My New Friend Cathy

Wednesday nights are typically later nights at work for me, so when I got home yesterday I knew that I had to have an agenda in order to get to bed early.

While at work, I quickly planned my meals for the day by jotting them down on a small sticky note.  Typically, I try to have a little plan on Sunday for what the week will look like meal wise, but this week has been a little bit different.

These past two weeks, I have been in the process of beginning a training program through Cathy Savage Fitness.  Cathy Savage is a woman who excelled in the fitness competition world, and since then has created a training program for women and men who want to compete in fitness competitions or want to simply be healthy and look great!

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Being a part of the program gives me my own personal coach whom I can text and e-mail any time with any questions, struggles or concerns that I may have.  In the beginning stages of the program, my coach has been working with me to figure out my customized nutrition and an exercise plan that works for me. It is all like one big giant science experiment, and we are working together to find the perfect formula that works for my body…because everyone is different.

For now, I am eating 6 small meals a day, and this week I am completing around 30 minutes of cardio 5-6 days a week.  The food that I am eating in the meals isn’t any different than what I was eating before, now it is all about the timing and portion sizes.

A huge reason that I joined this program was because of the learning opportunity.  Yes, I am a certified personal trainer, teach several group fitness classes, and I try to stay current with the latest nutrition information, but in the industry I am pretty new, and I am trying to learn from the best.  From this program, I am hoping to learn about a different style of eating (and may adopt it as my own way of eating for good!), find the mix of exercise and nutrition that truly works best for me, and build a bond with people that have similar interests.  Not only will I be learning from these women, but they are all interested in the same things that I am:  health, exercise, and nutrition!

The other big reason why I joined is because of the fitness competition aspect.  I had been reading a lot about it, and every time I would see or hear something about one of these competitions it would peak my interest.  I will not be competing anytime soon, but next year, I would like to have it as an option!

That being said….I am so excited to be starting, and I can’t wait to document and share my journey along the way.

My Meals

So, because of the new plan, I am packing several small meals throughout the day that have a good balance of protein, veggies, fruit, starch, and healthy fat.  Here is what tomorrow looks like:

Meal one is a parfait with half of a baked oatmeal cake topped with plain nonfat Greek yogurt mixed with stevia and vanilla extract, blackberries, and almond butter…yumm! I think this has been my favorite meal so far 🙂

Meal two is protein pancakes (recipe coming soon!) with a pumpkin peanut butter spread.  Meal three is whole wheat pasta with tuna, spinach, tomato, and a little parmesan.  Meal four is a veggie burger topped with tomato, bell pepper, and roasted sweet potato.

It sounds like a lot of food, but it is a little bit of a lot of different kinds of foods.

I am very excited to be starting this training program and can’t wait to see the results!

Tasty BlogiversaryGiveaway Winner

Congratulations to Lindsay over at Lindsay’s List for winning my one year blogiversay giveaway!

Please e-mail me at trebleinthekitchen@gmail.com with your favorite baked goodie and mailing address and I will get your package sent out to you ASAP!!

 

Hope you all have a great Thursday!

Milkshake for Breakfast??

Breakfast tasted like dessert this morning.

I woke up, not really craving anything in particular.  I headed over to the fridge and just started pulling things out that looked good, and I ended up making this DELICIOUS treat! Seriously, it tastes like a milk shake!

Almond Cacao Milkshake Smoothie

• 2/3 frozen banana
• 1 Tbsp almond butter
• 1 tsp raw organic cacao
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze
• 1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek Yogurt
• 1 packet stevia
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ice cubes to thicken things up

Combine all things in the blender and enjoy!  Seriously… 😉

 

 

 

 

The Bachelorette…Party

Today, I am headed to the lake and then out on the town for the night celebrating my friend Erin’s bachelorette party!

Last summer at Erin’s white coat ceremony

Because I love to pitch in when it comes to making food, I made a little Greek yogurt and spinach dip.  Again seriously addicting and delicious, I hope you enjoy!

Greek Yogurt Feta Spinach Dip

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup red onion
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 4 green onions
• 10 oz spinach
• dash of salt
• 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice
• 1 cup of nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup of reduced fat feta
• 1 tsp of dried dill
• black pepper to taste

 

Directions

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Cook the onion, and garlic for about 2 minutes until soft.  Then, add in the spinach.  Continue to gently stir until the spinach is completely wilted down.

