Rounding 2nd base!!

Oooohhhh...it's getting close! Just 12 more days! And WOW! I feel AWESOME!!!! From reading elsewhere online I thought I was going to feel tired, cranky, moody, stressed out, etc. but that is DEAD WRONG!! Yes, I'm a little tired but I took some time over the weekend to rest because I know my body needs it. And today I'm feeling STRONG, rested, happy, amazing!! Did I say amazing?!? I think I'm so surprised that I feel as great as I do that it makes me feel even better.

So into Monday we roll. Doo doo doo doo doo...la la la!! I'm skipping and singing, can you tell? LOL!! I'm just so happy to be so happy rolling into my last 12 days! Awesome! And I think I forgot to mention that Gina reduced my cardio this week by 30 minutes so now I just have 510 minutes!! Woot woot!! AWESOME!!

So in summary, 510 minutes of cardio this week, weight training 5 days this week, steak, spelt flakes, nut butters, nuts...LIFE IS GOOD!!!!! This would be a prep done right I suppose. I'm so glad I have such fantastic guidance from Gina, support from all of you, and dedication within myself. It is so most definitely paying off BIG TIME!!!

Today I got up and did 30 minutes all on the stepmill. Piece o' cake!! My  meals so far:
Meal 1) French toast with Julian bread - PLEASE!! SO delicious! Egg whites on the side
Meal 2) Spelt flakes and walnuts with Paradise Green Tea protein "milk"
Meal 3) Salad with tilapia and Shallot Oregano Caper Vinaigrette (just mix red wine vinegar, olive oil, minced shallot, minced fresh oregano, mustard, sea salt)
More meals still to come! I'll keep you posted.

Oh! And my new VERY favorite anytime "treat" or more correctly "dessert"...Roasted kabocha (of course) with cinnamon and 1 tablespoon or so of Mimicreme! Just heat the kabocha, drizzle with Mimicreme and sprinkle with cinnamon and Just Like Sugar or other sugar substitute as desired. Mix all together  or eat it just that way. Oh lord!!! You will think you died and went to heaven. It's FANTASTIC!!!!

Here's to another fantastic week of taking control of our lives and forming our future the way WE want it!! Woot woot!!!! Let's be the second version of this quote!

“When it comes to the future, there are three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and those who wonder what happened.” ~John M. Richardson, Jr.

Contest Prep Secret Weapon #1 - GUM!!

Let's talk gum, shall we? Okay, I have NEVER really liked fruit flavored gum but...I have had very little fruit during my prep so now I'm all over fruit flavored gum. Yes, I've become a FRUIT GUM WHORE!! LOL!! Luckily it is a time when fruit flavored gum is popular and gum makers are doing a fine job of coming up with all kinds of flavors. Believe me...I've tasted almost all of them!!

Well, I have a nice picture of my work desk drawer but for some reason it's not loading. Maybe later it will. At any given moment I have 1-2 packs in my purse, 2-3 packs in my workout bag, and 5-6 packs in my desk drawer!!! I've NEVER chewed this much gum in my life! But it has been ONE of my saviors in this journey.

Flavors in my desk:
1) Mentos Red Fruit Lime - great flavor but the flavor is gone FAST
2) 5 Elixir - berry flavor
3) 5 React - "a unique fruit flavor experience" - actually an accurate description
4) Extra Polar Ice - yes, I know this is NOT a fruit flavor
5) Orbit Sweetmint - ditto above
6) Stride Mystery Flavor - somewhat of a pomegranate/rhubarb flavor - yummy

Flavors in my car:
1) Orbit Tropical Remix - yummy
2) Orbit Pure Peach - so peachy tasting, brand new in my car as of yesterday
3) Trident Wild Blueberry Twist - BLUEBERRY!! Need I say more? I will...AND pomegranate!

Flavors in my workout bag:
1) Extra Sweet Tropical - my ABSOLUTE favorite!
2) Extra Wintergreen
3) Extra Sweet Watermelon

So the one thing I just learned is that most of the "brands" I like are made by Wrigley - Orbit, 5, and Extra are all made by Wrigley! Did you know that?!? Crazy!

This is a list of all the gums I have tried during my prep:
Extra
Sweet Watermelon Fruit Sensations
Sweet Tropical Fruit Sensations
Polar Ice
Orbit
Tropical Remix
Lime Melon
Citrus Mint
Sweetmint
Spearmint
Berry Red - wouldn't you think this has more of a berry flavor? It does NOT. Tastes like Strawberry Banana, not BERRY - bad naming Wrigley!! :-)
Trident
Strawberry Citrus Layers
Green Apple Pineapple Layers
Tropical Twist
Wild Blueberry Twist
Watermelon Twist
Passionberry Twist
Dentyne
Fire

So if you need some gum guidance, I am just the person you want to talk to! That was a fun walk down gum memory lane! Hope you all enjoyed. I know it was a random post but it was fun for me!

Roasted Squash Guts Soup with Tilapia

Roasted Squash Guts Soup with Tilapia

For the puree:

2-3 cups guts of squash (leftover from Ribbon Salad), chopped

1 onion, chopped

6-10 garlic cloves

1-2 jalapeno, chopped

Place all in foil-lined roasting pan. Roast at 350 degrees till brown and fragrant, stirring occasionally. When cool, blend to form puree and add water as needed. Keep in fridge till ready to use. 

For soup:

1/2 cup squash puree

1/4 cup low sodium veggie stock

1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond breeze

1 T olive oil

5 oz broiled tilapia (I seasoned it with onion powder, garlic powder, 21 seasoning salute)

Mix first 3 ingredients in bowl and microwave till warm/hot. Flake tilapia with fork and put in soup. Drizzle olive oil over and stir in as desired. DELISH and super easy! And, yes, if I knew I was going to like it so much and post it I would have taken a photo but alas, I did not!!

2 WEEKS OUT!!!

 
Okay, seriously...WHO DOES THIS?!?!? Have you ever had a coach tell you at 2 weeks out that you get a REST day? Complete and total rest day - no weights, no cardio!!! Well, my coach emailed me that and guess what?  I misread the email!! AARGH!!!!! Are you kidding? I got up and was at the gym at 6am, on the stepmill for 45 minutes. I came home and reread the email and just about screamed!! Can you believe it? I'm slowly...very slowly...getting over it!! Ugh!

On the flip side, it must have started my day out right because I'm basically done with my chores around the house and I'm off to get my groceries. I already broiled up some tilapia. I have more to broil and later shrimp as well. And more kabocha to roast. Speaking of kabocha...OH MY! I have a new "dessert" that I eat often - ridiculously easy and incredibly delicious!

I sent my coach my weight and photos yesterday and guess what? I dropped 3 pounds last week! So now guess what? MORE food!!! Woohoo! I have a lot of food on my menu plan and more fats (in the form of nuts and nut butters...mmmmmmm) this week. Steak of course is hanging in there! WAHOO!! Love my steak. Yummy!

But today is still the old plan so I have had some yumminess today:
Meal 1) Julian Cinnamon Almond Bread with NuttZo and egg whites with tomatoes and Bac'Uns (BLT breakfast pizza minus the L!)
2) Zucchini Loaf
3) Delicious Roasted Squash Guts Soup with Tilapia (just made this up and LOVE it!)
That's it for now and I'll be onto Meal 4 very soon which will be a steak omelet! :-)

Hope you're all having a fantastic weekend. I'm off to the store to do some damage in the produce, meat and seafood departments!!

“I think we all wish we could erase some dark times in our lives. But all of life's experiences, bad and good, make you who you are. Erasing any of life's experiences would be a great mistake.” ~Luis Miguel

Grateful for this JOURNEY...and beyond

I'm so incredibly glad I took this journey, made this fantastic choice, went beyond what I thought I was capable of, set a huge goal, and followed through! Yep, I even impressed myself! Making choices and taking chances are both hard for me, always have been...IN THE PAST...but with this decision and chance I took on myself, I've turned my life around. I say "chance I took" because I did take a chance, a chance to fail! But I didn't fail, nor did I give up. Yes, I know I still have a couple of hard weeks in front of me but that doesn't by any means diminish the last 14 weeks I have BEHIND me!

