banana carrot oat grain muffins

Ingredients

1½ cup of oat flour

1 tea spoon of baking soda

1/8 cup cider vinegar

pinch of salt

1 cup carrots, grated or finely shredded

1-2 banana, mashed

½ cup of raisins

¼ cup baking splenda

1 egg, whisked

¼ cup of milk

¼ cup hot water

1 T ground flax

¼ cup crushed walnuts

¼  cup of canola

1 T cinnamon

½ t ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place muffin liners in a muffin tin. Place Walnuts and Raisins aside. Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients. Combine dry with wet. Fold nuts and raisins. Bake @ 350 for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

what did i eat today

Well...I didn't actually eat this today. I was intending on posting this almost two weeks ago. One of my workout sisters asked me if I kept track of my macros etc. I really do not. I do however stay within the servings and stay carbohydrate heavy, focusing on whole foods. I am a pescatarian so if I am eating meat it is seafood.

My protein is in whole foods. I also get protein mostly from eggs, cheese, and soy.

The goal for the month of April was 'rise and fly' which was thirst up, gear up, then saddle up for the gym.

Since calories are roughly approximates I can say that with absolute truth my intake ranges from 1300-1500 calories.

Post Workout: Granola Bar

Breakfast: Blueberry Belgian Waffle, syrup, butter, Veg Sausage Pattie

Lunch: 1 c. Vegetable Fried Brown Rice, Cabbage/Carrot/Mushroom Egg Roll

Dinner:  1 ½ cup smothered cabbage/vegetarian bacon, ½ cup baked sweet potato, 1 Jalepeno Corn Muffin

Supper: 2T peanut butter, 3T hummus, 3 Celery ribs, ¼ c. carrots, ½ c. cucumbers

There it is. I eat four to five (mostly five) times a day if you include the post workout snack. The reason is to keep my blood sugar leveled throughout the day. When blood sugar is leveled I lower the risk of low or high insulin levels. I thoroughly enjoy food and I get to enjoy various flavors and textures. It is an amazing diet.

My workouts are max! I cannot even remember if there was ever a time when I felt useless during my workouts. I actually noted drastic increases in weight training over the last three months and this month alone they steadily increased. Eating after the workout instead of fueling up in the morning has shown that I can actually fire the engine on the fumes remaining from the day before .

There is not a food fairy that comes and injects me with nutrition over night. I mostly drink water after 6:30-7:30 p.m. I am in bed usually by 11 p.m. I rise at 4:30 a.m. most days, some days earlier. I am not nutrition deprived according to the results of this month. I am as predicted, dehydrated.

brown rice, whole grains, and why we shouldn't scoff at fiber

There is no excuse for ignoring good nutritional information. I was surprised to learn that so many still have yet to embrace the whole grain revolution. So many scoff at breads, cereals, even cite a wheat allergy, and yet they consume still: white rice, white bread, high sugar cereals, while avoiding brown rice, whole grain pastas and breads, along with whole grain cereals.

Fighting obesity, cancer prevention, healthy cholesterol, and reducing your chances of developing Type 2 diabetes should be tantamount to any nutritional plan. My diet is not perfect. I do not always make the best choices in foods. Sometimes those choices are simply good or to satisfy a taste. However, by and large embracing the whole food paradigm has made a tremendous impact in my overall health.

Since giving up a large amount of meat sources, I embraced the whole food revolution with grace and dignity. A little research went a long way. The more I grew to love whole grains the easier it became to  enjoy a 98% meatless diet.

Whole foods satiate hunger where refined ones leave you unsatisfied and prone to snacking, additional calorie consumption, weight gain, obesity, and sickness.

Food	Fiber Content in Grams
Oatmeal, 1 cup	3.98
Whole wheat bread, 1 slice	2
Whole wheat spaghetti, 1 cup	6.3
Brown rice, 1 cup	3.5
Barley, 1 cup	13.6
Buckwheat, 1 cup	4.54
Rye, 1/3 cup	8.22
Corn, 1 cup	4.6
Apple, 1 medium with skin	5.0
Banana, 1 medium	4.0
Blueberries, 1 cup	3.92
Orange, 1 large	4.42
Pear, 1 large	5.02
Prunes, 1/4 cup	3.02
Strawberries, 1 cup	3.82
Raspberries, 1 cup	8.36

Source.

The chart I posted is just a guideline to show the number of fiber grams per the food serving. Fiber adds bulk, aids digestion, and lowers cholesterol.

spring season challenge

Spring is on the calendar even though it has a faint appearance in the air. With seasons changing, I always try to interject a challenge into my workout schedule to shake things up a bit. I do this following a decent observation of my body’s reaction to the current trend. I'm a year-round fitness buff, so when I propose the word challenge it makes me even cringe. Challenges are for those who are predictably yo-yo dieters. There's usually a very low percentage of adapting the observations into the new regularly scheduled routine, because there's usually no routine to adapt into.

When I proposed a challenge to myself, it was merely done to shake up the normal and decide where I wanted to take my workouts to. I basically cover the same material, method, and strategies when it comes to weights. I do play around with my cardio sessions more.

