 1 med shallot or 2 cloves of garlic
• 3 slices of double fiber wheat bread
• 2 lbs of ground turkey 97% or 99% lean (i used one of each)
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 3 tbsp liquid aminos
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 whole eggs, 1/2 cup egg whites
• few squirts of low sodium worcestershire sauce

sauce:

• 1-1/2 cup low carb ketchup
• 1/4 cup coconut crystals
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard or yellow mustard
• sriracha chili sauce to taste

do this:

1. pre-heat your oven right now before you forget @ 350 deg.
2. soak the bread in the milk for a minute or two.
3. chop up the shallots and/or garlic, yellow onion, parsley, and cilantro.
4. in a huge bowl, throw everything in (soaked bread, veggies, meat, eggs, seasonings).
5. make sure those hands are scrubbed clean, then dive on in and mix and mold.

i stuck with the boring, classic loaf shape and put it on my broil/grill pan. i'll be more adventurous next time.

as you can see, i like my veggies nice and chunky.  you can dice/mince them if that's too big for your liking.

top the loaf with only half the sauce for now, and let it bake for 45 minutes.  that'll produce this:

 go ahead and sauce it one more time, and pop it back in the for last 15.

i fished out my meat thermometer and stuck it right in the center of the loaf- that little dial shot up so fast!! it was definitely overdone and i worried that it might be dry as i was already using lean meat.

nope, it was still juicy, flavorful, and moist.  even still, i suggest you check the temp after about 35 minutes in.

 2 lbs makes plenty- we ate off this thing for about 3 days for sure.  tasted better and better each time.

instead of the usual mashed potatoes and peas, i did cabbage.  cabbage is a nutritious veggie that is cheap and produces A LOT. it doesn't wilt down so much like spinach does.

 i sliced up 1 yellow onion, 1 green bell pepper, and a few slices of bacon for flavor (2-3).  before topping the pot and letting it simmer on med-low for about 20 minutes, i pour in about 1/2 - 1 cup of low-sodium chicken broth to help get the steaming process going.  i like my cabbage with a little crunch to it, but you'll just have to taste test it along the way.  oh don't forget to add fresh cracked black pepper and as little salt as necessary.  i was able to get 12 generous slices out of the loaf.

stats per serving:

cals: 140 (w/out sauce)

165 (w/ sauce)

fat: 1.6g

protein: 6g

fiber: 1g

last thing i HAD to share! no matter how much i love a product, i never trust their (or anybody's) portion sizes.  i was getting snacks ready for the week and although i  didn't want to lol, i put that chocolate drizzled popcorn to the test....i just had to know.  the bags says 1.5 cups is one serving, and that there are 6 servings total in the bag. that equals, yes, 9 cups of popcorn.

um...

...

i only managed to scoop out 6 cups. barely. more like 5 and 3/4th.

to be honest, i was expecting the exact opposite so i could tell you to be careful about taking in WAY MORE cals than what the label actually says!!!

...not this.

 i don't know whether to be happy there are 400+ cals less than i anticipated in the entire bag, or to write a letter to Popcorn, Indiana about my 3 missing cups!! regardless, a lesson was learned.  read the label and do your own measurements.

when's the last time you ate or even made meatloaf?

le

Bayou City Classic 10K 2012

light energy snack on the way to the race in the car- pistachiooooos.

*flashback* this is my awesome friend Krystal and i with our baby bumps exactly one year ago at the Bayou City Classic 10K 2011!  we were both expecting boys and finally met them about two months later.

 i couldn't tell ya what our time was cause we talked about baby stuff the whole way and didn't even pay attention. great times.

this year,

it rained the entire time!!!

i threw my shoes into the washing machine along with my soaked clothes afterwards- the rain did not let up. steady drizzle from start to finish.

making my way through the rainy downtown streets to the start line.

first time for everything!  put a towel over my head, secured it with my visor, turned on my ipod, and just ran.  i finished around 54 minutes.  this race had THE best post race food yet- breakfast tacos, chicken breast / fresh fruit bowls, and protein bars galore.

i even saw made-to-order toastadas!! i didn't get one though cause i already had waaaay too much crap in my hands.

they upgraded from regular cotton t-shirts to the jersey/mesh-like material this year.

i cleaned up, huh!

i saw spindletop (one of our anniversary dinner spots) in the distance and took one last shot before heading home.

my first and only niece is having her 1st birthday party today!  i sped home and got ready for the festivities.  i kept my hair wrapped and pinned underneath that towel during my run.  even though it was completely soaked through, my hair didn't look half bad after i let it air dry.  which is great cause i sure didn't feel like flat ironing it.

my sis-in-law and i at her daughter's party:)

i will be well prepared for a day full of screaming kiddos as my son's 1st b-day approaches, whew.  i sure could use that extra hour of sleep we are losing tonight!!

le

bbq + fish = why didn't i think of this sooner

so, i'll be turning the big 3-0 next month, and my little man will be 1 the following month!  i'm so excited for all these upcoming milestones, sweet.  i took my LO (little one) to the dr. yesterday for his check up and all went well.  as luck would have it, HEB is directly across the street from the clinic and i just couldn't be so close and not pay them a visit.  i got a few items for dinner and also some that i will add to the right stuff (i hope you've been checking for updates over there).  bbq shrimp was on the sampling menu and it smelled and tasted fantastic. sooo you already know what we had for dinner:

pretty sure they meant 'than'.. but who cares, it was so tasty.  i used up all my shrimp for another dish recently, but i knew this recipe would work just as good on some tilapia. and i always have tilapia.  people bbq up some ribs and chicken- why not fish?  i bought the sauce and did the buy-one-get-one-free deal.