I've done this before but I encourage ALL of you to really think about your life and take huge risks. Set big goals and reach them. Even if I don't step on stage at this point, just what I've done for myself up to this point has been unbelievable. I truly didn't think last year that I would look and feel like I do today! Yes, I'm a little tired sometimes but my body feels soooo good. I feel very healthy - few aches if any, increased energy (do you know that I don't even get a mid-afternoon crash AT ALL?), smoother skin, and happier glow in general! Could I ask for more? I think not.

And the question continues to come about if I will continue my workouts and eating as I have been doing. That is a definitive NO! However, I will be doing weights 3-4 times a week (right now it's 5) and cardio 3-4 times a week as well (right now it's 14 - 2 a day). Anything else above and beyond that that I would like to do I'll do as well. The great thing here is that I can do any activity I want because ALL my energy won't be going into my workouts everyday and every spare second of every day. I will be able to get back to enjoying other activities that I have definitely missed like inline skating, hiking, Indo-Row, dancing, yoga, aerobics, etc.

My food will be fairly similar to what it is now. I'm still going to eat clean but I will allow myself a refuel meal once a week. The problem for me with food is that I'm going to have to take control of my mind so it doesn't explode with ideas for new recipes. But the beautiful thing about that is I won't get bored and I have a constant challenge to make any recipe healthier while still keeping it intriguing and exciting. Will I go out to eat more? OH YES I WILL!!! Having cooked all my own meals for the past 14 weeks (686 of 'em!!!) with only ONE refuel in all that time has been a little challenging. And there's a social component to going out to eat where you can just sit, relax and talk with your friends. THAT I definitely miss and REALLY look forward to. And as good a cook as I am, there are some cuisines that I can't seem to duplicate...YET!!!

I know not everyone is as strict in their preps as I have been. I basically have followed it to a T. Maybe missed a couple of workouts and maybe ate a couple of things I shouldn't have but I was very strict with myself. It will be nice to loosen up again and just go with the flow. Yes, I'll be prepared and yes, I'll still eat right and workout enough but I don't have to be so strict and won't just be mad at myself if I miss a workout or workout less or eat a little more or less. It will all be okay. I know in general I'll be fine.


As I think I stated in a previous post, I will definitely be working on a mealplan AND workout plan for the first 3 weeks following the competition as well as my, what I like to call, healthy living plan. I will be sticking to this plan but I will definitely have flexibility and I can still go out to eat and have friends over for meals. It will be great. Yep, definitely looking forward to that!

No, I'm sure I won't eat the way I did but am I going to have french fries on occasion? DAMN straight!!!!! I know they may not be good for me but they are far and away my absolute FAVORITE food. And the beauty of having a plan is that you have that flexibility to have a favorite here and there. How often would depend on each person as we are all different. I would say for me that if I get my fries every month or 2, then I'm good.

So with fries in mind I set out to complete this goal as I work on my plan for even bigger goals following the competition. Just wanted to share a little bit about this journey with all of you and hope you enjoyed it. Yum....those fries are making me excited for September 12th! I think I'll deem that Erin's Fry Day!! After all I missed National French Fries Day on July 13th. So wherever you live, step up to the counter or sit down at a table and order some fries and indulge with me!

So onto planning. I will post my plan here so I will be majorly accountable!! Plan, plan, plan!! Another great thing I've learned through this journey. I could go on and on but I must get ready for my next meal!!

Love these two proverbs!

“Bad planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part”

“A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow”

Wowie Kazowie! It's Friday!!

Good morning one, good morning all!

So, a couple of things that I've noticed through this prep: 1) I have extremely good weight/training workouts the day after I eat beef. 2) I have extremely difficult and low energy cardio workouts the day after my high carb day.

Today I am dingy, off balance, silly, weird...I don't know what's going on but it's entertaining to my coworkers!! Lucky them! I think I've almost fallen down about 3 times in 3 hours! I'm a cuckoohead and a NUT!! Maybe I need sleep!

AM cardio done! Woohoo! And 2 meals down and another one in about 2 seconds here.
Meal 1) Egg whites (7) made into a fine "pancake" and topped with salsa, side of oatmeal with a ridiculous amount of rhubarb
2) Spelt flakes and Paradise Green Tea protein shake
snacked on some cherry tomatoes - that's all I have for extra veggies
3) Shrimp and kamut and salad - gonna go eat that right now because I'm soooo hungry today!!

I'll write more later but for now enjoy your Friday. I hope I normalize. I don't like being so weird OR dingy!!! LOL!!! And I leave you with a couple of humorous quotes. Enjoy!

Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy.

If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.

Drive carefully, 90% of people are accidents. 

 

Thursday and Photos Question Answered

Hello everyone! Welcome to Thursday. Wow! Thursday already!! What does that make it? 15 days till SHOWTIME!!! That means it's been 94 days since GO-TIME!! Woot woot! I can DO it!! Yippee for me.

I just wanted to let you all know since several people have asked me about them. My progress pics! Yes, I know you all want to see them. For some reason or other I don't feel good about sharing them right now and since it's only 2 weeks till my show I'm going to just wait. After my show I'm going to put all the progress pics up for those of you that need some inspiration or that are just downright curious!! I would be curious if I were you and love to see pics on other's blogs so I know what you mean. When the time is right they will be posted which should be in about 2 1/2 weeks. So just hang in there and I PROMISE they will be there within the next month!

On with the day, got in 45 minutes cardio this AM. I forgot I was only going to do 30. LOL! Now that's a funny thing to forget but at any rate, the good thing is I only have to do 30 either tomorrow or Saturday so yay!!! Still feeling pretty good and mostly strong. My training/weights are really awesome and I've actually increased weight on some exercises so that's crazy to me. I thought that I would not be able to this late in the game but I am and it's awesome!!

I'll be back with more later. Meals and such and I know I still owe you all some other items but in time they will be here, even if it's after the comp. Better late than never, right? I'm in a Dr. Seuss mood so here's another one from him. He just makes me smile!

“Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.” ~Dr. Seuss

Woohoo Wednesday!

Just a quick note to say that I'm in SUCH a much, much better place this week thank last week. WOW!! It's crazy to me what your body is capable of AT ANY AGE!! One doubt I had in my mind before I started my contest prep was if my body could handle it since I'm "older". I'm finding out that it definitely can! Yes, it would have been easier if I had done this at a younger age, just due to the fact that I had more energy and I needed less sleep. I'm not talking about the prep but in general. I really didn't sleep much until maybe 4 or 5 years ago. That's when I started needing more sleep. So yes, it may be more challenging, but would I have had the discipline when I was younger? Hmmm...I seriously doubt it!! I was too busy clubbing 5 nights a week!! That was fun for sure though and I was in great shape at the time with FANTASTIC gams!! LOL!! Oh, those were the days...memories...like the corners of my mind...HA HA HA!!!!!

One thing I have learned about myself through this process is my body does really well with beef. Go figure!! I never knew that. I knew I liked it but I didn't realize that my body liked it as well. So from here on out we will continue with our little red meat love affair. Ooh, the possibilities! Yep, that means for you, my lucky readers, that there will be recipes born of my newfound health helper!! Of course if beef doesn't rock your boat you will be able to substitute with something that will. Don't worry, I've got you covered!

I'm just heading into Meal 2 right now so I'll catch up with you later! Just wanted to say hi and GOOD MORNING!!! Today throw out a little WOOHOO and celebrate because it's Wednesday!!! Enjoy!!

Tuesday...let's put it to rest!!

My vow: Tonight I will sleep better than I did last night. Why didn't I sleep well? Here we go...

