Protein Pancakes - Tasty Tuesday!

Protein Pancakes

Yay, it’s time for another recipe! I love posting food! : )

Eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to give up ALL your favorite things. There are so many great ways to make healthy alternatives to your favorite meals. I looove breakfast food, it’s sooo yummy, so here’s a protein pancake recipe that I can honestly say I like so much more than regular pancakes. I’ve already made these 3 days in a row! And apparently they smell good to dogs because,... my dog never does ANYTHING bad but when I got home yesterday, there was a torn up zip lock back in the hallway and no more protein pancakes! Hmph! I can’t really blame him though, they’re good! ENJOY!

Ingredients:
1 Cup – Oats (blended)
2 Scoops – Vanilla Protein Powder (I use “Vanilla Bean” by V-Core)
1 Tbs – Ground Flaxseed
2 Tsp – Baking Powder
2 – Eggs
2 – Tbs – Almond Milk (or milk of choice)
½ Cup – Cottage Cheese (or plain greek yogurt)
½ Cup – Unsweetened Applesauce

Toppings:
Topping options are endless! I used...
A couple spoons full of Plain Greek Yogurt mixed with a small handful of Fresh Blackberries (which I mushed up a little with my spoon while mixing), then topped with cut strawberries.
Warmed up peanut butter topped with strawberries is the other photo.
They’re even good after being stored in a zip lock bag, with no topping (just don’t let your dog get a hold of it ;). Great protein packed finger food for on the go!

Directions:
Combine dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and mix well. Cook like normal pancakes, in a sprayed pan, on medium to low heat. These don’t bubble like regular pancakes so be careful not to overcook. For my stove, they take about a minute to a minute and a half on each side.
This recipe makes about 8 pancakes, depending on the size. 

30 Day Challenge - It's Over!

30 Day Challenge - It's over!

Hi guys!

Our 30 Day Challenge is over! Life got a little crazy... okay, life got a LOT crazy for me (which I'll tell you about later) and I wasn't able to blog the end of our challenge as soon as I wanted to. : ( I'm really sorry guys!! Family emergency!

Alright, here we go!
First, you guys need to take your final picture, if you haven't already. Put your starting picture next to your final picture and see the difference. You can also line your progression photos up and see the gradual transformation. If you're happy with your results, give yourself a pat on the back, you worked hard for this! If you're not happy with your results, still give yourself a pat on the back because you made a big step by trying! Now just keep up the hard work and don't stop, you'll get there! : )

This is my  2nd 30 Day Challenge

So now, depending on your goals, you can switch up your workout schedule. Working out 3-5 days a week is definitely a good idea, no less though! I will be working out 5-6 days a week.

I really like HIIT (high intensity interval training) workouts!! I changed my workout routine during the last week of the 30 Day Challenge and I really noticed the difference right away. My next fitness blog will be about my new routine and how great it is!

Now as far as food goes, stick with the rules of our Challenge, just add one cheat meal per week in the mix. It should be a planned meal. Planning the meal will insure that you are making it worth it to you, something you've been craving, it will also help avoid binge eating! These cheat meals are important. You don't want to feel like you're on a strict diet and can never enjoy the foods you love again (without feeling terribly guilty). Just make sure to remember your portion control. Keep in mind that this is not a "diet", "diets" fail. This is a lifestyle and healthy way to live.

Honestly, I like to let myself have one cheat "meal" per week PLUS one dessert per week. My desert consists of frozen yogurt with fruit and a little bit of chocolate (from Orange Leaf). Mmmmm! It does not consist of a huge piece of cake covered in disgusting icing every single week! BUT, if I know there is a birthday party or an event that I'm going to that week, I will skip the frozen yogurt and plan on having a very SMALL helping of a yummy sweet served at the event. Just be smart guys, use your better judgement and common sense. Remember that you have to live with the consequences of your decisions. You're the only one that can let yourself get out of shape and you're the only one that can get yourself in shape.

If you have a long road ahead of you to reach your goals, you might not want to have dessert every week, but if you really struggle with a sweet tooth and tend to binge and regret it, maybe you should plan a small treat each week, something to look forward to and won't ruin all your hard work. Just. Be. Smart.

