chicken PB2 pad thai + TJ's trip

let's pretend today is yesterday, ok? ok.

i made pb chicken pad thai for an Instagram challenge last night for dinner.  IG can be so addictive! i've been seeing a number of 'i need to get away from technology and focus on my life and the plan God has for me....etc.' posts lately from some of the health and fitness peeps i follow.  it's admirable, long as it's not a publicity stunt or anything.  it takes a LOT to step away from technology for a few hours, days, or even weeks nowadays.  anyway, i get it.  what is IG to you though anyway? a 'likes' contest? are you secretly competing with someone? a business opportunity?  marketing tool? searching for who can flex the hardest?  seeing what celebs are up to? seeing who can make their plate of food the prettiest? finding who can wear the least amount of clothes? lmbo (not really).  i said all that to say it's cool to be inspired and build off of what you see in your feed, but stay true to YOURSELF.  after all, it's your account.  it's tough to be original once your mind has been tainted with what everybody else is doing.   on top of all that, IG can be a huuuuge distraction, like facebook.  sometimes you gotta put the phone down,  log off your computer and just live.....  technology-free.

*inhale....exhale*

so i adapted this from my own PB2 Shrimp Pad Thai recipe, but i used chicken breasts and fettucine miracle noodles instead of kelp.

aaaand i added a yellow bell pepper along with the red.  everything else is the same.

ooooh these noodles are simply amazing and went PERFECT with this dish i tell you, perfect.  my relationship with kelp is officially OVER, thanks to my affair with miracle noodles. *chunks deuce*

eye-popping color and freshness goin' on up in that pot!

letting the flavors marry for the last few minutes...

and bam! plated up! no cashews....i used pistachios and it was an even exchange.  ok, the pistachios really was the last thing i altered, whoops.

yummay &  healthay.

i worked the leggies at the gym this morning! how do i get my calves to pop?  4 x 25 of calve raises in between leg press sets.

flexin' in btw squat sets.

afterwards, my Stank Tank and i had lunch in the Life Cafe that started out with some Snikiddy grilled cheese puffs.

we're fans of Snikiddy all natural snacks-  they sell the huuuuge bags in sams and costco, fyi.

i ordered half a cheese pizza with whole wheat crust 2% mozzarella for Chiso (yes more cheeeeese),

and a turkey avocado sammich on Udi's gluten-free whole grain bread for moi.  this was my first time having Udi's bread and i liked it cause it was thick and actually kinda sweet, like challah bread or even a coarse pound cake!  however, like Ezekiel, the slices are kinda small, and the price is kinda big. Natures Own and Sara Lee have the regular size bread and for less cals and price.

nevertheless, both halves were gone in about 2 minutes.

the weather was GORGEOUS, so we took to the courtyard for a little bit to play.  funny, i remember bringing Chi out here and all he could do was crawl and watch the other kids play and jump over him.  yeah, i had a moment.

 our next stop- Trader Joe's Houston numero TWO!!!! i took this pic from the car so i wouldn't seem like an, i don't know...TJ's stan?

 they said it was coming...and it's here.  crunchy cookie butter. *shakes first*

i walked down this aisle for f...o...r...e...v...e..r.  TJ's  literally has chocolate covered everything you can think of.  some of THE oddest combos just go together.

i didn't do too bad- walked away with only a handful of items i don't need, like these. cinnamon sugar (15 cals per tsp) and sugar chocolate coffee bean (calorie-free) 'sprinkles' or dust, or whatever you wanna call it.

first victim - PB2 topped whole wheat toast.

so...how are yours coming along?

  whether short-term or long, sow your seeds NOW and as often as possible, and knock'em out one by one.  happy to be sharing some of mine very soon!

le

breaky and biceps

i had a hot date with Sonny last night.  *whistles* Chiso came too though.  and it was only hot cause we were sweating at the gym.

i have a few of my leg workouts already posted, but it's high time for some upper body.  symmetry is a great thing!

what happens when we gym together? instant camera man, whoop, whoop.

so because i work at different gyms, i come across all sorts of different equipment, which is a great perk.  this particular gym uses Hoist machines- have you used them?? i LOOOOOVE them! especially this bicep machine.  i really feel the burn where i'm supposed to because the rocking motion mimics the natural movement of a standing bicep curl without involving my lower back. sweet.

that 'dynamically rocking technology' (the rocking motion that occurs during use):

• aligns and maintains joint position throughout the motion
• reduces shear-stress forces within joints by creating multiple segment movement
• provides small, yet appropriate proprioceptive challenges to the lumbopelvic hip complex (in layman's terms, that big hip joint)
• improves stability and provides greater muscle pre-stretch or loading to overload muscles

uh huh, yeah. all that.