Remember a while back when I mentioned that they were going to be working on the freeway by my place? Well, guess what? They've been working on it for a while now and destroying perfectly good trees to widen the freeway. I know I'm a nature lover but I can't believe how GREATLY this has affected me. Every day I drive down my street and more trees are gone. It really makes me sad and has had a tremendous impact on me. Then last night they started right by my place and yes that meant CHAINSAWS at all hours of the night and honking, big trucks and machinery moving around. What's a girl to do? Can't close the windows...too dang hot! Sound machine works but I'm still hot. Open the windows...too loud. Turn on the fan...still too loud. Contemplate moving to the living room...then I'd have to set my alarm and probably mess that up and I'd still be able to hear the work outside anyway. So back to bed. I eventually fall asleep but it was super duper restless sleep so tonight I HAVE to get some sleep.  All this chopping down trees reminds me of the Dr. Seuss book, The Lorax. If you don't know the story this is The Lorax Movie.

Moving on...today was a short cardio day for me - 2 30-minute sessions. I could only get on the stepmill for 20 minutes this morning and none tonight. I had a FANTASTIC back workout. I'm super strong today! I LOVE it when that happens. It consisted of 3 sets of 12 of the following:
Rope Lat Pulldowns
Single Lat Pulldowns on Hammer Strength
Close Grip Lat Pulldowns
Single DB Rows
Assisted Pullup Wide Grip
Assisted Pullup Close Grip
100 Seated Cable Rows
Abs: 3x25 Hip lifts (rockets)
50 Hanging leg raises

Food today:
Meal 1) Egg white pancake spread with oats, topped with cherry tomatoes and spicy salsa - YUM!
2) Spelt flakes, puffed millet and kabocha protein pudding!!!! Are you kidding me?!? SOOOOO DELICIOUS! RIDICULOUS REALLY!!
3) Shrimp with kamut and wild rice combo, side of kimchee
4) Salad with shrimp - no dressing - I know...I'm weird
5) Salad with chicken and mint dressing
6) Tuna salad with mustard, capers, tomatoes, cucumbers - much tastier than I expected actually
7) Will be egg whites!! And probably top it all off with some more kabocha or maybe rhubarb...hmmm

So today was actually a great day which I'm surprised about because I was so poorly rested!! I can't believe I'm just 17 days away from my show!! I had a great posing practice today. I feel really good about my posing. It's becoming more and more natural so yeah for me since that's my goal - to hit the stage where my posing is second nature! I feel so much better than I did last week. Can't really explain it - really I don't know why but I don't question it and I just enjoy it instead!! So, onward and upward because tomorrow will be here before you know it!

I'm off to eat my final meal, set up my AC in my room and hit the pillow! Until tomorrow, think happy thoughts and know that ANYTHING you set out to do, you can! Yes, it's a learning ground and mistakes will be made but growth will come out of those and you'll be a better person because of them.

"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”~Dr. Seuss

Monday! Yay! Monday!

Ahhh...feeling refreshed after my weekend. Thank goodness for that! Last week was tough, tough, tough!!! I can't even explain it because I honestly thought it wasn't going to be that tough for me but it was. But I pushed through. I did hours on the stepmill and just a little on the treadmill - all tolled it was 620 of the 630 minutes of cardio I was supposed to. And of that 620 I had only 93 minutes on the treadmill so that was 527 minutes on the stepmill!!! Well, now that I write it like that I feel QUITE accomplished!!! Hmm...I just put my OWN feather in my cap!! LOL!!

Like I said today has started out very well. I slept fairly well. My neighbor's were being "boys" but that's okay. I managed to drown them out with my lovely Brookstone Sound Machine. I love that thing when sleep is necessary. It will drown out anything and not keep me up with disturbing noise. For example last night I listened to the ocean waves. So peaceful and relaxing.

I got my plan for the week from Gina yesterday and guess what I get this week? Yes, 3 weeks out and I get STEAK!!!! And my favorite spelt flakes!!! Yummy! It's going to be a great week! Can't wait. Also I got decreased cardio so this week will be just 540 minutes! What do you think of that?!? I think it's great!!

So I did my 45 minutes cardio this morning - 15 minutes on incline treadmill then 30 minutes on the stepmill - 15 minutes level 9 and 15 minutes level 10.

Meals so far:
1) SEVEN egg whites pancake topped with oatmeal, Garlic Gold Parmesan nuggets and tomatoes - why is that sooo tasty sometimes? So simple yet so tasty?
2) Spelt flakes with protein powder "milk" made with Paradise Green Tea - again yummy!
3) Salad with kamut, wild rice, and tilapia and a dressing of just salsa mixed with red wine vinegar
Still to eat:
4) Fish, chicken or shrimp (haven't decided) stir fry
5) Salad with chicken and a yummy dressing (I think - haven't tried it yet so I'll post if it's good)
6) Steak, mashed cauliflower and some mushrooms - possibly more salad...hmmm...we'll see
7) Egg white omelet

Hope you're all off on the right foot for the week!! I can't wait to see how this unfolds. In a much, much better place. I have to give some personal thanks here because I just feel the need so THANKS  to...

• Kim for letting me know I'm positively impacting her life and motivating her to make a change and improve her own life.
• Angel for letting me know that my blog really helped her pass her exam to become a PA, commenting on how positive my blog is, and also for your support of my journey - our lunchtime phone chats had been so helpful until you had to go out and find gainful employment! ;-)
• Claudine and Angela and all of Gina's fitness network for your constant comments and support of my journey both here and on Gina's site
• Iris for her support, fresh veggies and herbs from her garden and constant pick me up when she finishes her workout and is leaving the gym
• My family for their understanding and support
• Deb for her support of my goal and constant praise and level-headedness
• Nikee for her knowledge and sharing her 1st time journey to the stage thereby making it much easier for me to know if what I'm experiencing is "normal"
• Gina, of course, for her constant wisdom, support, friendship, and professionalism - you are UNBELIEVABLE!
• Mary for her fine chiropractic/massage/active release skills that have helped me fine tune my shoulder and rid myself of the dreaded "wing"!!
• Traci for that much needed text last Friday to help me DIG DEEP!!
• All my friends, in general, for being understanding and supportive of my major goal no matter how odd or weird it may seem to you!!

I'm sure there are others that I may have forgotten but you definitely know who you are and I appreciate all of you and all the support I have gotten! It means the world to me. Truly! You are all so wonderful and I couldn't ask for better support! THANK YOU!!!!!

Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you. ~Eileen Caddy

3 WEEKS OUT!!!!! So glad it's Saturday!!!

Yep, just 3 small weeks. I'm almost there! After the week I had, I can say that it won't be soon enough. Wow! This week the cardio kicked my little (or maybe not so little) behind. I have never had a problem with doing any kind of cardio - kind of the Energizer bunny - but this week...BIG PROBLEM!!! Let's see. Monday went off without a hitch then Tuesday AM was all right and then it started going downhill - Tuesday night was hard. Wednesday morning was even worse. Wednesday night was so-so. Thursday AM - could someone please shoot me? Thursday night was still hard. Friday morning was a just as hard. Friday night was slightly better. And here we are this morning - back to normal really! WOOHOO!!!!! Thank goodness for that!!!!

My meals have been right on through it all though. I don't know what my issue was. I guess my body was trying to grasp what the heck I'm doing to it. Yeah, I would be wondering too!!! LOL!!! I had a bad GI problem Thursday night so didn't sleep well and tummy bugging me all day long...UGH! I'll give you yesterday's meals since I know what those were and haven't fully decided for today yet. Be forewarned. There was a lot of kabocha going on yesterday.
Meal 1) Egg whites, side of rhubarb oatmeal
2) Zucchini loaf
snack of kabocha
3) Tilapia with brown and wild rice mixed, side of kimchee
snack of kabocha
4) Chicken w/ sesame oil and cucumber salad (still working on this recipe but hope to post it this weekend)
snack of kabocha
5) Tilapia
snack of kabocha and 4 saltines - my stomach was still unsettled :-(
6) Decaf coffee protein shake with kabocha
7) Egg whites with tomatoes and Garlic Gold Parmesan

I think I have a kabocha disorder!!