When the spinach is wilted, scoop it with a slotted spoon into a food processor.  Pulse about 5 times.  Next, add in the rest of the ingredients except the black pepper. Pulse until desired consistency.

Stir in the black pepper to taste.  This dip can be served cool, or warm!  Enjoy!

Nutrition per 2 Tablespoon Serving:

Calories:  32.9  Fat: 1.5g  Carbs:  2g  Protein:  3.4g

Feels Like Summer

Yesterday truly felt like the first day of summer.  The weather was gorgeous without a cloud in the sky and enough heat to make summer dresses, sandals, and shorts a necessity.

After spending a few hours at the pool and packing up some more boxes, I headed to the grocery store to get ingredients for dinner and for meals the rest of the week.

When I was younger and living with my parents, in the summer we would LIVE by the pool.  Just basking in the sun all day.  We would then come in from the heat with our cheeks nice and rosie and Mom would have a delicious spread of grilled foods for dinner, almost always with a giant bowl of salad.  I was completely in the mood for one of those meals.

Being in total summer mode, I thought that my homemade black bean burgers, sweet potato fries, and a giant tossed salad would be perfect!

Caitlin was in charge of the salad.  Doesn’t it look beautiful!

The meal was fantastic and the evening was great.  It was a great last gathering at the apartment with good friends.  We just sat around, talked, drank wine and beer…sometimes those are the best nights.

Today

This morning, I actually slept in.  I woke up at about 7:45, and I must admit that when I saw the sun peeking through the windows I thought that I was late.  Luckily, I wasn’t!

In the spirit of summer, a giant bowl of plain Greek yogurt topped with frozen peaches and strawberries, 1/3 of a banana, and half of an apple with a couple of teaspoons of peanut butter to top it off.

It was delicious!

What a tasty way to start the day.

Question of the Morning:

• What are your plans for the long Memorial Day weekend?

I will be spending my day laying in the sun!

A Missed Holiday

Good Afternoon!

I realized this morning that I missed a holiday yesterday…National Chocolate Chip Day, which would have been a great excuse to bake up some cookies.

Because I missed this holiday, I immediately wanted to make sure that I didn’t miss another yummy food related holiday.  So, I googled “National Food Days” and I found the jackpot.  According to this website everyday is dedicated to some food item.

I was planning on writing special days in my calendar, but I didn’t realize that it would be such daunting task.  I don’t even know what some of the foods are that are being celebrated, but literally there is a special food for every day.

It just goes to show that there is always a reason to celebrate 😉

Breakfast

This morning after teaching yoga sculpt and a 4 mile run, I attempted to make some protein pancakes again.  This time I omitted the protein powder completely.

I am still not ready to share the recipe yet, because I need Brian to taste them.  Whenever I make something new, Brian usually has a pretty big say as to whether or not the recipe is a success.  I tend to like things that can taste a bit too “healthy” for the normal taste bud.  Where Brian is not picky, but he just likes things to taste “good.”  Thankfully he will try almost anything I make 🙂  It usually works out in his favor.

If you are wondering what is on top of the cakes, I mixed 1 Tbsp of Pb2 Chocolate with 2 Tbsp of Greek Yogurt and a little bit of water.  It was a tasty pancake topping, if you ask me!

Lunch

I then spent the majority of the morning working on Body Pump (I have to be ready to teach a full class soon and make a video!) and applying for full time jobs…the next thing I knew it was time for my midday meal.

Tuna salad made with a little Greek yogurt and cottage cheese mixed with carrots, onions, celery, garlic salt, and pepper over a bed of lettuce.  On the side:  celery sticks (my fav!) and cold baked sweet potato (from yesterday) with a little bit of ketchup.

The perfect fuel to get me through the afternoon.

Of Possible Interest:

• 7 Habits that May Decrease the Risk of Alzheimer’s:  Huffington Post
• Ways to Cook with Ice Cube Trays:  fitsugar.com

Snack Attack

Good afternoon!

The majority of my morning before volunteering and my afternoon after volunteering has looked like this:

Studying the new release of BodyPump in preparation for my certification course this weekend.  After I make dinner, workout with Brian, and attend a BodyPump class…the rest of my night will probably look very similar.

I did manage to have time for lunch 😉  Today, I had a spinach and romaine salad with sunflower seeds, tomato, and tuna topped with my mom’s homemade salsa.

