ALL the Reviews

So you could say I got a liiiiitle review happy today :P 

You can't blame me, I finally got a HUGE quest order delivered AND my Love With Food subscription box yesterday. It was just asking for a review day today! So I present you with not one, not two, but THREE reviews in one. Get excited. I know I was :D

 First off I started with Chobani's new grape flavored Greek yogurt this morning for breakfast.

 Like I mentioned in my previous review on the new green tea flavor, I wasn't expecting much out of this flavor. I assumed it would take like grape medicine TBH.

But boy, was I wrong! This yogurt was actually pretty tasty. I enjoyed it with extra grapes and Target's Peanut Butter Monster trail mix to give it a little PB&J theme. It was really good! Just like the green tea, I enjoyed the fact that this yogurt was 2% making it nice and creamy with a little extra richness compared to the non-fat varieties. I'm not sure if I'll be buying this flavor again, but it was definitely worth the try! No medicine taste here :)

 Next up I tried these Big Slice kettle cooked apples: raspberry hibiscus & green coffee extract flavored. 

 These bad boys were one of the snacks that came in my subscription box and you could say I was intrigued, to say the least! 

 I enjoyed these pre workout as a little carb pick-me-up and they were SO good! Seriously, I'm on a mission to find a store that sells them nearby. They could easily become a staple in my house! 

The apples came in a cute little pouch that you just rip off the top. Inside the apples were nice and soft and coated in this sweet and spicy (in a good way, think cinnamon spice) sauce. I LOVED these. Forget my usual pre-workout sour candies, these were better!

 Finally, for my post workout snack I enjoyed Quest's new protein chips!

 I've read reviews on these and heard they weren't that great so I didn't have super high expectations. That being said, I was still pretty dissapointed at the abundance of air in my bag and severe lack of chips...

These chips weren't half bad though! They were nice and crunchy and not overly salty. They had a bit of a strange texture, but what do you expect from a chip with 21 grams of protein and only 5 carbs? They were good for what they were! I probably won't be ordering more, but I'm sure as heck gonna enjoy the rest of the bags I have left! Expect recipes with these bad boys in the future :D

Quick Breakfast Ideas

Sometimes when you're looking for things to eat, you don't always need a recipe. Especially if you're in a hurry! So I thought it would be helpful to give you guys a few ideas of what kind of things I eat for breakfast when I'm in a hurry. As you'll see, it almost always involves eggs haha. I guess that's what I've been craving lately!

 2 egg scramble with full fat cheddar, chicken breasts,  and mushrooms. Fresh blueberries and banana coins on the side!

 Egg white mushroom omelette, 2 slices center cut bacon, 2 pieces of toast with strawberry jam

 2 eggs, 3 slices center cut bacon, english muffin with peanut butter and honey

Greek yogurt with fresh blueberries, freeze dried berries, sugar free dark chocolate chips, and a chocolate pb2 ball. On e the side: an english muffin with cream cheese and Trader Joe's pumpkin butter.

As you can see, generally for breakfasts I like to eat lots of fats an usually keep it pretty savory (the last breakfast shown being an exception). This is just personal preference. Keep in mind, when I have time to make a big breakfast, you can almost always guarantee a giant stack of pancakes or waffles with all sorts of fresh fruits! It just depends on my mood and how much time I have in the kitchen.

Hopefully this helped give you guys some ideas for quick breakfasts! If not, I hope you at least enjoyed the breakfast food porn :P

A Simple Dinner Recipe

I feel like I pretty much only post breakfast and dessert recipes, but I swear I eat other things too! Usually their just not as pretty haha. 

Well I figured there are probably a lot of you that could use a nice, healthy, high protein recipe for dinner that's full of veggies and all sorts of other good stuff!

 This recipe only serves one (although it makes a lot of food, I'm just a piggy), but it can easily be multiplied to feed more people! I'm just a starving college kid so I typically only make enough food for myself. Unless it's date night of course :P

I'm not exactly sure what to call this dish, so I'm just gonna wing it and name it:

Cheesey Veggie Quinoa with Chicken (serves one piggy)

• 1/4 cup (43 g ) dry quinoa
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 oz (112 g) chicken breast
• 1 cup (113 g) zuchinni 
• 1 cup (85 g) broccoli
• 1 small mushroom
• 1 cup (100 g) tomatoes
• 1 laughing cow light wedge

Directions

1. Rinse quinoa and drain in colander. Add to small pot with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce to simmer, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes.
2. Spray a medium skillet with non-stick spray. Once hot, add chicken and season with garlic salt and pepper. Cover. Once golden on one side, flip and let cook until no longer pink in the middle. Remove chicken from pan and let rest while veggies cook.
3. Add veggies to hot skillet with a little bit of water. Cover and let steam. Season with garlic salt and pepper.
4. Once tomatoes have burst, slice chicken and add to veggie mixture. Lightly stir in laughing cow wedge.
5. When quinoa is finished cooking, add to veggie mixture.
6. Serve and enjoy!

