Monthly Archives: March 2016

Why I Chose to Compete

Posted on by
1

One week from today I will be stepping on the stage for my second time.  I am exhausted and have many emotions going through me right now; however, this time around the biggest emotion is excitement.  I am excited to go out there and beat the girl I was back in September.  She was nervous,scared, uncomfortable, timid, anxious and extremely frightened.  Today I am confident and excited to show that girl what a champion is made of.  I am competing against myself and pushing myself to be a better version of me.

So why on earth do I even want to compete?  Well, it all started 4 years ago when I started working out with a fierce group a ladies and an amazing trainer.  I gained strength and confidence and felt empowered to be who I wanted to be.  A few girls at the gym did bodybuilding competitions and I always imagined it was something I could never achieve.  After thinking about it for a couple years I just decided to go for it, why the hell not?    I wanted to show my kids that if you want something bad enough, and you work you ass off, you can achieve it.  Although not everyone wants to stand on stage in an itsy bitsy bikini and flex their glutes, the concept of determining your goals and staying commited to them is the same.   Don’t sit around thinking about your goals, get up and start working on them!  We can not change who we were yesterday but we can work on today and live for tomorrow.

IMG_3979.JPG

This is my 12 week transformation for my first NPC Bikini Competition. I placed 3rd in Open and qualified for Nationals.

So how much sugar is really in my latte?

Posted on by
1

I love coffee!  Did I mention that I absolutely love coffee?  My day does not begin until my keurig is done brewing.  During my work week I make daily trips to our local coffee shop with coworkers and enjoy every last sip.  One thing I do notice when purchasing my brewed coffee, which I simply sweeten with stevia and a splash of half and half, is all the fancy dessert sounding drinks everyone around me is ordering (Birthday cake latte, pumpkin spice latte, caramel mocha latte, etc.) Before judging them and the size of their ass, I remind myself that they probably don’t realize that they are drinking well over 300 calories and approximately 50 grams of sugar.  Yeah, that is why they are ordering those drinks, they simply don’t know any better.  Well, you are in luck because my son Bryson and I made a quick video to actually show you what you are drinking.  Enjoy!

Apple Cinnamon Protein Waffles

Posted on by
1

While cleaning out my cupboards I discovered a waffle maker hiding in the back.  I have not used it in years so I thought, why not?  Instead of making my traditional protein pancakes I whipped up a large batch of protein waffles and ate them all week post-workout.

What you will need:

DSCN1085.JPG

Ingredients for Protein Waffles

 

  • 2 cups Kodiak Cakes power pancake mix (from Costco)
  • 1 scoop of whey protein powder (I used Dymatize Iso-100 in Cinnabun)
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 3 tsp stevia
  • 5 egg whites
  • 8 oz. unsweetened natural applesauce
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • 1 cup vanilla unsweetened cashew milk

Instructions:

  1. Mix all dry ingredients together
  2. Add wet ingredients and mix well
  3. Pour into pre-heated waffle iron and cook until done (It took me a few attempts to get it right) Makes 18 waffles on Belgium waffle maker
DSCN1089.JPG

Try not to make a mess!

DSCN1094.JPG

 

Nutrition Facts (per waffle):

63 Cals, 9g Carbs, 6g Protein, 1g Fat

DSCN1101.JPG

How I find the time to fit it all in

Posted on by
Reply

Lately a lot of people have been commenting to me I don’t know how you find all that extra time.
In this video I give a brief summary of my strategies and techniques for staying fit and living a healthy life.  Oh, and if you don’t like people that tell you how it is you’re probably not gonna love my video blog.

Quick and Easy Roasted Asparagus

Posted on by
Reply

With spring just around the corner the first vegetable to pop out of the ground is asparagus.  Asparagus is loaded with nutrients such as fiber, folate, and vitamins A, C, E and K.  Additionally, it is packed with antioxidants and can help detoxify your body.  I highly recommend grabbing some from your local farmer’s market and adding it to your next meal.

Here is a quick and easy recipe to get the asparagus from you fridge to your plate in under 15 minutes:

What you need:

·         Olive Oil Cooking Spray

·         Garlic Powder

·         Onion Powder or Onion Flakes

·         Sea Salt

·         Pepper

·         Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese (optional)

·         Cookie Sheet

DSCN1047.JPG

1.       Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit

2.       Wash and trim your asparagus. (To trim, simply snap the bottom of the stalk off where the soft meets the hard.  If picked properly, this should already have been done)