So today I slept in a little bit, took progress pics and headed to the gym a little late. I was smart though and took my zucchini loaf with me so I could eat that as soon as I left the gym. And I did. Now I'm home and getting ready to do some cleaning before heading back to the gym for round 2. I've made it a plan to take a rest and some well -deserved time off tonight so I have a lot to get done before that. Off I go!!!

Have a great, great, super fantastic weekend and I'll be back tomorrow or Monday!!!

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." ~Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"You're a winner. The tests of life are not meant to break you, but to make you." ~Norman Vincent Peale

Quick Update

This week is flying by! Woah! Slow down and wait for me. It seems this week like every minute of every day is full and busting at the seams. Geez!!!! I don't even know why. I didn't even get around to posting anything yesterday or today until now!!! Like I said......GEEEZZZZZZ!!!!!

I can't lie. I'm started to feel the depletion that is happening. It's not that Gina has even changed up my diet that much but I only get carbs for my first 3 meals and then 4 more meals without so it's tough. Today was a high carb day but honestly that didn't even seem to help. I think maybe I need more sleep but I keep getting a pretty good amount but hey, maybe I still need more. I'm going to try to sleep even earlier tonight and see what happens tomorrow. I don't know if I'll make it to bed earlier though.

I had every intention of chopping up my kabocha and showing you all how I do it but guess what? Yep! Camera is out of battery! So I"m cooking it and smelling how yummy it smells and wishing you all could have smellovision. I'm going to make a post about that squash this weekend so you will all know what I'm talking about and hopefully find it and experiment with it yourselves. It's such a great substitute for sweet things. I LOVE it.

My cardio is up to two 45-minute sessions a day 7 days a week. Did I mention I'm 43?!? I think my coach may have forgotten that!!!! Man! This would have been soooooo much easier 10 or 15 years ago. Let me tell you!! Honestly it's not that hard but I have struggled a lot through my cardio this week. Today was slightly better and last night too. Maybe just because I only had cardio last night and no weights. Who knows? I live for the day that I get to go inline skating again! I miss skating like nobody's business! Oh, just to be outside - risking life and limb to stay up on those wobbly bad boys!! LOL! Kidding, of course. I have taken enough spills though that now I wear a helmet and knee pads. I'm sure the elbow pads and wrist guards are next. I'm sure I look a little dorky but the scars on my knees are really not very pretty, ya know!

On to the food for today:
Meal 1) Strawberry rhubarb protein shake!!! - this was WAY too good and made a huge serving (I'm talking 2 12 oz glasses), side of oatmeal
2) Egg whites and oatmeal, side of kimchee
3) Brown and wild rice (mixed together), broiled tilapia
4) Egg whites and brown rice with salsa
5) Same as 3 but less rice and added spaghetti squash with roasted veggie puree (leftover from Ribbon Salad)
6) Egg whites in the car/on the go and then came home and stuck my head in my huge Tupperware of salad...nope, no dressing, just ate all the chopped veggies...still am actually!
7) Protein cake or pancake...hmm...haven't decided yet

I had a great leg workout today. Gina switched up my leg workout last week and I'm LOVING it! I love working legs anyway. They're just fun! Oh, yes, that reminds me. Apparently my back is the thing that is changing the most. Wouldn't you know it? Because, of course, I can't view my own back can I? So I can't really admire my handiwork, right? LOL! So the other day I was working my back and I had on a top that shows more of my back than some other tops I wear. Well, this guy kept walking around me a few times. I guess he was waiting for me to take a rest. When I did, he said, "Your back is AWESOME!". I was flattered. It was nice to hear.

This was supposed to be a quick pose. I noticed though that I start relaxing when I blog so I must BLOG away!!! I really need to get to bed. Hope you all had a good Thursday and let's bring on Friday with high energy and a great big happy smile. Tomorrow, try smiling before you even step foot out of bed. It's crazy how well that works at putting you in the right frame of mind to begin with. Goodnight!!!

Coming this weekend:
1) More on kabocha including a recipe or two
2) Probiotics and how to get them
3) Couple of cooking tips/tricks

IRIS IS OUR JUST LIKE SUGAR GIVEAWAY WINNER!!!

CONGRATS Iris! The Just Like Sugar goes to you!!

You are just going to LOVE it! Just send me an email with your choice of what you want to try! These are your options:

1) Just Like Sugar (canister)

2) Just Like Sugar (100 packets)

3) Just Like Sugar Brown

4) Just Like Sugar Baking 

Thanks again to Just Like Sugar for donating their product! And congratulations again to Iris! Thanks for participating in my giveaway!!

LOST: 1 bundle of energy

If found, please contact Erin at figurejournal.blogspot.com!! LOL!

Remember all that energy I had yesterday? Well, today it most certainly isn't here. I will have to "dope" up with some matcha or Paradise Green Tea. I admit to going to bed too late but I just had so much to do last night - making and eating 2 meals, broiling more tilapia, making 2 batches of 3 zucchini loaves, cooking spaghetti squash, blogging, showering...NEED I GO ON?!? I think not!! Oh, and this all started around 7:45pm when I got home from the gym!!!!!!WWWWAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! There...now I feel better! LOL!

So today I got up and was really trying to find some energy. I got on the stepmill and struggled through 30 minutes. I kept thinking I was going to get some energy as I kept going but it just didn't happen. So then I got off and finished up with 15 minutes on the treadmill. Yeah, I was whipped, pretty much! I did some good stretching after and then it was home right after I stopped at Whole Foods for some yummy, yummy salsa (Casa Sanchez). Then I was trapped trying to get home because our fine president is in town. Somebody PLEASE explain to me why he needs to move around our fine city at peak hours (7-8am and 4-5pm)!!! It's ridiculous. There's much less traffic at noon or 5 in the morning. Mr. President, you need to get your little behind out of bed earlier and head to the airport at 5 am. Come on, Mr. President...you can DO it!! Up and at 'em and stop messing up our traffic!!!!

2 meals down already and almost time for a third. My meals are pretty much going to be exactly the same as yesterday. In fact they'll be pretty similar all week. I'm okay with that. I decided to take it easy in the cooking department for the next 4 weeks. Of course if I get bored I will have to spice things up a bit but so far so good. I just wanted less time in the kitchen so that's my plan for the next few weeks. And then it's going to be an explosion in my kitchen so watch my blog closely for many new concoctions to come after I've stepped on stage. It's going to be like dynamite!!! Watch out now!

Off to eat my meal and get back to work! I think Thomas Carlyle and I have the same idea, no?

“I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom.” ~Thomas Carlyle

So Monday - a new day, a new week!!

DON'T MISS OUT ON YOUR CHANCE TO WIN SOME JUST LIKE SUGAR 

CLICK HERE TO ENTER!!

I have to say that last night I felt very unprepared for today and was just a little concerned about it. I didn't have everything done and prepped like I normally do but I had the necessities. So, I got up after too little sleep and went to the gym. Guess what?!? I got a stepmill - YEAH! And I just started stepping - feeling better and better...waking up and really digging deep...working hard on turn around my mind so this Monday morning start set the correct tone for the week. And guess what? It must have worked!!! I had a really great day with really awesome workouts!! So, so proud of myself and happy beyond belief!!!

So, yes this week I get to do the stepmill as often as it is available (which today happened to be in the morning AND at night) AND 45 minutes in the morning (fasted of course) and at night after training if I have training that day. Yep, it's really kicking in now.