biceps, triceps, & shoulder circuit:

Hoist machine bicep curls 12 R, 12 L, 12 together - 4 x 12

tricep dips with 25 lb lap plate - 4 x 12

*

dumbbell hammer curls 3 x 12

EZ bar skull crushers 3 x 12

dumbbell curls out to side 3 x 12

*

machine shoulder raises 4 x 12

shoulder shrugs 4 x 12

*

forward dumbbell raises 3 x 12

T (make a T with your arms/body, palms facing you) 3 x 12

Stability ball overhead presses 2 X 25

aaaaaaand collapse!! right there. on the floor :lol:

use a challenging weight.  'heavy' is a relative term! what is heavy for YOU?  once you really start to struggle and feel the burn around rep 8-10, that equates to heavy to me.

build those upper bodies...racerback season is upon us.

we tried out the Sara Lee 45 calories & delightful whole wheat w/ honey bread last night for our post workout snacks.  that's egg whites, red bell pepper, and honey mustard up in my sammie. great stats, and great bread.

45 cals, 0.5g fat, 9 carbs, and 3g protein per slice. nice.

before i hit legs this morning, i made some dark chocolate chip banana pancakes to go with our eggs.  i used the base of my banana recipe but added a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 packet of stevia granules, and even a few drops of chocolate stevia.  all drowned in WF pancake syrup....the only way to eat these babies.

Q: what's your favorite sammich bread?

le

turkey day 10k + november goals

happy NOVEMBER &  friday :)

let's celebrate.  have some pancakes.

i made a big one for Chiso's breakfast yesterday.  since he hadn't had them in a while (we switched to Ezekiel's cinnamon raisin bread for a little bit) he killed the whole thing in a few minutes.

it was topped with some cinnamon and a drizzle of walden farms pancake syrup.

SO, what are your fitness and nutrition goals for this month?  how often do you make goals anyway?  do you even make them? daily? weekly? monthly? making goals has become an incredibly useful tool for me now that i'm in off-season with my competition training.  whenever i write ANYTHING down (grocery list, an event, reminder, whatever) Sonny feels the need to remind me what year it is and to document things electronically.  well sometimes i don't want to!  i mean seriously.  i enjoy writing out my grocery list by hand and crossing off items one by one while i'm at the store.  i just do.  i'm pretty sure it's cause my mom did/does that.  i also like to group all my items together (frozen, produce, etc.) as i take them out of my basket and put them on the belt at checkout.  Sonny finally understands this and lets me do my thing :lol:  anyway, it will take me longer to type my entire list into my phone... and then what if it dies!?

i did a reverse selfie (which is way freakin harder to do than i thought) of my october progress which was to eat as clean as possible and to add more definition all over, especially my abs.  i stuck with my clean eating for the most part even though these weekend parties filled with pizza and cake got me a few times!   but i stayed inside my 80/20 rule, so it's all good.  i also upped my weight training and decreased my cardio.  i'd love to stay where i am right right now so that when i compete again, i'll be at an acceptable 'starting' place.

 le’s NOVEMBER 2012 fitness and nutrition goals 

• continue to stay on track with my meal plan and clean eating
• ENJOY Thanksgiving to the fullest – no meal plan, scale, nothin’ on that day
• Run this 10K on turkey day ----> http://turkeytrot.shelteringarms.org/  and beat my current PR!
• Add HIIT back into my current workout routine (sprints 2x’s a week)
• Take my ab workouts more serious

ok those are mine!  whether you write them or type your goals, just make some.   i'm not just running a 10k so i can eat like a crazy woman on TG, but  i already planned to workout anyway.  i know my gym class will be canceled like it is every year, but i'd totally be there at 5:30am sharp for anyone who wanted to get in a great weight workout that morning.

have you ever worked out on Thanksgiving Day???  

  my little Ruggles Green lunch date from the weekend inspired me to throw a butternut squash in our grocery basket.

 i threw the whole thing in the oven for about 20-25 minutes on 400 degrees.  after it cooled, i cut it in half, long ways.

i think i got pretty darn close to their Famous Butternut Squash.  in terms of taste, not looks, apparently.

at least Chiso thinks so- he liked it *wipes forehead*.   i used:

squash:

• walden farms pancake syrup (instead of the maple syrup)
• i can't believe it's not butter spray butter
• few dashes of cinnamon
• dash of salt

topping:

• crunchy lite granola (bulk bins at HEB/Whole Foods)
• coconut crystals (found at Whole Foods)

that's all that's in there and it was too simple to be that good.  i didn't measure a thing though and just threw it together, fyi.  i was gonna cut it into chunks and throw it in the blender, but it was soft enough to just whip/mash up in a bowl by hand.  also,  i didn't have graham crackers like the original recipe, but Sonny's lite crunchy granola worked out fine.

