Looking for a tasting recipe this Lent that healthy and good? Whip up a quick batch of these salmon cakes and enjoy them for lunch or dinner. I created this recipe during my competition prep because I wanted to get more heart healthy fat in my diet. I am big into flavor and texture so eating salmon straight from the can was not an option. Costco sells canned pink salmon in bulk and it is much cheaper than buying fresh salmon fillets. I also like to prep a larger batch of these and eat them through the week or freeze half.
Ingredients:
2 Cans of drained wild Alaskan pink salmon
1/4 oat flour (put oatmeal in blender)
3 servings (9tbsp) of liquid egg whites
1tsp Wildtree Dill Dip Blend or dill seasoning of your choice
Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions:
Mix all ingredients together and let sit for 5-10 minutes
Preheat griddle over medium heat
Spray griddle with non-stick cooking spray
Take a large spoon full of mix and put on griddle
Pat mix down into cake with fork
Cook until firm on one side
Spray with non-stick cooking spray and flip
Cook until firm and brown
Repeal above steps to make 6 salmon cakes
Enjoy with spicy mustard!
Nutritional Facts (per cake, recipe makes 6 total):
Tonight I was tired, hungry, sore,run down, hungry, mentally exhausted, and hungry. Did I say hungry? Yes, I am 7 weeks into my second bikini competition prep and today I realized I still have 5 weeks of this to go. I just want a bottle of wine! I started to question why I signed up to do this again. Because working 40 + hours a week as an engineering group leader, teaching group fitness and being a Beachbody coach isn’t enough, why not add something else to your plate Nicole? I was working on cleaning out our home office so I can set up a workspace for by Beachbody business while listening to training videos on my soundbar and doing laundry. On breaks I would watch the new release of Group Power that I need to have memorized by March 7th. I wasn’t getting very far on any of my many tasks and then I realized I still need to practice posing this weekend. Okay, so I got back to the office. (Yep, that is pretty much how my ADD brain works) It was at that moment that I found a letter that my oldest son wrote in 8th grade. The assignment was to write about your Idol. His good friend chose Michael Jordan. My son chose his mom.
This letter is all I needed to stop my pity party, get my office in order, finish the laundry and practice my posing. Just when you are ready to give up and quit, remember that somebody is watching. What kind of example do you want to set for your kids? My passion, motivation, focus, drive and intensity is fueled by my love for my kids. Be strong for them.
Looking for a tasty and sweet meal replacement shake that will keep you satisfied for hours? Well, I just created one. I modified a PB&J recipe I saw on shakeology’s website to meet my macro needs and was pleasantly surprised with the taste. I have using shakeology for two weeks now and I will never go back. My cravings are seriously reduced (I was addicted to chocolate), my digestion is regular again (I was taking 2 probiotics a day and 2 digestive enzymes) and I am loving the taste. They also are more filling than any other shake I have tried (and I have tried them all). This is a meal replacement shake and not a protein shake. It is filled with dense nutrition you can’t get from protein powder. I am training for a competition so that is why I add additional protein to my shakes (liquid egg whites). I still use whey protein to supplement my workouts.
Ingredients:
8-12 oz water or unsweetened cashew milk (I used water because I was out of cashew milk)
Your typical bikini competitor diet consists of a lot of egg whites (high protein, low calories and fat). I love food and flavor and can’t just eat plain egg whites every day so I have found many different ways to spice them up. This recipe is one of my favorites and has even passed the husband taste test. These muffin cups are easy to pop in the microwave and eat on the go so there is no excuse for missing breakfast.
1/2 cup unsweetened cashew milk (or milk of your choice)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup baking stevia (or natural sweetener of your choice)
6 slices Ezekiel bread cut into small cubes
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 (use multi-rack convection if your oven has it. I purchased mine at Nawara Brothers Home Store in Grand Rapids Michigan and love it!)
Line 24 muffin cups with parchment paper cups or spray with non-stick baking spray
Evenly distribute the cubed bread in the muffin cups
4. Mix all other ingredient together in mixing bowl. Whisk for 1 minute.
5. Pour egg white mixture evenly over Ezekiel bread in each muffin cup.
6. Let sit for 5 minutes.
7. Bake at 350 for approximately 30 minutes or until egg whites are cooked thoroughly.
8. Enjoy! The recipe makes 24 so I typically freeze half and put the other 12 in the fridge.
Nutrition Facts per Muffin: (I eat 4 -6 at a time)
24 Calories, 0.2 grams of fat, 4 grams of carbs, 5 grams of protein
I was craving something sweet this weekend post workout and wanted to make something quick and easy. I whipped up this baked protein oatmeal when I got home from the gym and threw it in the oven before getting ready to run back out to my son’s basketball game. It turned out so good that I had to take pictures and share the recipe with others. I just made another batch and put it in the oven while typing this up.
Ingredients:
2 cups quick oats or rolled oats
2 scoops whey protein powder (I used ISO-100 Cinnamon Bun flavor)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups unsweetened cashew milk
3/4 cup liquid egg whites
Add Stevia to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix the above ingredients together and pour into a round or square baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking oil.
Top with 3/4 cup frozen blueberries and 1 tbsp crushed walnuts.
Bake at 350 for approximately 45 minutes or until done in center.
Makes 6 servings. 195 Calories, 24 g Carbs, 17 g Protein, 5 g Fat
Mix all ingredients together
Pour in baking dish and top with blueberries and crushed walnuts
I was first fully introduced to the Beachbody programs this time last year when a few coworkers and I decided to do the 21 Day Fix Extreme program together. Although my journey to being fit and healthy started about 5 years ago, I am human and there have been many ups and downs along the way. Last summer we bought a new house that needed many renovations. I put my workouts off and focused on my house. Then, in the fall, I got a new job and that became my focus (in addition to family of course). My weight slowly started to climb and I was definitely no longer “fit”. Spring break was just around the corner and the thought of wearing my bikini made me nervous and uncomfortable.