i bought some fresh limes, used shallots instead of garlic, and chopped up plenty of fresh cilantro.

 i didn't buy the adams rub the recipe calls for- i stuck with my tony c's to season the fish with.

everybody in the pool.

i could have grilled this up in my grill pan, but i wanted to go get a quick run in since i have another 10K saturday and i hadn't run all week. surprise. so, i baked it like i normally do- 350 deg oven for 30 min.  when i walked back in the house, the smell was out of this world! definitely a new twist for this boring, but nutritious protein.

steamed some corn and whipped up some creamed spinach for the sides.

i packed up the rest for Sonny's lunch- i know he'll enjoy it even better today, yum.

speaking of today, i had about 3/4th cup of 2% greek yogurt with some almonds and a handful of pumpkin flax granola for my mid-morning snack.

you can find this at Whole Foods in the bulk isle. it's definitely the lowest cal count i've found for granola at 140 cals per 1/2 a cup.  pretty reasonable sugar count too at 3 grams per serving. not bad.  most other granola i find start above 200 cals.  again, no drizzle of honey needed cause the granola is sweet enough.

i taught my hour-long weights class this morning so my appetite is raging. lunch has already been served and devoured:

who has lettuce now? i do! i swallowed this peppercorn turkey avocado sandwich on wheat bread with a side of strawberries.

smile, tomorrow's FRIDAY:)

le

abs abs abs abs abs!!!!!

Q: screw a 6 pack, i just want my abs to be flat!!! help...

A: this is definitely THE number one question i get asked about.  before i show you what i do to get them,  there are some things you MUST do and consider before you can ever achieve them yourself.

• what you eat affects your tummy.  and no, im not talking about just eating too much. i could eat 3 broccoli stalks and blow up like a hot air balloon. i mean really, of all things, broccoli.  a number of other healthy foods can cause gas, tummy discomfort, and bloating...see what some of them are, here. even having to 'go' can create a significant bulge in your tummy.  i can't do anything about that lol, but you must learn pay attention to how your body reacts to different types of foods.  it can honestly take some time, but it's worth it to figure out what your trigger foods are.  i now know what NOT to eat before slipping into a fitted dress or my skinny jeans.

• maintain a healthy, balanced, portion controlled diet.  seems like the older i get, the ratio of working out vs. eating gets a little more lopsided.  i thought it was the combo of having a baby and turning 30, but who really knows! either way, i just can't eat like i used to.  it used to be 50% exercise, 50% diet.  now, it's more like 75% diet in order to maintain my current size and shape.  portion size never meant so much to me as it does now.  overdoing it can literally ruin a hard workout in seconds.  too much sodium makes my tummy poofy, and too much sugar makes it mushy.  not saying you can't have either- just remain active and have everything in moderation.  overall, stick to fresh, natural foods and cut out the processed, sugary junk.

• you won't ever (you hear me? everrrrr!!!!) get that defined, chiseled mid-section until you burn off that layer of fat on top of them. e.g. CARDIO exercise...and on a regular basis at that.  now, having a 6 pack requires a very low body fat percentage. unless i'm gonna compete in a fitness competition or something, it's just not that big a deal to me.  some type of cardio is definitely needed to keep them toned and flat though.  what kind of cardio? sprinting/running, spinning, kickboxing, elliptical/treadmill, athletic training boot camps, etc. take your pick and do at least 45 min to 1hr. of cardio at a time, 3x's a week, minimum. as always, your intensity determines overall calorie burn and results.

• do core/ab exercises CORRECTLY.  sigh. as an instructor, i see faulty exercise posture every. single. day.   if you aren't using your abs/core to begin with, don't expect to see significant changes in them since you are getting help from other body parts!  are you pulling on/with your neck? are you abusing momentum (rocking back/forth)? are you just mimicking the instructor and not focusing on YOUR abs? don't just go through the motions.  listen to the instructor's cues (if you are taking a class) and focus on feeling your own abs being worked for maximum results.

• vary your exercises.  look how many muscles make up your core! tons. aim to work your upper abs, lower abs, and right/left obliques. do a combo of different ab exercises to work your entire mid-section.

• water water water.  water reduces bloating, aides in digestion after your meal, and flushes out those bad toxins.  plus, you stay hydrated which is good for your skin and hair anyway.  stop it with that sugary soda and juice and replace it with water.  you can even do tea and use a natural sweetener if you just have to have a drink other than water with your meal.

6-8 hrs. of rest (preferably 8) every night.  ever eaten a meal, gone to sleep, woke up, and could still feel it sitting in your tummy? such a yucky , not so great feeling.  after having my little boy and enduring the every 2-3 hour breastfeeding schedule, i immediately noticed the effects it had on my body, physically.  (not even gonna expand on the mental damage, lol). anyway, because i wasn't able to sleep for a period of 8 or more hours at a time for a good while, my body never really got the chance to recover fully, which means my food wasn't digesting properly.  i had already lost the initial preggo fluid/water weight easily, but my weight loss came to a halt and started to creep back up again as lack of sleep also stimulates hunger.  it was a vicious cycle.  people are always surprised at sleep being criteria for flat abs..it's that serious.   not enough rest can lead to unhealthy eating habits, less exercise, and eventually obesity.

 i always had a faint linea negra, even before giving birth.  it finally faded back to normal after about 5 months or so.

  once you get these tips down, you will be well on your way to those flat abs.  summer is almost here- get it together!!!

le