 

Snacks

As I was leaving today, I made sure to pack a snack in my bag because I knew that I would be unable to eat lunch until much later than my usual lunch time.  Whenever I pack a snack, I try to make sure that it is light and has a balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fat so that I am able to stay satisfied for longer without necessarily having to eat a ton.

My snack today was simple:  string cheese, 6 Kashi Original 7 Grain Crackers, and 6 almonds.  My snack packed around 10grams of protein (for staying power) and clocked in at only 163 calories.  Not too bad if you ask me.

Here are some other easy and balanced snack ideas:

• 2 homemade protein bars

• 1/2 cup cottage cheese with half an apple and 1 tsp of nut butter
• 1 container of yogurt or Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup of chopped veggies dipped 2 Tbsp of hummus with 3 almonds and 1 ounce of cheese
• 1/3 cup of plain oats, about 1/3 scoop of protein powder, and 6 peanuts chopped and sprinkled on top for some crunch
• 1/3-1/2 can of tuna mixed with 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt and about 1/2 cup of chopped veggies (I like celery, bell peppers, and red onion)
• 2 Peanut Butter Protein Balls

• Smoothie:  1/3 banana, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1/3 scoop protein powder, ice

Question of the Afternoon:

What are some of your favorite snack ideas?

 

 

Like a Kid

Yesterday morning, the group fitness class I attended was titled “Cardio Intervals.”  It was a great class in the fact that there was a lot of variety and we incorporated some strength training as well.  At one point, we were literally skipping giant leaps across the gym, and I couldn’t help but feel like a kid 😉

Not only was it fun, but it totally got my heart rate up as I tried to skip as high and as fast as I could across the gym floor.   This made me think about the meeting that I had with a Registered Dietician a couple of days ago.  We met to discuss further schooling opportunities for me and career options, but we talked about health and fitness as well since we both have a passion for those things.  One thing that she said that really resonated with me is that we all need to be more like children.

If you think about it, children eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full.  We teach them things like at noon they must eat lunch, and that they must finish everything on their plate.  Children are always running around and being active.  They aren’t necessarily exercising, but they are putting the body into motion, which is what it is meant to do.

I think we could all benefit from being a little bit more like children:  not worrying about what other people think, listening to your body and eating what your body wants when you are hungry, and being active just because!

Breakfast

On that note, I didn’t prepare a bowl of overnight oats last night because I wasn’t very hungry and didn’t know what I would feel like this morning.  Last night, I thought that I may want a smoothie…but instead this morning oats sounded better.

So I kind of did like “in the morning” oats rather than overnight oats.  I mixed 1/2 cup Greek yogurt with 1 scoop of vanilla Sunwarrior, vanilla extract, cinnamon, water and a half cup of oats.  I let it sit in the fridge until it thickened up and mixed in some apple on top.  Completely satisfying!

I don’t have much on the agenda for today, but I am teaching a spin class this evening…first one in 3 weeks so I am completely looking forward to it 🙂

Have an amazing Friday, and do something to be like a kid!

Just Like Riding A Bike

Guess what I did today?  Taught a group fitness class, and boy did it feel good to be doing that again!

Would you believe that it has been three weeks since I have arrived home?  That means three weeks since I have taught a fitness class, but I must say, it is just like riding a bike 🙂  I was a little nervous to teach since it has been so long.  I thought about forgetting things, not saying the right cues, and just making a fool of myself…but none of that happened.  I was worried for nothing…that never happens (just kidding).  I tend to worry and make situations worse than they need to be…oh well, we all have our faults!

Here is the workout we did today:

It was a great workout, that I feel really focused the muscles that are visible during warm weather season…shoulders, arms, abs, legs.  Completing this workout along with 30 minutes or more of cardiovascular exercise would be a great total body workout.

Before I taught, I did 35 minutes on the elliptical, but it is so nice today I may just have to break down and go for a run 😉  Can’t let the sunshine go to waste!

When I got home, I made myself a Blueberry Kale Smoothie for lunch, and it was delicious!  Although it did leave me feeling a little chilly…

In the blender:

• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/4 cup Chobani 0% plain Greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup kale leaves
• 1 scoop Sunwarrior Vanilla Protein Powder
• ice and water for thickening

Have an amazing rest of the day!

 

I still need your help with Easter recipe ideas…!!

Calling All Easter Recipes!

I need some Easter inspiration…but first we will talk about Breakfast.