Macros: 372 cals 5.8F/42.3C/35.6P

WIAW #1

Good afternoon everyone! Almost everyday I get someone asking what I eat to stay in shape. Well like I've said before, I certainly don't eat the same thing everyday. Instead I have a specific set of macros that I aim to reach, making my food choices based on the number of fats/protein/carbs I have left to fill. 

This is a kind of vague answer though so I thought it would be beneficial to give an example of what a day of eating might look like fore me! Thus begins WIAW (What I Ate Wednesday).

Keep in mind, this is not what I recommend everyone to eat! These are just the numbers that personally work for me, based on my own body and my goals. Everyone is going to have different macros and different foods they want to eat within them. Enough rambling though, lets get started!

 Meal 1: Breakfast consisted of 2 servings of Alexia sweet potato waffle fries and an egg white scramble (with mushrooms, chicken, and fat free cheddar cheese)

Macros: 421 cals 10.7F/43.6C/35.6P

From here I went to the gym where I also had some (unpictured) sour gummy worms pre workout.

Macros: 120 cals 0F/30C/2P

 Meal 2: Back at home my post workout meal consisted of 2 eggs, 1 piece of toast with strawberry jam and a Mixim yogurt

Macros: 370 cals 12F/39C/25P

 Meal 3: Lunch was a "fajita bowl" of sorts with lots of bell peppers and onion, corn, salsa, brown rice, shrimp, and avocado. One of my favorites!

Macros: 416 cals 6.6F/58.4C/31.8P

 Meal 4: I was still feeling pretty fishy apparently so I had some spicy garlic quinoa with seared salmon and zuchinni, plus some oven roasted broccoli on the side.

Macros: 366 cals 11.3F/41.4C/27.5P

 Meal 5: Finally, for my last meal I had my typical bedtime yogurt bowl. What you see here is plain greek yogurt, fiber one chocolate cereal, pb2 balls, fresh strawberries and Trader Joe's sugar free dark chocolate. I literally have this every night and I never get bored! It's just so good :D

Macros: 370 cals 8.3F/60.5C/30.7P

 This all came to a total of 2063 cals 49F/273C/152P. Not bad considering I aim for 2150 cals 50F/275C/150P each day!

I hope this gave you all a good idea of how flexible dieting and IIFM kind of works. Stay tuned for more of these and let me know if you have any questions that I can answer about this in future posts!

Chobani Green Tea Review

Idk about the rest of you, but I'm ALWAYS on the lookout for new foodie finds. Recently I heard that Target was going to start carrying a couple new flavors of Chobani greek yogurt so I knew I had to get my hands on some! So the next time I was at Target I made sure to stock up on their two new flavors: Green Tea and Grape.

I'm not a huge fan of grape flavored things. Medicine flavor anyone? But I still picked up both for the sake of review! I haven't had a change to try the grape yet, but let me just say, the green tea flavor is fantastic!

 I love that these new flavors came in a 2% version! Despite having better macros with the fat-free flavors, adding that extra bit of fat makes everything SO much more flavorful in my opinion! Totally worth it.

I enjoyed my little cup this morning after an intense leg day! Topped with fresh blueberries and some hidden trail mix (promise it's there), plus an egg white mushroom omelette with cheddar on the side. So good!

So this yogurt...what can I say? It was great! The green tea flavor was subtle but very refreshing. Mixed with the slight tang that all greek yogurt has and little bit of sweetness, I thought this was perfect! It was also nice having that little bit of extra fat to make it more creamy and flavorful like I mentioned above. Chobani did it again, this yogurt was spot on. I'll definitely be making sure to stock up before they stop selling it! I thoroughly enjoyed this yogurt, highly recommend!

Shoulder Day and a Recipe

I really REALLY hate being sick! Usually I'm lucky and it only lasts maybe 2-3 days tops, but this time...Oh man, this time it's been slowly getting worse as the week goes on and I don't see any end in sight :(

That doesn't mean I skipped my workout today though! I'm finally dialing in my new routine and I love it so far! Today was shoulder day and the pump was SO real.

Sorry for the weirdo faces :P I can't be held responsible for what my face does after a workout! It has a mind of it's own. 

So what exactly did this workout entail?

1. Heavy OHP: 5x5 @ 70lbs
2. Light bent over BB rows: 4x8 @ 95lbs

Then we got into the lighter accessory work to get those boulders pumped! Seated DB presses, upright BB rows, face pulls, rear delt flyes, and DB shoulder raises both forward and to the side. Can you tell I love working shoulders?

All in all, I believe today I ended up lifting a total of 16,160lbs NOT including warm up sets!