does he look warm?  bless his heart.  i hadn't been outside since my eeeeearly morning workout, so i assumed it was still pretty cool out.  not quite.

i took him out of the jacket and he took the hat off himself lol.  Moms, if you don't have a jogging stroller, INVEST in one.  no gym membership required.  your post baby body journey starts with some good ol' walking.  you'll be jogging/running again eventually though, and you'll be able to knock out two birds with one stone!  family time and exercise.  never let your little one be your excuse...only your reason.  we were blessed with this stroller as a baby shower gift and i am SOOOOO grateful for it.

i used the last of that fresh atlantic salmon we bought to make breakfast tacos for meal #4 that night.  i put this concoction together in my head while on our evening walk- fresh salmon, avocado, egg whites, shredded almond cheese all on a Ezekiel sprouted grain corn tortilla. yum!  the tortillas pretty much broke apart once i picked it up :( , but hey it all went to the same place.

we topped them with cilantro and salsa first.

after that, i went to my freezer for the next best thing since we're outta salmon right now- tilapia!  i baked a few pans of garlic and herb tilapia in the oven so i could prep some more meals to get us through the week.

i also made so fresh steamed asparagus for our green vegetable. lots of lemon pepper and Pam.

meal #5  for that evening consisted of spaghetti squash i baked earlier in the week, tilapia, and asparagus. i just rolled up two fork fulls of the squash and made it look like little pasta nests.  then i sprinkled them with garlic and herb seasoning and some dried parsley.

Chiso and i are gearing up to support Sonny in his 2nd bodybuilding show this weekend!

we are so ready to cheer him on :)

a trophy would be awesome, but i get to bring the man home with me! whoop whoop!

le

stick to the plan

green tea! my 'coffee'.

i sipped some on the way to the gym eeeeearly this morning. i drink more throughout the day with some of my meals as well.  be sure to switch to decaf in the evenings though so you can go to sleep at night.

it's always so peaceful at the gym in the early mornings.

i did some cardio, abs, and some much-needed stretching.  working out super early means more family time after work. wouldn't have it any other way.

Chi's breakfast this morning- raisin Ezekiel bread, eggs, and strawberries.  what, no pancakes!?  trying not to burn him out on them lol. i still had mine though! anyway, Ezekiel products have become a staple in our home. we all love them.

i got my meals for the day going starting with some grilled zucchini.

i cut them long ways and seasoned them with lemon pepper, curry, garlic powder, onion powder, and liquid aminos.  then, garnished them with fresh cilantro!  'what can i do to season my food and not add calories'? fresh herbs work wonders.  also, mrs. dash also has a great low/no sodium line.  special seasoning post coming, so i'll stop there!

i open some canned salmon and added a few ounces to each of my containers.  for fat, i used fresh avocado and pistachio nuts.  for carbs, i threw a bag full of La Tortilla Factory whole white-wheat soft wrap tortillas in my lunch kit. i take my condiments with me too- spicy mustard and my TJ fig butters.  i shredded a sweet potato, added garlic powder, onion powder, 1 egg white and pan (burned) fried the cakes on both sides.

for my protein, i mixed the canned salmon, avocado, a little goat cheese, and some spicy mustard together in a bowl, sprinkled some Mc Cormick BBQ seasoning on it and it was SO simple and good!!!!! no cooking required there.  i put some reduced sugar ketchup in my little dipping thingy for my sweet potato cakes.  no i didn't steal it from a restaurant like someone assumed...  came from Ikea :roll:

after i assemble my lunch together at work, it usually looks like this:

or this,

or i'll use Ezekiel's sprouted grain sesame or cinnamon raisin bread and make a sandwich.

just some super quick ideas.

  i am currently in a maintenance phase after my competition last month and loooooving it!!!  a little too much.  i'm totally enjoying my food freedom, can you tell?  however, i'm still keep up with my workouts and staying active.  that'll never change.

 Q: what is your current   workout schedule?

A: goes a lil somethin like this:

less cardio, more weights.  only about 4 hours of cardio a week actually.  a couple weeks before my first show, my cardio capped out around 9-10 hrs a week.  i laugh in the face of four measly hours now, HA!

for my active rest days, i'll either take Chiso out in the jogging stroller for a walk, or i'll take a class at my gym for fun.  i love taking classes from other instructors!!  i get to experience their teaching style and i am always inspired to create different moves for my own classes.

other than growing these baby biceps, i'm content with my current size and body fat.  i have NOT been able to say that, well, ever.  every few weeks, i'll sit down and come up with a new plan to switch things up to keep my body from plateauing.

welp, you know what this means.

empty jars make me smile. back to TJ's.

happy weekend!!

le