Breakfast this morning was a bowl of overnight oats:

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/4 cup Chobani 0% Plain Greek Yogurt
• 1 scoop Sunwarrior Vanilla Protein Powder
• 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• a dash of cinnamon and about 3/4 cup water

This morning I then added, chopped pear, and 2 tsp of peanut butter.  The cinnamon and chocolate really complimented each other well making for a delicious breakfast 🙂

Easter Recipes

For Easter, most years, I make some sort of fancy dessert.  I really enjoy the creative process of picking out the perfect recipe and design, getting all the ingredients, making a tasty baked good, and then decorating it like a work of art (at least it’s art to me!).

 

In the past I have made chick cupcakes:

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I have made the classic bunny cake:

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And I have made the traditional carrot cake:

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All three were delicious, but this year, I am fresh out of ideas!  My mom and I are planning on preparing a brunch for everyone at my apartment, but I don’t know what I want to make.

I know that I want to make another special baked good this year, something that takes a little bit of skill, and uses some of my creative juice that I have flowing.   Also, my mom and I are looking for menu ideas.  I would have to say though, that my tastes differ a bit from the rest of my family’s when it comes to “healthifying” certain recipes.  They tend to enjoy things a bit more decadent than I do, but we have to meet somewhere in the middle.  I want to have a brunch menu to impress, but I don’t want it to make everyone feel completely weighed down afterward.

 

So here is the part where I ask for some help!

 

Does anyone have any delicious, secretly healthy, or beautiful and impressive baked goodies that I could make for my family on Easter??

 

I love getting creative in the kitchen, healthifying my own recipes, and seeing how they turn out, but I would love to hear what you all have tried 🙂

 

 

Happy Spring!

Today has been flying by!

So fast, that I even missed my mid-morning snack…oops!

And spring has officially sprung!  Happy first day of spring!!

The bush outside of our apartment has officially bloomed 🙂

I made up for the lack of snack (I am a poet and I didn’t even know it…) with a delicious lunch of salmon salad.  In my salmon salad I included:

• Celery
• Red onion
• Orange bell pepper
• 1/4 cup Fage Total 0% Greek yogurt (the secret ingredient that replaces mayo, it adds in a secret hint of protein)
• 1/4 cup canned salmon
• 1/4 cup chickpeas
• Pepper to taste
• Garlic salt to taste

On the side I had celery sticks (my fave!) and part of an orange tomato.  Is it just me, or do orange tomatoes taste better than red tomatoes?  😉

 

Celery sticks are honestly one of my favorite veggies.  I just love how crunchy they are and the fact that they are great dippers and they are great to eat plain as well!  On the cruise ship, I NEVER had celery sticks…literally, so I have been missing my little green sticks of joy.

 

What is your favorite veggie?? 

• Like I said above, I have always loved celery

How do you like to eat your favorite veggie??

• Although I love it plain, my favorite way to eat it is with peanut butter 🙂

I’m Addicted

Happy Monday morning!

I woke up at the usual time today, but I ate a much later breakfast than usual.  I woke up and was simply not hungry, so I began to prep things for tonight’s dinner which is a new crock pot meal.  Here is a clue as to what I am making:

Any guesses as to what it could be?!

Workout

After prepping dinner, I headed out for a short run.  My knee has stopped giving me pain during the day completely, but it still gets a little sore when I run so I only did about 3 miles today.  I then came in and did the famous 8 Minute Abs youtube video…I love how 90s it is!

 

Breakfast

After the workout, shower, and getting ready for work I was finally in the mood for breakfast.  I had a bowl of greek yogurt sweetened with splenda, cinnamon, and nutmeg with a delicious fall apple mixed in.

It was totally delicious!

 

Addictions

Ok, so my big addiction is chewing gum.  During school I simply can’t go without it, probably because I need something to do during class, while studying, etc.  I also love chewing mint gum while drinking ice cold water…which I do all the time.   Since I have graduated, I have tried to chew less gum because Brian, being the dental student that he is, has told me countless times how bad for my jaw chewing so much gum is….but I bought some on Friday.  Two packs to be exact…and they were gone yesterday!

 

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I always chew sugarless so I don’t have to worry about sugar overload or the gum giving me cavities, but when I buy gum I should probably try to make it last a little bit longer.

Links to check out:

• Why asparagus makes your pee smell funny (Huffington Post)
• 10 Minute Jeanette Jenkins Bootcamp Video (fitsugar.com)

What are your silly addictions?  Coffee?  Diet Coke?? Chocolate?  Cleaning?  I want to hear all about them!