And how did I refuel after all this hard work? Would you believe me if I said it was with a blondie and ice cream? IIFYM right?

Well that might have been a little misleading! Like the picture says, this was a protein #beltsanderblondie and banana "nicecream". Yummy!

Recipe

• 1 scoop (34 g)  protein powder of choice, I used Trutein Cinnabun flavor
• baking powder
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 banana (100 g), frozen

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients except the banana together, adding almond milk a little bit at a time. You want the mixture to be just thick enough that the batter is wet, but not liquid-y. Pop into the microwave for 30 seconds. This will leave the blondie slightly under cooked and "molten", just the way I like it!
2. For the ice cream, simply blend the frozen banana in a magic bullet (or other blender) until smooth. 
3. Scoop onto blondie and enjoy!

Macros for blondie and ice cream, using these ingredients: 217 calories 1.9F/28C/25.3P

Review: Ben & Jerry's Peanut Butter Brownie Sundae

No need to introduce this beauty, lets get straight into the good stuff.

BEN & JERRY'S PEANUT BUTTER BROWNIE SUNDAE
A vanilla ice cream base with fudge brownies and a crunchy peanut buttery swirl AKA perfection! Need I say more?

Macros per 1/2 cup: 300 calories 19F/27C/7P

A look inside! This doesn't do the pint justice, there was so much chunky peanut buttery goodness in here once you got past the first layer :D

How I enjoyed my serving! 1/2 cup ice cream, sliced strawberries, and a #beltsanderbrownie

It was safe to say I loved this ice cream! Anything with peanut butter and I'm sold. Like all B&Js flavors, the ice cream base and brownie chunks were AMAZING. And that peanut buttery swirl? Oh man. I loved the crunch! I've had other B&Js pints with peanut butter inside, but never with a crunchy swirl. It was fantastic! Definitely recommend.

I found this pint at Wal-Mart (apparently it's sold exclusively there) so that's where you can find it too! Next up I'm on a hunt for Ben & Jerry's Peanut Butter Half-Baked and the Peanut Buttah Cookie Core :D

Cookies and Cream Protein Cupcakes

I can't believe I almost forgot to post my new creation I made this morning! I present to you Cookies and Cream Protein Cupcakes/Muffins in both regular and pumpkin spice Oreo flavors :D

I may or may have not had these for breakfast...don't judge me!

Can you blame me? Look how yummy these look!

Recipe (makes two cupcakes, one of each flavor):

• 1/4 cup (61 g) pumpkin puree, divided
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 scoop (10 g ) chocolate protein
• 1/2 tbs (2.5 g) cocoa powder
• 1/2 scoop (21 g) vanilla protein, divided
• pumpkin pie spice
• baking powder
• 2 tbs (35 g) greek yogurt
• sweetener to taste
• 2 oreos, 1 regular and 1 pumpkin spice

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin pan with two muffin liners.
2. For the chocolate cupcake combine half of the pumpkin puree, one egg white, the chocolate protein, cocoa powder, baking powder, and sweetener to taste. Fill one muffin liner with this mixture.
3. For the pumpkin cupcake combine the remaining pumpkin puree, egg white, half the vanilla protein, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and sweetener to taste. Fill the second muffin liner with this mixture.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. I ended up turning up the oven to 400 F for the last five minutes or so.
5. Top each cupcake with the remaining vanilla protein mixed with water drizzled over top. Top either cake with greek yogurt (I chose to top the pumpkin cake). Finish with oreo cookies. Enjoy!

Macros for both cakes, including toppings and cookies: 337 calories 9F/33.4C/31.8P

Progress Shots and a Review

Hello all! With the new year everyone seems to be making new year's resolutions, namely those about losing weight and getting healthier. I'm all for these people making goals, but lets face it, most of these people will be in the gym for the first half of January and then we won't see them again until next year. In the meantime, they're just taking up benches when I need them #firstworldproblems.

That being said, I thought it would be nice to document where I stand this new year so I can see how how much progress I can make in the next few months/years. So without further a due, here I am! Please forgive the b*tch face, I'm sick and didn't realize I was making one haha

Currently I'm 108.8 lbs and consuming 2105 calories (45F/275C/150P). Since my show in August I had been following the 5/3/1 program, but I have recently been looking into a more DUP style of training. In addition, in order to help put on some much needed size in this off season I'll be increasing my macros over the next few weeks as well. I plan on getting to about 50F/300C/150P and seeing how I progress from there!

Now enough about me, lets get on to the good stuff!  I wanted to share with you all a little review of one of Chobani's new flip yogurts I stumbled across in Walmart the other day! I present to you Chobani's Salted Caramel Cunch: a caramel low-fat yogurt with salted pretzels, chocolate, and praline pecans AKA heaven in a cup!