So, meals today were good and different I guess:
1) Egg whites topped with some Garlic Gold Parmesan Nuggets and a little sea salt with a side of oatmeal rhubarb - will I ever tire of that? I think not!
2) Zucchini loaf (not the best batch I've ever made)
3) Broiled tilapia with brown rice and sugar snap peas - so simple yet very tasty for some reason - I LOVE Lundberg's Short Grain Brown Rice! It just rocks for flavor - deep, deep flavor that most brown rice doesn't have.
4) Chicken with sesame oil and just a sprinkling of sesame seeds (okay soooo good!) and on the side a Mighty Green Smoothie (aloe vera juice, apple cider vinegar, cucumber, green pepper, spinach, mint, matcha, ice, stevia, lime) - very refreshing!
5) Crunch A Munch with broiled tilapia
6) Lemon rhubarb protein shake (1 1/2 scoops of protein - yummy!)
7) Will be Egg white veggie omelet!!

As I said earlier my workouts were awesome. I felt so good that the last 15 minutes of my stepmill tonight were on level 11!! Wha...what?!? Yes! I worked shoulders very heavy and upper chest. It was ridiculous how strong I was today! Maybe it's the red meat I got to have last night? I suppose it could be. My body seems to respond so well to red meat. Don't know why but it does. Hmmm...

I was just going to head to bed and not worry about posting for today but I just had to post because I wanted you all to experience my energy first hand. I still have another meal to prep and eat and broil more fish and then it's off to check out the backs of my eyelids! I'll let you know tomorrow what I saw back there.

Ooh...speaking of that, what do you see when you close your eyes? Every once in a while I just close my eyes and see what comes. It's so bizarre and I wonder what others see. For example, last night I did this and saw a really wonderful scene of being outdoors with incredibly beautiful flowers all around and then next moment it was an entirely different scene with a big black thunderhead moving in and lightning and rain but beautiful too in a different way. So what do you see when you just close your eyes for a few moments? I'm curious. It's just fascinating to me because that scene is nothing I've ever actually experienced in this lifetime so I just wonder where those visions are born, ya know?

Enough...I really better get to bed!!! Hope you all had a great Monday and let's get ready to hit Tuesday with the same enthusiasm or even better than we did Monday!! Another week is under way...do you know where your mind is? LOL!!!

SWEET!!! JUST LIKE SUGAR® GIVEAWAY!!!!

Welcome to this week's giveaway!! Just Like Sugar®!!

As I've mentioned this sugar substitute a number of times, I thought one of you lucky readers might want to try it for free!! I contacted Just Like Sugar and they agreed! All YOU have to do is live in the United States and add a comment below telling me why you're sweet or the sweetest thing you have done for someone recently. Simple, right?

You have all day today and until midnight PST on Tuesday, August 17th to comment!! Wednesday morning the winner will be randomly drawn and posted!!! You will be able to choose between the original Just Like Sugar® canister, 100-pack Just Like Sugar®, Just Like Brown Sugar® or Just Like Sugar® Baking. 

I LOVE this product for a number of reasons:

1) It tastes just like sugar

2) No laxative effect

3) No bloating 

4) No aftertaste

5) It's not chlorinated like Splenda - yikes!

6) It's just doggone good!!!!

Here's some information from Just Like Sugar's® website:

Just Like Sugar® is made up of four ingredients.

The first and most important is Chicory (Inulin) Root Dietary Fiber:

which is a prebiotic and probiotic food. The best (and some researchers believe the only) example of a prebiotic and probiotic is Chicory Inulin as found in Just Like Sugar. Chicory Inulin is a "non-digestible oligosaccharide," which simply means that it is a carbohydrate that can not be digested. It can be - and is being - fermented in the lower parts of the intestinal tract. As a result, the friendly intestinal micro flora (bifidobacterium) grows better.

The directly registered effects of the prebiotic and probiotic Chicory Inulin are -

• improved bowel functions mainly due to the increase of fecal bulk
• improved bio availability of minerals that, among other things, may contribute to a reduction in the risk of osteoporosis enhanced fat metabolism; there is preliminary evidence of a triglyceride and blood sugar reducing effect of Chicory Inulin in Just Like Sugar
• possible reduction of the risk of colon cancer

The second ingredient in Just Like Sugar® is Natural Calcium:

Calcium in Just Like Sugar is one of the main nutrients that the body requires in order to overcome the problems of high blood pressure, heart attack, premenstrual syndrome, and colon cancer.

Calcium in Just Like Sugar helps to ensure that your teeth are strong and thus prevents dental health problems.

The consumption of Calcium in Just Like Sugar helps in facilitating the movement of nutrients across cell membranes.  By keeping the bones healthy, Calcium in Just Like Sugar can be of nutritional value in the prevention of Osteoporosis.

The intake of Calcium in Just Like Sugar helps in relieving backache through strengthening your skeletal system.

Calcium in Just Like Sugar helps in weight management.

Calcium in Just Like Sugar helps with blood pressure management and also aids in muscle contraction, thereby enabling the heart and blood vessels to perform their functioning effectively.

Calcium in Just Like Sugar protects against colon cancer. Adequate Calcium intake may reduce your overall risk of colon cancer and suppress the growth of polyps that can lead to cancer.

The third ingredient in Just Like Sugar® is Vitamin C:

Vitamin C from Organic Orange Juice.

An adequate intake of the Vitamin C in Just Like Sugar may protect against stroke, heart attack, and a host of other ailments.

Until about 200 years ago, sailors deprived of fruits and vegetables on long voyages commonly died of scurvy. Subsequent British navy experiments, however, proved that the disease could be prevented if a supply of oranges were stowed on board. This important Vitamin C nutrient not only prevents scurvy, but it's an essential nutrient with a variety of functions in the body.

The Vitamin C in Just Like Sugar aids in wound healing, prevents periodontal disease, enhances absorption of dietary iron, and acts as the most versatile and effective water-soluble dietary antioxidant.

It's estimated that people who have high blood levels of Vitamin C live six years longer than those who have lover blood levels.

Recent findings published in the Journal of the American Collage of Cardiology suggest that a diet high in the Vitamin C contained in Just Like Sugar may help protect your heart from damage.

Unlike most other mammals, humans don't naturally produce their own Vitamin C. The only way to ensure you have enough Vitamin C is to ingest it.  Regular and frequent use of Just Like Sugar will insure this.

Recently, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that an adequate intake of Vitamin C might protect against stroke and heart attack by lowering blood pressure and LDL ("bad cholesterol") levels, and helping to thin the blood to protect against clots. It also helps prevent arteriosclerosis (commonly know as hardening of the arteries) by strengthening the artery walls as it manufactures collagen, the protein that gives shape to connective tissues and strength to skin and blood vessels.

The Forth Ingredient in Just Like Sugar® is Orange Peel:

Natural Flavor form the Zest of Orange Peel.

This ingredient makes Just Like Sugar sweet.  A compound found in the peel of the orange used in Just Like Sugar has the potential to lower cholesterol more effectively than some prescription drugs according to a new study.  The orange peel used in Just Like Sugar is a digestive aid. It is effective for abdominal bloating, nausea, and poor appetite.

The Flavinoids in Just Like Sugar extracts for the orange peel have several other useful properties;

• being anti-inflammatory, antibacterial agent and antifungal agent
• The orange peel used in Just Like Sugar is the key to combat heartburn.

 Thanks to Just Like Sugar® for their donation and can't wait to hear why you, my readers, are sweet or what sweet thing you've done for someone lately!! Have fun!! And thanks for participating!

Ribbon Salad with Roasted Garlic Basil Vinaigrette

Ribbon Salad with Roasted Garlic Basil Vinaigrette

Ribbon Salad with Roasted Garlic Basil Vinaigrette

Salad:

1 very large yellow squash

2 roma tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes)

2 large zucchinis

2 Persian cucumbers

1 medium Mexican gray squash

1/8 - 1/4 cup basil leaves sliced or cut with scissors

Dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/8 cup roasted garlic

1-2 t chopped garlic

1/4 cup purple basil

sea salt and pepper to taste

For salad: With vegetable peeler, peel ribbons off of all the vegetables. On the squash and cucumbers when you get to the seeds stop and turn about a quarter turn and repeat. For the tomatoes, do this to the outermost layer and then remove seeds and julienne the rest of the tomato.

