Grab-N-Go Breakfast

As much as I love sitting down and relaxing to eat breakfast....sleep usually gets the upper hand.  And, like most people, I end up quickly grabbing a granola bar or banana for the car ride.  I've even brought a bowl of oatmeal to eat during my morning commute (not the safest).

That's why these grab-n-go egg bars make mornings so much easier/satisfying.

Ingredients: eggs, cheese, onions, peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, salt, pepper

Mixed 8 eggs, seasonings, and chopped veges.

Placed in the oven at 375 degrees for 25 min.

Smells yummy.

Pop out, wrap up, and eat on the go!

I microwaved mine before leaving, because I at least have 20-30 seconds to spare in the morning.  I'd probably put meat in these next time....gotta love versatile recipes.

Tangerine Walnut Broccoli

I came across this recipe for what the author stated as The Best Broccoli of Your Life.
I gave it my own twist and added roasted walnuts + tangerine zest + tangerine juice.  It came out so tasty with just the right amount of crunch and citrusy flavor.

Broccoli, red pepper, sea salt, black pepper, olive oil, & tangerines.

I only used the zest and juice of one tangerine, not too strong or light.

Mixed 2 tbsp of olive oil with crushed red peppers.

Placed on a tray and added the oil, salt, pepper, and crushed ginger.

Placed in the oven at 425 degrees for ~25 min (or until ends of broccoli slightly brown)

After taking out the broccoli, add 2 more tbsp of olive oil, the juice and some zest of one tangerine, and roasted walnuts:

3 lbs of walnuts! Gotta love Costco.

I roasted some walnuts in the oven, at the same time as the broccoli, for ~5-7 min.
I then took a plate of spinach and placed the broccoli with boneless chicken (in a black pepper marinade) from the crockpot for a delicious dinner.

I bet this would taste really good with noodles and soy sauce, like giving it an asian orange chicken kind of feel.  I'm making this again for sure!

Experimental Protein Bar

I'm a huge fan of Lara bars and KIND bars ("ingredients you can see and pronounce") because they only use a few ingredients and are naturally sweetened...however, they don't have much protein.
So my goal was to make a homemade protein bar.  I looked up some recipes online (a good dozen or so).  I wasn't finding anything I wanted; recipes either used ingredients I didn't have or they used recipes that didn't include enough of what I had.

Thus, I ignored everything.  Time to experiment.

Requirements:
super healthy, include protein powder, exclude any sugary syrup (including honey or agave), and of course, super tasty!


 I started off thinking I would use these ingredients...

Figs = natural sweetener

Okay this next step looks disgusting...I mixed an egg white with peanut butter and microwaved it for 30 seconds. This cooked the egg white a little too much. I'd probably do 15 seconds PB, add egg white, then 15 more seconds.

Mmmm....not.

Add some sweetener and tangy flavor.

Figs + cranberries

Hammertime with almonds.

The ingredients I ended up using.
(not pictured, PB)

Mix, mix, mix.

Flatten in container.

Refrigerate overnight.

Mmmm....yes.

I had half of this for breakfast this morning.  The consistency was sticky enough to hold together, it was filling, and it tasted pretty damn good.  I was trying to think of ways to make it better...for other people's taste buds.  It may not be sweet enough for others? 

It's fine for me though, and met all of my requirements.  

Recipe. But also add 3 tbsp of apple sauce!

Nutritional Breakdown (serves 2):
          Calories: 330
          Protein: 22g

My Future House

...will have these essentials:

Heat sensitive, color changing tiles.

A cool fish tank.

A choice.

Bathtub fireplace.

These colors.

Huge mirror/vanity.

Outdoor movies.

Chalkboard wall.

Above average kitchen.

LED faucet light.

Style.

Brick.

Window doors.

Finished basement. 

Stone shower.

Walk-in closet + washer/dryer.

Reading corner.

Chandelier.

Comfort.

Nook.

Hidden trampoline.

Treehouse.

Piano.

Jacuzzi.

Vegetable garden.

I could go on and on....

Abs in 23 days? Revisited.

Or "Why this is BS (for most people)"

To follow up on this (a month too late, but with more insight)...I did not follow these exercises for the month.  What I did was better, in my opinion.

I was better with my workouts and nutrition during this month, than any other month in my life.  I kept a workout calendar that tracked what exercises I did each day, and I made note of whether I ate healthy that day. Out of those 31 days, I worked out on 24 days, and ate healthy for 20 of the days.  I look at my own motivation during this month as a reminder for future motivation.  And although I did not get "abs"--I did notice a great difference in abdominal muscle.  The thing about getting real abs is that you MUST lower your body fat percentage a significant amount in order for these muscles to show.  And when you lower this percentage, it is NOT going to be only (or even mostly) on your stomach--unless you have mutant genetics.

After 23 days, I noticed my abdominal muscles working in small ways...such as pushing/pulling the elliptical handles, or even pushing/pulling a vacuum.  If I could improve on anything I did during the month of October, I would have to stress that nutrition is a bit more important than exercise.  If you HAVE to skip a day of something, it should be exercise and not nutrition.  I, however, find it easier to workout than to resist a second helping of dessert.  Also, weekends always drag me down. And I purposely let them.  The important thing is getting back on track once Monday rolls around.  

If my October workout calendar was the star student of the class, then my November workout calendar is the C average student...not failing though, because I'm still seeing positive differences. 

If someone wants to get abs in the shortest amount of time possible, I recommend that they eat protein everyday, every meal.  And some vegetables.  But definitely protein.  They should be eating chicken breasts until they never want to look at them again.  Alcohol and sweets are STRICTLY prohibited.  Hit a combination of strength training and cardio.  Small meals every 2-3 hours, never hungry, never full.  If you can follow this religiously, then God bless you.  I, however, cannot.  And so, with patience, I still have faith in my midsection. 

Awwyeahhh

Strawberry Kiwi Smoothie

Recently bought strawberry protein powder instead of my usual chocolate or vanilla flavors. Just trying to shake things up a bit (pun intended).

Also found a kiwi in the fridge! And have a cooler/easier way of peeling it.

Just three ingredients. I'd use 2 kiwis if I had another.

Slice the kiwi in half

Take a spoon and place it as close to the skin as you can.

Dig in and move the spoon around the inside skin to "scoop" out the green part.

Perfect round halves without the hassle of using a knife.

Combine, mix, drink up.

I downed this after the Spartacus workout.  I read somewhere that you can actually eat the peel of a kiwi...if you just scrub off some of the outer fuzz before.  Sounds unappealing, but I'd try it next time.