I didn’t know exactly what I was getting into but the idea of only working out 30 minutes a day and using color coded food containers to meal prep intrigued me. The 21 Day Fix program and the 21 Day Fix Extreme provides 7 fun and effective workouts and a simple way to figure out your diet with the use of 7 color coded food containers. The eating plan has color coded squares that correspond with the food container. There was no weighing of my food, counting macros, measuring, etc. If your food fits into the container you can eat it! The workouts were awesome and offered tons of variety. There was a different discs for each day of the week. At the end of the 21 days we only did each disc three times. It never got boring and my body always felt challenged. My coworkers and I created an excel spreadsheet to make the food tracking a little bit easier and worked out together on lunch when we could. If we didn’t fit in the workouts during the day we held each other accountable and finished on our own at home. We created are own mini challenge group and motivated each other. I noticed changes in my energy and body after the first week and that provided extra motivation. After the 21 days I was 10lbs lighter, dropped 2 pants sized and rocked my bikini at spring break. This by far has been my best Beachbody program experience and I would recommend this program to anyone (male or female) looking for a balanced plan that involves strength training, cardio, Pilates and yoga.
I am so excited about this program and how it can help others reach their goals that I will be starting a 21 Day Fix challenge group March 14th 2016. The best part about doing the 21 Day Fix program right now is that it is currently $70 off through the end of February. I can offer this great program to others for a really low price (much less than I paid). I will be posting additional information about the challenge group and requirements on my See Mom Lift facebook page. If you are positive you want to join I highly recommend buying your challenge pack this month, February 2016 while it is on sale. Contact me for more information or use the link at the bottom of this page.
Below is a video that describes the program in greater detail.
Are you looking for the perfect post-workout meal that will fill you up and satisfy your sweet tooth? Well, I have created it and I am going to share my recipe. First step is to run to Costco and purchase Kodiak Cakes pancake mix. It is by far the best protein pancake mix I have used. I was making my protein pancakes with ground oatmeal (oat flour) but they just didn’t have the same texture as pancakes. I could fool my family and was stuck eating all the pancakes myself. Well, this batch of pancakes had the whole house fooled and they were gone before I could set aside some leftovers for breakfast the next day. Instead of syrup I topped my pancakes with Honeyville Organic powdered peanut butter mixed to a liquid consistency with cashew milk. They were delicious! I ended up licking the peanut butter off of the plate.
Recipe (Makes 9 large pancakes):
2 smashed bananas (250 grams)
1.5 cups Kodiak Cakes mix
1.5 cups unsweetened cashew milk
12 tbsp of liquid egg whites (egg beaters)
1 tsp of vanilla extract
4-8 packs of stevia
1 tsp of cinnamon
Mix well and cook over preheated griddle. I made large pancakes and divided my recipe up into 3 servings of 3 pancakes (9 pancakes total). You could make smaller pancakes and divide them up evenly into 3 servings.
Are you looking for a fast and effective way to get your cardio in and tone your butt? Well, you are luck because I have the perfect interval workout for you! Put on your Shefit sports bra and hit the treadmill! Adjust the speed and incline according to your fitness level.
I am not a huge fan of cardio and would prefer to just lift weights faster. Unfortunately, I have a specified amount of cardio in my weekly plan that I must do to reach my goals. It’s cold here in Michigan so I decided to stay indoors and hit the treadmill for some intervals. On paper this workout looked pretty manageable but let me tell you, I was dying half way through (I did this the day after leg day so that probably didn’t help). I may have had to walk during a few of the recoveries but I pushed through all of the sprints until the end. After completing the below intervals I named it “Butt Kicking Treadmill Workout”. Have fun and enjoy!
A typical “clean breakfast” for a bikini competitor is oatmeal and egg whites. Well, that is a little boring for me and hard to eat on the go. I got creative with the ripe bananas I had and all the stuff filling my fridge and cupboards and made these quick and easy breakfast muffins.
Ingredients: (Mix wet in one bowl and dry in another)
2 ripe bananas smashed (~260grams)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 container of egg beaters egg whites (30 tbsp.)
1 cup nonfat plain greek yougurt
1 cup unsweetened cashew or almond milk
2 scoops cinnabun hydrolyzed whey isolate (or protein powder of your choice)
1 scoop vanilla casein protein powder (this keeps you full longer)
2 cups dry oatmeal
24g (1tbsp) of chia seeds
1/2 cup baking stevia or use stevia packets to taste (this is because I like things sweet)
1tsp baking powder
2tsp baking soda
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Smash banana and add all wet ingredients to one large bowl. Mix well
Place all dry ingredients in bowl and mix well
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mix well and let sit for 5 or more minutes (The batter will thicken while the chia seeds and oats expand)
Line 24 muffin tins with baking cups or spray with non-stick spray
Spoon batter evenly into the 24 muffin tins
Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until muffins are browned and no liquid remains in middle (do not over cook or they will be dry!)
Enjoy 3-4 muffins for breakfast!
Nutrition Facts per muffin:
72 Calories, 1 g fat, 9g carbs, 7 g protein.
Need more fat? Spread a thin layer of coconut butter or peanut butter on top. Yummy!
These are made with all clean ingredients and have no sugar. Store them in the refrigerator or they will grow mold quickly! Also, I freeze half of the batch and pull out at the start of each week.
Here is a tip for travelers: Pack frozen muffins in suitcase and they will thaw while you travel. Place them in fridge at your hotel and enjoy a balanced breakfast!
See Mom Lift 