Dressing:

Blend all ingredients together in blender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour over salad and toss. Place in fridge for 3-6 hours to meld flavors. I had this with my "smoked" tilapia and it was surprisingly great! I loved it actually! Don't you just love it when something turns out even better than you planned?

I chopped up the remainders of the squash and roasted them with some chopped onion and jalapeno. I think I'm going to puree it and have as soup or a "sauce/ragout" of sorts. Hmmm...still deciding.

4 WEEKS OUT!!!!

Wow! I can't believe I'm only 4 weeks away from my show!!! Woohoo!!!

I still feel great. My energy has been fairly consistently good as has my mood. So I think both of those things are great. I'm beat tonight though so this will probably be a short post. I'm only beat because I drove to Orange County and back twice in 2 days. That's a lot of driving for me. And on top of cardio and training to boot! Look at me go!

Yesterday I got to meet up with Gina and I met Jess. Jess is another girl she's training for her first competition and following her all the way through online for her members with videos and her journal. It was great to see Gina as always. And it was great to meet Jess too. She's going to be doing my hair for my show so woohoo!! That will be fun. Gina said I look great and I'm right on track still so we'll see what this week's plan will look like.

I know I owe you guys some recipes and I plan on getting them up tomorrow but I just haven't been around the past couple of days. They'll be there soon though, promise. As well as another giveaway starts Monday! I'll definitely get that up by Monday morning.

So today I went to see Nikee, another of Gina's client's doing HER first figure competition!!! It was sooo great to see her. She looked fantastic and rocked the stage! The show was smaller than the ones I've gone to and her class was only 2 people and some of the other classes were only 3. I think the biggest class was only 9 girls.

More updates tomorrow as well as meals and recipes, etc. Gotta go relax, unwind and just be. Till tomorrow...

Yummy! Ribbon Salad!

As I sit in my car eating my yummy 4th meal, I thought I would share this with you. I'll post the recipe later. This turned out better than planned for sure! Cheers!

Thursday's done! Whew!

I'm back at it today! Feeling much better than I did yesterday. So, minor slip-up practically forgotten and I'm back in the saddle again.

Today I was up and at 'em bright and early. I think I got to the gym at 5:15 in fact, earlier than usual! And on to the stepmill I went. Stepping, stepping at level 10 for 30 minutes then treadmill 4.6-4.8 at 15% incline for 10 minutes. Nice long relaxing stretch and I was out the door. Home again, home again, jiggety jiggety jig! And for what you ask? Well, breakfast of course! And to make some...wait for it...wait for it...KABOCHA GNOCCHI!!!!!!! Are you kidding me? OMG! It is soooo delicious and soooo my kind of thing!!! Felt like a major cheat but wasn't! HA! Love it when I can get away with eating such delightful treats! It's so fantastic - to feel like you're eating something you shouldn't but indeed, you should!! LOL!

I will post the recipe later or this weekend with photos. It's a fairly easy recipe but a little time consuming since it was my first time and I had no idea what I was really doing. But now I do and let me tell you about how it's going to be my new best friend because it's CHEWY! And you know how I love, love, love that texture!

Tonight I had a new leg workout - thanks Gina! It was great and different and I really enjoyed it and now I'm very tired...zzzzz.....sleep...yummy....Then I had 40 more minutes of cardio - 15 stepmill and 25 treadmill. My meals today were good but meal 4 was SUPERB!!!
1) Egg whites topped with chopped yellow squash (from Iris's garden - thanks Iris!), basil and lemon juice, side of rhubarb oatmeal

2) Oatmeal with protein powder mixed with stewed rhubarb...yummy
3) Rosemary Garlic Pork Tenderloin and brown rice
4) Sweet style egg whites topped with kabocha and cinnamon sugar with Julian's cinnamon raisin bread - tasty!
5) KABOCHA GNOCCHI and tilpia
6) Egg whites & kimchee & oatmeal
7) Will be protein pancake or One Minute Chocolate Cake - undecided as of now

Well, that's about it for me today. Tomorrow I get to meet with Gina so we'll see what she has to say about my progress. I think I keep getting leaner but to tell you the truth I don't think I really see what other people see. I just know my clothes keep getting looser and/or falling off. Yep!! Safety pins are my best friends!!! LOL!

“The truth of the matter is that there's nothing you can't accomplish if: (1) You clearly decide what it is that you're absolutely committed to achieving, (2) You're willing to take massive action, (3) You notice what's working or not, and (4) You continue to change your approach until you achieve what you want, using whatever life gives you along the way.” ~Anthony Robbins

Nikee is our NuttZo Giveaway Winner!!!

The results are in! I just drew Nikee's name out of "The Hat"!
CONGRATS Nikee! The NuttZo goes to you!!

Preparing for the BIG DRAWING...all entries listed...

The name is being "drawn" from The Hat

And the winner is NIKEE!!!

Nikee, email me your address so I can get your NuttZo on its way ASAP! You're definitely going to want this when you're finished with your competition this weekend!! And wait till you try it on the One Minute Chocolate Protein Cake! You will just die at the yumminess that ensues!!!!! Based on your comment, I don't think I need to ask but just to be sure, you do want the one with the peanuts, right? Since you are a peanut butter all the way kinda gal!

THANKS SO MUCH TO ALL THAT PARTICIPATED!!!!  That was fun!!! Next week I should have another giveaway. Still working on that one so not positive but probably!

Speed Post - It only takes ONE good meal to turn a foodie's day around!!

Just really quickly. I just got back from lunch and just let me say......WOW!!!! Wow wow wow!!!!

Okay, I just made my Kabocha Oat Waffles but with spelt flour. Love spelt flour because it's the most similar to white flour in its results. But I didn't stop there. I just wanted a little something on top so what did I do, you ask? Well, I took some more of my baked kabocha and pureed it in the processor with 4 drops stevia, 1 T water, 2 T PB2. Oh lord! I have died and gone to heaven!!!!! I'm in LOVE!!! I spread that on the waffles and OH MY!!!!!! You MUST try this!! If you don't have kabocha, don't fear, I'm pretty sure it would work just fine with butternut squash too even if you have to add a little extra sweetener.

Kabocha PB2 Spread

1/4-1/2 cup baked kabocha

4 drops stevia

1 T water

2 T PB2

Process together in food processor or blender. (Should have an apple butter consistency.) Spread on anything you desire...even CARDBOARD!!! LOL!!

See? I feel better already!!!

Wednesday - What You Choose Shapes Your Day

I was just going to gloss over this and not be upfront about what happened to me last night/this morning but that didn't resonate very well with me and I think it's important that you, my fine readers, understand that I'm not 100% on all the time.

So last night I got home from the gym and was wiped out. So I thought to myself, "Perfect, I'll make dinner and then my final meal and hit the sack early, probably 9:30 or so! Great!" Then I made my dinner. So tasty. And I ate it then somehow I derailed and was eating some candy, just a couple of pieces. So I thought I had better eat a sugar free fudgesicle instead. So I did. Still unsatisfied I decided I better eat something tasty AND good for mean so I made a green smoothie with cucumber, celery, spinach, aloe juice, apple cider vinegar, lime juice, stevia and MINT! That was delicious actually. So from that standpoint I was fine. Then I was supposed to have egg whites for my final meal but my One Minute Chocolate Protein Cake trumped it so I ate that. Well, then I had a lot of cleaning up to do and I did that so then it was about 9:45 or 10 or so.

I thought I better get on my blog and write a couple of recipes up. So I did that. Then I started playing around with the picture collage function in Picasa. Well, that was a lot of fun. I just didn't know when to stop. So as the clock kept ticking by I just thought I would be short on sleep. Well, no, when it came time to finally stop, it was nearly ONE IN THE MORNING!!!!! Now, was I doing anything I had to? No. Did I lose focus on my main goal? Yes. Did I think I could just slide by on 4 hours of sleep? I think so. Did I CHOOSE to stay up late and possibly ruin my AM cardio? Yes...and now post decision and post AM cardio I would say that was a BAD choice. But believe me, at the time, I just kept going with my choice to have a good time on the computer.