3.       Spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray

4.       Add cleaned and trimmed asparagus

5.       Spray asparagus generously with cooking spray

6.       Sprinkle generously with garlic and onion powder

7.       Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and pepper

8.       Bake at 425 for 10 minutes

9.       Sprinkle lightly with fresh parmesan and enjoy!

DSCN1076 (2)DSCN1056

Reflect and Refocus

Posted on by
Reply

What are the most important things in your life?   Does how you spend your time and money align with your answer?  I thought about that myself today after someone posted a comment on one of my recipes pointing out that I was obsessed with the two Fs, food and fitness. If you were to ask me I would say my priorities are the following four Fs listed in order of importance; faith, family, fitness and food.  However, I realized that recently fitness and food were dominating faith and family.  I reflected on that today and turned my focus to my faith and my family.  Sometimes our life gets a bit crazy and we lose focus on what’s most important.  This post is just a little reminder to take a time-out to reflect and refocus.

11102025_10205552820451958_4924738210785620053_o

 

Bikini Competitor Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Protein Cookies

Posted on by
Reply

Today I was craving cookies. I didn’t want a salad or grilled chicken and broccoli.  I just really wanted cookies.  Not super sweet and processed store bought cookies that make you feel like junk afterwards, but heathy, nutritious soft cookies filled with protein, vitamin A and dark chocolate.  I decided to get creative in my kitchen and was pleasantly surprised with my results.  Actually, I liked them so much that I ended up eating enough to count as my dinner and skipped my usual salad and grilled lean protein. Oops, that is what happens when you make a batch of 24 bite size cookies and you don’t put them away quickly enough (out of sight, out of mind).   Oh, and here is my disclaimer for those of you who like the “real” cookies made with processed shit, butter and lots of sugar, these might be a little too healthy for you.  You might even think they are disgusting.  But for you clean eating health nuts out there looking to stay lean, try this recipe.

Nutrition Facts: (per cookie, recipe makes 24)

43 Calories, 6g Carbs, 4g Protein, 1g Fat

Ingredients:

DSCN0971.JPG

  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 scoop cinnamon or vanilla protein powder (I used Dymatize ISO-100 Cinnabun)
  • 6 teaspoons Zing natural baking sugar (mix of sugar and stevia) or 1 cup baking stevia
  • 1 scoop vanilla Casein protein (if you don’t have this add another scoop of whey)
  • 2 tbsp of coconut flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 30 g extra dark chocolate chips
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 dash nutmeg
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract (I started adding this to all my muffin and cookie recipes because it is so damn good)
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1 can natural pumpkin puree

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350 (use multi-rack convection bake if you have it)
  • Combine all dry ingredients and mix well
DSCN0972.JPG
  • Add remaining wet ingredients and mix well
DSCN0974.JPG
  • Scoop 1 tbsp size drop cookies onto baking sheet
DSCN0976.JPG
DSCN0978.JPG
  • Bake at 350 for approximately 10 minutes
  • Cookies will be soft and gooey because of pumpkin

DSCN0985.JPG

dscn0982[1]

Bikini Competitor Chocolate Protein Breakfast Muffins

Posted on by
Reply

DSCN0934.JPG

Looking for a tasty breakfast alternative to oatmeal and egg whites that you can prepare in bulk and eat on the go?  Well, then this quick and easy recipe is for you.  I typically workout early in the morning and then eat my post-workout meal/breakfast on my long drive to work.  These muffins are a quick and convenient way to eat a balanced breakfast that meets my macros while on the go.  They are moist, hearty and not to sweet.  If you are looking for a chocolate brownie or cookie alternative these are not for you.

What you will need:

DSCN0913.JPG

  • 226 grams of Low Fat Cottage Cheese
  • 2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 4 oz Natural Applesauce (unsweetened)
  • 1 Cup Unsweetened Cashew or Almond Milk
  • 1 container of liquid egg whites (or 10 egg whites)
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1 cup baking stevia
  • 3 scoops chocolate Whey Protein Powder
  • 2 cups Oat Meal
  • 3 tbsp coconut flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda

Instructions:

  • Blend cottage cheese, vanilla, applesauce and cashew milk in blender until smooth.
  • Pour into mixing bowl and whisk in eggs.  Whisk for ~ 50 strokes
  • Whisk in remaining ingredients in order listed and mix well
DSCN0915.JPG
  • Let sit 5-10 minutes to thicken
  • Evenly pour or scoop into 24 paper lined or sprayed muffin tins
  • Sprinkle with raw cacao nibs or slivered almonds (optional)
DSCN0917.JPG
  • Back at 350 for approximately 20 minutes or until middle is done.  I use multi rack convection bake at 350 degree Fahrenheit.

Nutrition Facts (per muffin):

62 Calories, 1g Fat, 7g Carbs, 6 g Protein (I usually eat 4 at a time)

DSCN0925.JPG

DSCN0932.JPG