Chia Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Hey everyone! It's been a while since I've posted, I've been so busy lately! I found out that I got into grad school....literally 5 days before classes started. I was so shocked because I hadn't heard from the school so I just thought I didn't get in. So I was extremely excited! And it's an online program so I didn't have to worry about moving or anything.  It's really intense and a lot of work, so along with working I barely have any time.  But of course I still have to make time to cook and make up recipes!
I got this AMAZING pancake maker pan that's pictured below (it's called Orgreenic Ceramic Pancake Maker, I got it at Bed Bath & Beyond), and I highly recommend it especially for anyone who has trouble flipping pancakes or eggs (like myself).  I use it to make omelettes and they come out perfect every time! Plus I love having eggs in a pancake shape :) Anyway, I whipped up these pancakes this morning and they turned out delicious. Those of you that read my blog know about my love for pumpkin. It's one of my favorite flavors, and fall is right around the corner so now it's actually acceptable to be making pumpkin recipes! Although I'll keep doing it year-round :)

Ingredients:
2 tbsp oat flour
1 tbsp coconut flour
1 tbsp whey protein (I used About Time cinnamon whey protein. You could also sub it for more flour or flaxseed meal)
1 tsp chia seeds (makes the pancakes thick & fluffy!)
2 tbsp pumpkin purée
2 egg whites
2 tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or milk of choice)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon
dash of pumpkin spice (optional)

1 packet stevia

Mix ingredients in a blender or very well with a spoon. Batter should be thick! Spray a pan (or awesome pancake maker) with non-stick spray and cook on medium heat.  Tip: Be patient and don't flip them too early!

I topped mine with bananas and layered them with maple "frosting"-- 2 tbsp plain greek yogurt, 1/4 tsp maple extract, 1/2 packet of stevia, and a splash of almond milk.

Myths and Mistakes in Fitness

I came across this from a personal trainer/athlete and had to share it because it's spot on. There are so many myths and fads surrounding fitness and nutrition, as well as mistakes that people make that will not only affect their results, but will have a negative impact on their health as well.

1. Doing ab workouts won't give you a flat stomach or abs, they just shape your abs.  Ever heard "abs are made in the kitchen?"... that's the truth.  Only a well-balanced diet along with cardio will allow you to drop enough fat to shred the layer between your fat and hidden abs.  And keep in mind you need a pretty low body fat in order to see defined abs!

2. I've definitely mentioned this in my posts before. It doesn't matter how much weight you lift. If you don't have the proper form when performing an exercise, you're putting yourself at risk for hurting yourself and you're most likely not isolating the desired muscle & therefore not working it correctly. I see so many people in the gym doing bicep curls halfway or literally squatting down 5 inches with a heavier weight...facepalm.

3. If you eat mostly fast food or food that's highly processed all the time, when you're at the gym you are just going to be burning off this food so you're not going to make any progress. Food is fuel and the majority of it should be as healthy as possible if you want to see changes! I follow IIFYM, but I definitely support eating clean 80-90% and hitting the majority of your macronutrients with nutrient-dense foods.  For the other 10%, or my "treats" and foods I like, I fit them into my macros.  Not everyone follows this, but I do think that it's important to eat mostly healthy food so you see progress and don't stay the same.

4. Skipping meals actually slows down your metabolism and makes you hungry, so that when you do eat, you'll eat more than you planned on.  Eating every meal, starting with breakfast to jump start your metabolism, will keep you feeling fuller longer and keep your metabolism going so you burn more calories.  Don't have time to cook? Prep your meals in advance! It makes life so much easier because you have something already prepared.  I take one day out of the week to cook meat, vegetables, etc. and then I can easily throw it together and make a meal in minutes.

5. I have a whole entire post on why sleep is important-- go read it! Sleep is so important for muscle recovery.  At least 7-8 hours is best!