To be honest, at first I was quite all right with my decision. I try to base my decisions, particularly with food and workouts, on a "will I feel guilty or not guilty" scale. Well, last night I purposely didn't set my alarm and decided that if I woke up on time I would do my AM cardio and if I didn't I would just skip it. Yet another CHOICE that seemed good and "guilt-free" at the time. Even this morning when I woke up late I still thought I had made the right CHOICE. Here I sit 3 hours or so after waking up and 4 or 5 hours after my missed AM cardio and guess what?!? I couldn't agree more fully with the title of my post - MY CHOICES SHAPED MY DAY!!!! So I don't necessarily feel guilty which is good. I don't think I've skipped my AM cardio but maybe one other time so in that way I feel fine. But my energy is flagging and I'm just not feeling like the positive powerhouse I normally am!!! And THAT, my dear friends, is why I now realize that I made a bad choice. But it was MY choice and I'm fully responsible for it and all I can do is learn and grow so growth it is today!

The odd thing to note is that I'm hungry today! Really, really hungry! Much hungrier than I am on any other day. Anyone have an explanation for that? Does staying up late do that because it messes up your metabolism so badly? Hmm...curious!

So, moving forward with my day, I will make much better choices today and tomorrow I'll be rarin' to go!! It can only go up from here. Yes, I made a choice. Yes, ultimately it was bad. Yes, I learned a lesson. No, I can't take it back. Yes, I'm in control of my mood and choices for the rest of today and beyond! And, yes, those choices will shape the rest of my day!!!! So...ON TO BETTER CHOICES!!

Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice. Wayne Dyer

Every choice you make has an end result. Zig Ziglar 

Kabocha Protein Waffles

Kabocha...my new best friend...well, right after rhubarb I suppose! I baked up my kabocha the other night - another Asian market find. Just cut in half and remove seeds and then cut in cubes. Place in roasting pan and bake at 425 degrees for 20-40 minutes. The longer it cooks the sweeter it gets. Thanks to Alyson over at Nourished Fitness for always promoting her love of kabocha or I may not have ever tried it.

Kabocha Oat Protein Waffles

1/2 cup baked kabocha

1 scoop protein powder

3 egg whites

1/2 t baking powder

1 t vanilla

1/2 - 1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/4 cup oat flour

Blend all together in blender or food processor. Check sweetness and if not sweet enough add stevia or sugar substitute of choice.  Pour in preheated and sprayed waffle iron. Remove when cooked through. Optional: Spray with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray or spread nut butter on top and/or sugar free pancake syrup. However you want it...it's yours! Make it your own! LOL!

Makes 1 serving

Quick Mussels on a Bed of You Choy

I don't know if mussels are your thing. This was one of my finds at the Asian market - Kiwi Mussels from Pacifica Seafoods (from New Zealand). I also picked up some you choy (see photo below). It's just one of many Asian greens they were selling there.

This was a very quick dinner to make and quite divine! Nice Asian flair! They were making this at the Asian market when I went. Such great cooks those Asians are!

Mussels on Bed of You Choy

6-10 garlic cloves

purple basil

2 T low sodium soy sauce

Optional: olive or canola oil

Bunch of you choy or baby bok choy (hard stems removed)

Saute garlic in pan sprayed with olive oil spray or optionally saute in about 1/2 - 1 tablespoon oil till fragrant and light brown. Add mussels and put lid on pan. Steam for 1 minute. Remove lid and add soy sauce and basil. Stir to mix and gather flavor (maybe 1-2 minutes). Be careful not to overcook them or they will be tough. Remove mussels from the pan.

Deglaze pan with a little water and add you choy or bok choy. Put lid on and steam 1 minute. May season with more soy sauce or maybe chili garlic sauce. Place in bowl. Remove mussels from shells by sliding fork underneath. Place on top of you choy "bed". That's it. Simple and delicious and very nice for a change. 

You Choy - an Asian green like Bok Choy

It's Tuesday and we're rolling!! Let's keep this party going!

Hi there! Good morning! Thanks to all of you that have commented for the NuttZo giveaway! I'm going to have another giveaway next week as well and I'm working on others. My little gift to you, my friendly family of readers!

*DON'T MISS OUT ON YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A JAR OF FREE NUTTZO!!*

CLICK HERE TO ENTER!!

So how did our day play out yesterday? Mine was awesome - awesome food, awesome workouts, awesome attitude! Some days are just like that and so I soak them up because those are the BEST days! And the easiest. Today is more of the same though. I feel like a million bucks - COLD HARD CASH!!!!! LOL!!

Seriously, who would have thought I would be feeling this great less than 5 weeks out from my show? I, for one, didn't. The internet confuses you so much sometimes and all I read about is how cranky girls get, short-tempered, cry at the drop of a hat! All I can say is that they must not have Gina for their coach. Man! I'm in GOOD hands for sure!!! I only get a little cranky sometimes when my food isn't around but that happens very, very rarely. As for my mental state generally speaking, I feel fantastic! Just to be hitting my goals every week, day, hour and minute! It's such a boost! I can't even tell you.

So, yesterday's meals were like this:
1) 6 egg whites topped with Garlic Gold Parmesan & bruschetta topping, side of oatmeal with a small amount of rhubarb (had to ration out since I only had a little left)
2) Zucchini loaf
3) Chicken SANDWICH - on Julian bread with cucumbers, tomato, lettuce and mustard!! Delish! Served with a side of "chips" - sliced jicama with lime juice and salt AND toasted seaweed
4) Kabocha protein waffle - recipe to be posted later today or tomorrow...just you wait!
5) Thai Chicken Basil 
6) Chicken noodle soup w/ kimchee - I had baked my chicken breasts in low sodium chicken broth with garlic, chopped onions, and chopped celery so I used that as my broth and added a little veggie broth and some kelp noodles, low sodium soy sauce, chili garlic sauce - turned out to be a mighty tasty soup indeed! And spicy! Oh, yes, VERY spicy!
7) Kabocha egg white pancake! - kind of reminiscent of bread pudding? In a way anyway!

More on kabocha later. LOVE that squash. I've read a lot about it but hadn't seen it until the other day at the Asian market.

I got up this morning and did my 40 minutes on the treadmill varying speed between 4.4 and 4.7 and incline between 12 and 15%. It was pretty good. Had a very nice, relaxing stretch and then headed home.

Meals today are all the same as yesterday I think. Meal 6 may have a little switch up and I'll tell you about that depending on how it turns out! I know, I know...you just can't WAIT to find out! Oh, and meal 7 might be different too! I'll let you know!

"The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind." Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

It's Monday! Woohoo!!! Let's hit the ground running!!

Well, somebody (I think it's me!) got in a good amount of rest yesterday and I hit the ground running this morning. I felt like I had coffee and I hadn't! Yeah! I love it when I feel this awesome on a Monday morning! It's so important to get a break here and there. My plan to take a break yesterday really paid off. I rested and relaxed and explored a huge Asian market. Yes, it was heaven! I love Asian markets as long as the smells aren't bad. And this market, even though they sell durian and fish, smells just fine! So I bought a lot of fun things that are all things I can eat during my contest prep! Yeah! I'll post about my findings as I eat them up!

*DON'T MISS OUT ON YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A JAR OF FREE NUTTZO!!*

CLICK HERE TO ENTER!!

So onto the treadmill I went this morning. Why the treadmill, you ask? Since I have my choice between treadmill and stepmill? Well, because in my fine gym they believe that broken exercise equipment is the best kind to have!! LOL! Seriously, we only have 3 stepmills (used to be 4 back in January) and for the past 2 weeks 2 of them have been broken!! Oh well though. At least I have the option to hit the treadmill. So now my cardio routines have become more of a whatever is available kind of thing! So this morning, it was 16 minutes on Treadmill 1 at 15% and 4.6 and then I paused it to take a sip of water. And then it wouldn't work right. So then it was onto the next treadmill where I did 9 minutes at 15% and 4.6 until I noticed the stepmill opened. So from there I got over on the stepmill and finished up with 20 minutes - 12 minutes at level 10 and 8 minutes at level 12! I finished up with some good stretching and breathing and I was out the door.