Observations:
1. Not hungry on rise.
2. Diminished urge to go to the restroom for several hours.
3. Not feeling tired or sleepy in the middle of the day (no nap).
4. Waking up 1-2 hours before the alarm sounds.
5. Allergies on high alert.
6. Boredom with the spinning.

I addressed these observations in the spring challenge which officially commenced with the April workout schedule and immediately observed my body's reactions to those changes.

Challenges:
1. Rise and fly. If I’m up…get up, get set…get gone. No pre-workout snack.
2. Hydrate more.
3. Add more vegetables.
4. Add breathing treatment (peppermint steam) before and after workout.
5. Replace the spin day with an extra intense run day.
6. Have a snack after dinner, but no latter than 8 p.m.

Reactions:
1. Noticed weights feel lighter. Increased weights.
2. Body is adapting fast. Pushing more weights.
3. Natural urge returns.
4. Feel more engaged in the runs.
5. Naps are mostly on cardio/run days.
6. Sleep better, less congestion.

I will continue to make notations of my observations. Recording my workouts is what makes my workouts so much more rewarding. I actually know what I'm doing, why I'm doing it, and make adjustments or alterations where necessary. I encourage you to make a food, sleep, and workout diary. You need a record to be able to track your progress. I never thought that I could have the same workout or an even more productive challenging one on an empty stomach.

blt deviled eggs...veg

Deviled Eggs with Salad

Ingredients

·         6 large eggs, hard-boiled and peeled

·         1/4 cup mayonnaise

·         2 slices MorningStar Farms bacon, cooked and diced plus more for garnish, if desired

·         2 cherry tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped

·         1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

·         Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Halve the eggs lengthwise. Remove the yolks and add them to a medium bowl. Mash the yolks with a fork and stir in the mayonnaise, bacon, tomatoes, and parsley. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and blend well.

Fill the egg whites evenly with the yolk mixture and garnish with bacon, if desired. Arrange them in a container and store, covered, in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

this...not this

It's Girl Scout Cookie time. I know my traditional favorite is the Samoa, a chewy, sweet-salty, yummy badness. I literally could clear an entire box in a few hours. Nutrition, not a favorable. Girl Scout Cookies are an annual tradition that you sink your teeth into, feel guilty over, but spend the remaining year forgetting, until it comes back again next year...same bat time, same bat place.

Well, I have a healthy substitute that you can eat every day of the year, with far less guilt.

eat this

130 cal. per serving (1 bar)

9 grams of fiber

2 grams protein

*rich in vitamin E & zinc

***

Girl Scout Samoa Cookies 

not this

150 calories (2 cookies)

0 grams of fiber

0 grams of protein

*no trace of vitamins or minerals

This week was an added bonus since I found the Fiber Plus bars on sale at Kmart. I'm an old fan, but the regular marked price drives me to a cheaper competitor. When ever I can find them on sale, it's a go!

to cheat or not to cheat

What is a cheat meal?

The dictionary defines cheat as to deceive using trickery. I prefer the definition for “cheat” as to partake in behavior that goes against tradition or the norm. What is a cheat meal? According to my definition, if I eat three meals and two snacks daily, then on a specific appointed day, I add an additional meal or snack.

Usually my cheat meal is at the end of my workout week. There are times where this has been a slice of pizza or two, popcorn, or some confection that I'v e rewarded myself with for exceeding the goals of the week. Given that my refrigerator is often loaded with meals on rotation, pizza is rarely desired. Most of the time, I will opt for a slice carrot cake or a cupcake.

I never punish myself and say ‘you can’t have it’. I find that too often many ‘critics’ or dieters stuck in a brain warp are FAT! That is right I said FAT! They never see success for long before they’re back on the floor kicking and screaming for failing to lose weight or stick to the diet. They are prisoners of their mind. People who are on a journey, a lifestyle change eat what they want or what they desire, only they find the way to work it into their day or week as a meal, and move on to continued success.

This is why I don’t like to use the word cheat according to the definition. Cheat is in reference to an anti-social behavior. There is nothing anti-social about changing how you look at food. Anti-social is to live on a roller coaster of yo-yo dieting. In the spring you fight to get thin from all of the bad behavior you subjected yourself to all winter. This is primarily due to a lack of exercise that slows the metabolism. Foods you would normally be able to control portion size have gone from recommended servings to horse portions.

Food, like money does not lead to evil. It is the inability to control or suppress the will to behave poorly that leads to evil, or overeating.

A few weeks ago I ran what was my first half marathon on the ground. It was training exercise for the big event. My feet hurt, and as I iced them, I enjoyed a half cup of Haagen Daz chocolate peanut butter ice cream. I posted this in a group I follow on Facebook. Someone decided that they’d tell me…me of all people to not forget to stretch, as if this was my first time ever running, or as if yoga is not a part of my daily life. The coup de gras was the notation that I should leave that ice cream alone. I checked the poster on both accounts with as much tact as I could muster, considering that I post regularly my exploits of exercise.

One should never make assumptions or measure others by self-imposed limitations. I realize that a healthy weight and exercise for some is a new thing. Still, you must know to whom you are speaking and never assume that everyone is running from food. I live in a house that has every temptation. I live in a corridor full of fast food and meat prone restaurants. None that bothers me one bit. I know what I need and I know what I want. It is important to distinguish one from the other.

Everything, in moderation. Cheating implies guilt will follow.