6. Not everyone knows how to read a nutrition label in depth or knows what each ingredient in a food is, but I think it's important to have at least a basic idea.  Look at the serving size and number of servings, and be aware of things like saturated or trans fat, cholesterol, and sodium.  Look for foods high in fiber and make sure you're getting enough protein.  Also don't be fooled by foods that say "low-fat,""half the calories," or "light," because when you take something out, you have to put more of something else in so it tastes good.  For example, for "low fat" foods they add TONS of sugar! It's better to eat the regular versions of food.

There are many other myths & mistakes that people make regarding fitness and nutrition but I think these are some of the most common! If you're someone who makes these mistakes, work on it and you'll see a difference!

Miracle Mac 'N Cheese

I've heard a lot of mixed reviews on Miracle Noodles, so I finally decided to try them and see for myself! Miracle Noodles, aka shirataki noodles, are calorie, gluten, and soy-free.  They are made of an indigestible fiber called glucomannan, so they are edible and leave you feeling full.  They're tasteless, but take the taste of whatever sauce you cook them in.  Most people use them in asian noodle dishes, but I wanted to try to recreate another comfort food--mac n cheese! I was never a fan of mac 'n cheese when I was younger (weird I know...I was extremely picky!), but I figured I'd give a homemade and healthified version a shot.  It turned out delicious!! Something I'll definitely eat all the time because it's quick and easy to make. I used low-fat cottage cheese, which I use in a lot of my recipes because it's high in casein protein (a slow-releasing protein), nutritional yeast and unsweetened vanilla almond milk, which gives a cheesy flavor without using cheese, butter, and milk. I also used Al Fresco's Chicken Sausage, hardboiled egg whites, and vegetables for extra protein and nutrients but this is optional/add whatever you'd like!

Ingredients (makes 1 serving)
1 package Miracle Noodles
2 tbs low-fat cottage cheese (I used lactaid because dairy tends to bother my stomach, still tastes good!)
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
1/4 tsp minced garlic
Chicken Sausage
2 Hardboiled Egg Whites, already made & chopped
Handful of Baby Spinach
1/4 Avocado, chopped
Red Bell Pepper, chopped
Mrs. Dash

Directions: Cook Miracle Noodles according to the directions on the package.  Beware--they have a fishy odor but I promise they don't taste like it! Coat a pan with non-stick cooking spray and set to medium heat.  While that's heating up, combine cottage cheese, nutritional yeast, almond milk, and minced garlic, and either mix it in a food processor or by hand.  Set that aside and cut up the chicken sausage into pieces.  Put the chicken sausage in the pan when it's hot, sprinkle Mrs. Dash, and cover but move it around occasionally with a spatula. When it starts to brown slightly (it shouldn't take long since it's pre-cooked), uncover and add any vegetables such as spinach and red pepper (I didn't add the avocado). Then after 1-2 minutes add the miracle noodles to the pan and mix everything around with a spatula for another minute or so.  Pour into a bowl, add the avocado and hardboiled egg whites if you're using them, and mix in the sauce.

 

My Fitness Journey & IIFYM

 