So, my first 2 meals are down and we just have 5 to go! But lucky me I get to have Julian bread...yes, BREAD today for 1 of my meals!!!! I'm so excited I just might scream! I love, love, love bread so this is a real treat for me. For those of you that don't know about the Julian bread, here is their link: Julian Bakery

Still loving this whole process and my journey. I love that it has been such a great growing experience. And I particularly love that I am inspiring others to better their lives! That is the biggest boost for me, to know that the steps I have taken and the challenges I have faced have motivated others to move into their dreams! So thank you very much to all of you that constantly support me and let me know that I have had a positive influence on your lives. It means the world to me!! Thank you, thank you!

So here we are into our second week of August. Treat yourself well today and this entire week and see what you have to show for it at the end of the week. See if your life is improving because you're treating yourself the way you deserve to be treated - with kindness, love, support, and laughter!! ENJOY!!!

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.  ~Plato

How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong.  Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.  ~George Washington Carver

NUTTZO GIVEAWAY!!!

It's here! The moment you've all been waiting for...it's the NUTTZO Giveaway!!!!! WOOHOO!!!!

As I've mentioned this nut butter a number of times, I thought one of you lucky readers might want to try it for free!! I contacted NuttZo and they agreed! All YOU have to do is add a comment below telling me 4 simple things and live in the United States:

1) What is your favorite nut butter? Almond, peanut, walnut, cashew, Nuttzo, etc.?

2) Crunchy or creamy?

3) Salted or unsalted?

4) What is your favorite way to eat it?

You have all day today and until midnight PST on Tuesday, August 10th to comment!! Wednesday morning the winner will be randomly drawn and posted!!! You will be able to choose between the Original NuttZo and the NuttZo PF (peanut free - a great option if you have peanut allergies or sensitivities).

NuttZo is the BEST nut butter I've ever had. I particularly like it because it is organic, has NO sugar  and a variety of nuts. And as you know variety in all things always makes you healthier! These are the benefits of all the nuts as listed on their site here: 7 REASONS TO EAT NUTTZO

	Organic Valencia Peanuts - grown in New Mexico, are 26% protein - higher than eggs, dairy products, and many types of meat and fish. They are so high in protein that they’re included in the meat group of the four basic food groups. Peanuts provide quick energy from fat and carbohydrates, and essential vitamins and minerals such as niacin, vitamin E, phosphorous and magnesium.
	Organic Flaxseed both ground and whole - contains lignans that have anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-cancer properties. Flaxseeds have the richest source of lignans, 100 times more than the next best source, wheat bran. The majority of lignans are found in the seed, giving it an advantage over flax oil. Flaxseed also contains lecithin, which emulsifies fat and cholesterol. These little seeds improve digestion, help stabilize blood glucose levels, fight tumor formation and enhance cardiovascular health.
	Organic Hazelnut pieces - nutritional powerhouses, exhibiting the highest folate content of any tree nut. This essential nutrient, also known as Vitamin B9, has been studied for its positive effect on the cardiovascular system, and it is especially important for pregnant women in helping to reduce the incidence of neural tube birth defects. Hazelnuts also have the highest proanthocyanidin content among all tree nuts. These healing compounds concentrated in plants have been studied for their ability to reduce blood clotting, and together with the high folate content may provide a powerful boost to our cardiovascular health. In addition, proanthocyanidins help to lower the risk of urinary tract infections.
	Organic Cashews - high in magnesium and manganese, and are a good source of selenium and zinc. The magnseium in cashews works to strengthen the digestion and improve flexibility, while manganese and selenium work together to rid the body of harmful oxidized cholesterol.
	Organic Almonds - a boost of protein and a helpful dose of the antioxidant Vitamin E! Almonds are one of nature's most perfect foods, offering high levels of magnesium as well as good amounts of potassium, calcium, and fiber.
	Oragnic Brazil Nuts - best known for being the number one plant source of the mineral selenium, exhibiting approximately2,500 times as much of this vital trace mineral as any other nut. Selenium is a powerful antioxidant which has been proven to protect the body against infection, and this essential trace mineral has also been studied for its benefits to male fertility. Brazil nuts also contain sulfur-bearing amino acids (methionine and cysteine), giving them strength-building, liver-supporting, and tissue repair properties.
	Organic Sunflower Seeds - a nutritional power pack that is hard to beat. Wrapped up in this small and perhaps unsuspected package contains: healthy unsaturated fats, protein and fiber, plus important nutrients like vitamin E, selenium, copper, zinc, folate, iron and phytochemicals. Just one ounce of these seeds every day can improve the nutritional quality of your diet.

AND HERE ARE THE  7 REASONS TO EAT NUTTZO PF.

	Organic Chia Seeds - The Aztec Superfood are the best-known source of plant-based Omega 3s ALA, since 60% of a Chia seed is essential fatty acids, which support cardiovascular health, healthy joints, immune system function, and overall cellular energy. Chia seeds are also high in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Chia Seeds are magical little gray seeds that can absorb 12 times its weight in water which turn into a gel-forming reaction is due to the soluble fiber in the Chia. Researchers believe this same gel-forming phenomenon takes place in the stomach when food containing these gummy fibers, known as mucilages, are eaten. The gel that is formed in the stomach creates a physical barrier between carbohydrates and the digestive enzymes that break them down, thus slowing the conversion of carbohydrates into sugar.
	Organic Flaxseed - contains lignans that have anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-cancer properties. Flaxseeds have the richest source of lignans, 100 times more than the next best source, wheat bran. The majority of lignans are found in the seed, giving it an advantage over flax oil. Flaxseed also contains lecithin, which emulsifies fat and cholesterol. These little seeds improve digestion, help stabilize blood glucose levels, fight tumor formation and enhance cardiovascular health.
	Organic Hazelnut pieces - nutritional powerhouses, exhibiting the highest folate content of any tree nut. This essential nutrient, also known as Vitamin B9, has been studied for its positive effect on the cardiovascular system, and it is especially important for pregnant women in helping to reduce the incidence of neural tube birth defects. Hazelnuts also have the highest proanthocyanidin content among all tree nuts. These healing compounds concentrated in plants have been studied for their ability to reduce blood clotting, and together with the high folate content may provide a powerful boost to our cardiovascular health. In addition, proanthocyanidins help to lower the risk of urinary tract infections.
	Organic Cashews - high in magnesium and manganese, and are a good source of selenium and zinc. The magnseium in cashews works to strengthen the digestion and improve flexibility, while manganese and selenium work together to rid the body of harmful oxidized cholesterol.
	Organic Almonds - a boost of protein and a helpful dose of the antioxidant Vitamin E! Almonds are one of nature's most perfect foods, offering high levels of magnesium as well as good amounts of potassium, calcium, and fiber.
	Oragnic Brazil Nuts - best known for being the number one plant source of the mineral selenium, exhibiting approximately2,500 times as much of this vital trace mineral as any other nut. Selenium is a powerful antioxidant which has been proven to protect the body against infection, and this essential trace mineral has also been studied for its benefits to male fertility. Brazil nuts also contain sulfur-bearing amino acids (methionine and cysteine), giving them strength-building, liver-supporting, and tissue repair properties.
	Organic Pumpkin Seeds - a nutritional power pack that is hard to beat. Wrapped up in this small and perhaps unsuspected package contains: healthy unsaturated fats, protein and fiber, plus important nutrients like vitamin E, selenium, copper, zinc, folate, iron and phytochemicals. Just one ounce of these seeds every day can improve the nutritional quality of your diet.

Hope you join in and enjoy the NuttZo giveaway and reading the comments! Have a great, great Monday!