190 calories 5F/25C/12P

This yogurt was everything I hoped for! The caramel flavor in the yogurt itself was perfect, not overly sweet and still had the slight tang of greek yogurt. And the toppings? Oh man. I'm not a big pretzel person, but this combo was amazing! The saltiness from the pretzels was perfectly balanced by the dark bitterness of the chocolate and the sweet crunch of the pecans. I'll definitely be picking up some more of these in the near future!

Peanut Butter Cup Protein Pancakes

Today's workout was intense so I HAD to make sure to refuel properly! What does that mean to me? Protein pancakes, of course!! Peanut butter cup protein pancakes to be exact...

They're just so beautiful! Nothing beat the combination of chocolate and peanut butter if you ask me.

Recipe (makes 9.5 pancakes)

• 1/3 cup (26 g) oats
• 1/2 scoop (16 g) chocolate protein powder
• dash of baking powder
• 1/2 cup (113 g) low fat cottage cheese
• 2 egg whites

Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Heat large skillet over medium heat. Spray with non-stick spray. Spoon batter into pan, creating as many pancakes as you wish. When pancakes begin to bubble, flip and cook for an additional minute or so. Plate and drizzle with sauces. Chop up 2 mini Reese's peanut butter cups and sprinkle onto pancakes as well. Devour :)

Dark chocolate sauce: 1 tbs (5 g) Hershy's dark chocolate cocoa powder + sweetener to taste + enough water to drizzle

Peanut butter sauce: 2 tbs (12 g) Pb2 + enough water to drizzle 

Macros for the whole stack, toppings included: 420 calories 14F/43.7C/43.1P

First Workout of 2015

Yes it's true, I didn't workout on the 1st. I know I was being a lazy butt. Don't judge me! At least I got a fantastic workout in today :D

I recently decided to switch programs so as of today I have officially begun a DUP (Daily Undulating Periodization) style of training. It's a strength-focused program with progressive overload on the big four lifts ---> Deadlift, Squat, Bench, OHP <---

So this morning, right after work, I made sure to fuel up properly with my pre-workout of choice...

Sour candy, caffeine, beta-alinine, and creatine

And then it was straight to work! Starting with easy controlled squats, followed by heavy bench, finishing with hypertrophy deadlifts and some extra chesticle workage for funzies. Needless to say, the pump was SO real!

Just look at that chest split! The workout looked a little something like this:

• Squats: 6x3 @ 150
• Bench: 5x5 @ 100
• Deadlifts: 4x8 @170

Totally to a whopping 10,640 lbs lifted today! (Not including the extra chest accessory work)

Starting this new year off right :)

Blueberry Lemon Pancake Donuts A LA MODE

This past weekend I was up at my grandparents' house celebrating a late Christmas. I absolutely LOVE my grandparents' house. The house itself really isn't that big or special, but the property? Oh man...

20 acres nestled atop a hill, with a beautiful view of the northern California valley. Of course, with all this land my grandmother also has a multitude of gardens, both for produce and for beauty. And every time I go up for a visit, I swear she tries to get me to take home something from her garden. Whether its some fresh vegetables or an entire plant, I never leave empty handed! So what did I leave with this time? LEMONS

Instantly I knew I had to think of something creative to make with them, but what? Lemon poppy seed muffins? Typical. Lemon pancakes? Delicious, but been there, done that. Lemonade? Woooo...

Then I thought of something brilliant - Blueberry Lemon Pancake Donuts A LA MODE, because just the donuts by themselves weren't nearly decadent enough :P

This may be the easiest recipe I've ever made, but soooooo good!

 Just look at that ice cream melt over the warm blueberry donuts. And that fresh blueberry sauce drizzled over top? Forget about it.

You need to make this ASAP. It's literally the perfect combination of breakfast and dessert, but you don't have to feel guilty about it!

RECIPE

• 1/2 cup Kodiak Cakes pancake mix
• Juice and zest of one lemon, divided
• water 
• liquid stevia (or other sweetener) to taste
• 1/2 cup blueberries, divided
• 1 serving Halo Top lemon ice cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray donut pan with nonstick spray.
2. Mix together pancake mix, the lemon juice and zest of half a lemon, water to make 1/2 cup liquid, and sweetener to taste.
3. Mix in about 1/3 of the blueberries and spoon into donut pan. Bake for about 8-10 minutes.
4. While donuts are baking, prepare blueberry sauce by mixing together remaining blueberries, lemon juice and zest, and sweetener to taste in a small bowl.
5. Microwave for 30 seconds and mash blueberries with a fork.
6. When donuts are finished, drizzle blueberry sauce over top and garnish with lemon ice cream.
7. Dig in and enjoy!

Macros for the full recipe (makes 4 donuts)

312 calories 4.7F/65.4C/18P