I debated sharing these pictures, but I've finally learned to be more confident in my body and stop comparing myself to others...which is a big accomplishment because fitness and health is all about your own personal journey.  But I also decided to post this because I see too many people going about dieting and exercising the wrong way, so this is to prove a point and help others who may be stuck or in a similar situation. This is about 6 months progress. I've been going to the gym since I was really young but I usually just did lighter weights and I was more of a cardio bunny. And throughout middle school & high school I did a lot of sports so I've always been really active. When I got to college, I got into long distance running and ran 5 half marathons, still went to the gym and lifted weights but I pretty much was doing cardio and running allll the time. I've also always eaten fairlyyy healthy but I never paid attention to my macronutrient intake and I was an extremely picky eater so that meant a lot of pasta and bread and packaged/processed food too. Someone very close to me also had an eating disorder and I didn’t want that to happen to me, so I made sure I always ate whatever I wanted. Later I switched my major to nutrition and I started learning a lot about specific nutrients and how they influence our bodies, food labels, how the metabolism works—so many things I never really knew about or paid attention to before. I also got to take some fitness-related nutrition courses as well. I slowly started learning about "eating clean" and instead of eating packaged/processed food, I began to cook a lot more and experiment with recipes. I also started doing my own research on eating for my goals, which was to be strong & fit, instead of skinny and having no muscle from running so much! I started lifting heavier and doing a little less cardio, and along with completely changing my diet I slowly started seeing results. In the beginning it was a lot of experimenting for me, with different things like eliminating dairy, high protein/low carb, limiting my fruit, limiting my calories, 6-7 small meals a day, etc. and what I've found is a lot of these rules that we read about and start to follow are not the solution and just lead to unhealthy habits. For me, eliminating certain foods and following all those rules worked for a little while…I lost weight but I was low on energy and it affected my workouts, and I also found myself missing out on foods I liked. I craved things like pizza all the time, and when I did go out to eat or eat something unhealthy I'd eat too much, feel guilty afterward, and then I’d try to do a ton of cardio to make up for it. Because of that, I wasn't really enjoying my workouts anymore because I felt obligated to do cardio, and the focus was on burning off what I ate.  And I also wasn't really gaining much muscle because of this. Then I came across If It Fits Your Macros, a concept that focuses on the nutrients your putting into your body. You figure out and track macronutrient needs (protein, carbs, fat, and fiber), and you meet those needs while still able to incorporate foods you like. You still eat probably 80-90% "clean" because you still do need to eat tons of vegetables, fruit, lean meats, and healthy fats to meet those macros. And personally, I just really enjoy healthy food anyway. But you also still get to eat other things as long as it fits. Layne Norton has a ton of videos (highly recommend watching them! there's a directory of all of them HERE as well as other helpful videos) that explain this concept so I'm not going into detail....but when I started this I got way more energy, better workouts and more strength at the gym. The best part is that you don't have to follow any rules, eliminate anything from your diet, or feel guilty after you eat something “not clean."
IIFYM may not be for everyone, but it has worked for many people. I see too many people yo-yo dieting or restricting themselves and following all these rules like I did. When you do this, you either temporarily see results, or don’t see any at all. If you are one of those people that are frustrated with dieting this is definitely something I recommend trying.

100 Rep Leg Workout

Hey everyone! This past week my workout schedule got a little messed up because I went away for the weekend. I had to change things around and fit in a leg workout Friday before I left (I train my weaker muscle groups twice a week), and I got inspired to do something different/challenging.  It ended up being KILLER (and not recommended if you're going to sit in the car and drive for 2 hours afterward!) so I figured I'd share! I got this idea to do an 100 rep leg workout from a figure competitor that I follow on Instagram.  I did my own variation and it's definitely something I'm going to incorporate more often to switch things up!
Sidenote, the reason I have the song She Wolf (Falling to Pieces) (Koaz vs Sandro Silva Mix to be exact) pictured is because came on during my workout and I hadn't heard it in a LONG time. It was a song I listened to a lot when I was going through some things in my life and it brought back some memories but I was so glad it did because it got me so pumped and got me through my workout! The point of me sharing that is two reasons: 1. When you workout, pick music that pumps you up and gets your adrenaline going! I honestly think it makes a difference and they've even done studies on it.  I like a wide variety of music but my favorite thing to listen to when I workout is techno or dubstep because it fires me up...but I know some people that workout to country.  Chose whatever music works best for you!  2. Working out is the perfect healthy outlet for your emotions.  As soon as I started thinking about my past, it made me kind of angry but I used that anger to push through my workout and work twice as hard! That's why whenever I'm upset, angry, or stressed I go to the gym.  Working out is the cheapest and best therapy you can get.  If it wasn't for the gym, I don't think I could have gotten through a lot of things in the past year or two.
Anyway, I highly recommend this workout or do your own variation! Do as heavy as you can and don't rest during the 100 reps!