After my first 30 Day Challenge I was so excited, happy and proud of myself! So much so that I wanted to do it again... so, I did! If you feel that you want to do this challenge again and aim for even BETTER results, have at it! No cheat meals and workout 6 days a week with no excuses!

If you need a refresher on what to eat and what not to eat, or if you're new to this blog and would like to try this 30 Day Challenge, click HERE to start from the beginning. :-) Happy getting fit!!

As always, if you need any guidance, advice, motivation, etc along the way, just let me know! I'm here to help! : )

Until next time!
Kaysi

Day 22 - 30 Day Challenge

 

Hi guys! It's Day 22 of our 30 Day Challenge! 

Time to take another weekly progress photo!

How are you guys doing? Your new eating habits should finally be much easier. Are you still struggling with giving up certain foods? If you’re like me and feel like you’re never gonna get rid of that darn sweet tooth, find healthy alternatives to satisfy your cravings. Take a look at my recipes, I have some great ones for protein “cookies” and dessert like protein shakes. How’s your workout routine going? Are you able to find at least 20 minutes a day, 6 days a week to get your muscles working? Since we’re pretty much on our last week, if you’re not challenging yourself yet, you should really step it up, get strict and work hard these last few days! No excuses! Turn the last week into a “7 Day Challenge” (or 8 since there are 8 days left, a little longer than a one week challenge).

Here’s what you need to be doing...
* Get up and do 20-30 minutes of cardio (if you don’t have time, wake up earlier or at the very least do this routine) - 
        5 moves / 60 sec each (5 min total) =
       Jumping Jacks
       Jump Rope (if you don’t have a jump rope, pretend)
       Burpees (if you need to go slow or do a modified version, do it)
       Jog in Place
       Jump Squats
* Drink 8 oz of water before breakfast
--Eat every two hours--
* M1 (meal 1) - (slow/complex carb, protein, healthy fat, fruit (coffee or green tea if needed)) Example: Oatmeal cooked with water and stevia and or cinnamon for taste (if needed), splash of almond or coconut milk, topped with fruit, side of 2 eggs.
* Drink water!
* S1 (snack 1) – Example: Apple or banana with peanut butter, plain greek yogurt or cottage cheese with ½ fruit, 1 slice toast with 2 hard boiled eggs, handful of almonds.
* Drink water!
* M2 – Example: Chicken, tuna or lean ground turkey with veggie of choice (optional extra sides, brown rice, quinoa, ½ sweet potato), you could make this a salad, you could add avocado, olive oil, pepper, to taste. Drink 8 oz or water with lemon.
* S2 – Example: any of the above snack examples. If you’ve worked out after lunch, have a post-workout protein shake, if you get a mid day sweet tooth, have a homemade protein cookie.
* Drink water!
* Complete today’s workout routine if you haven’t already!
* M3 – Example: Lean meat such as chicken, tuna, salmon, tilapia, lean ground turkey and veggie of choice. Could add lemon juice, pepper, mustard, olive oil or vinegar to taste. Or hearty post-workout protein shake (include a veggie, spinach is a great addition to shakes!).
* Finish the water needed for the day, be mindful of how late you’re drinking large amounts of water so that you’re not up peeing all night!
* S3 – (this could be a “healthy dessert option”) Example: protein pudding, protein cookie, chia pudding, grapefruit with stevia, frozen grapes.
* Go to bed early enough to get your 8 hours of sleep!

If you notice that you’re needing more activity in your day, find times to add some random movement. This would be perfect if you have a sedentary job. Find something you do often, such as, go to the rest room, answer the phone, text someone, walk down a hall, send an email, etc and find something to do each time you do that/those things, such as 10 squats, 15 jumping jacks, walking lunges, 10 push-ups, 30-60 sec plank, etc. Example: each time you use the restroom – 10 squats. Don’t walk down the hallway – do walking lunges down it, or skip! You could even do all of these things before you take a shower, before getting into bed, before you eat each meal OR all of the above! Oh, and always take there stairs, there is not such thing as an elevator or escalator!! Get the idea?

Since we only have 8 days left, make them count! Make yourself proud!

Also, since we only have 8 days left, you might have thought about what you’re going to do when we’re done, how you’re going to stay on track and not slip back into old habits. I will be discussing this in a later post. We’ve made it so far, we don’t want to ruin it all when we’re done!

Good luck with these last days guys! You can do it!

: )