Getting back into it!

The holidays were bad. I had to indulge in homemade tamales and lots of baked goods. I made pumpkin bread and whole wheat banana muffins :) now back to eating clean. I had a few cheat days with sushi before Christmas and couldn't say no dessert. It's crazy how easy it is to get out of shape by eating high sugary/high fat foods!

Eat clean to stay lean!!!
Lean ground turkey with spinach and egg whites! Lets start this new year right and finish strong!

Greek yogurt

Greek yogurt is the best yogurt you can eat. The nonfat Greek yogurt has very low carbs and is high in protein which keeps you fuller for a longer period of time. It is low in sugar so it won't spike up your insulin levels when you eat it.

My lunch today:
Greek yogurt with powdered peanut butter, nuts, blueberries, and cinnamon

Power oatmeal on the go!!

Here's my power charged oatmeal ;) on the go! Running late this morning taking my oatmeal to go.
- 1/2 cup of oatmeal
- 3 tablespoons of powdered peanut butter
- 1 scoop of chocolate whey protein
- little almond milk and cinnamon!

So good!

Can't sleep

How bad is it that it is 3:30 AM and I can't fall asleep and all I can think about is getting up and starting my day. Ugh this is frustrating. Especially because I know how important sleep is.

P.S. I ate really bad today but I don't feel guilty about it. I was hanging out with my sisters enjoying each others company. I know they get irritated when I eat super clean around them. Sometimes they say I'm to obsessive with what I eat. In the contrary, it is not an obsession but a way of living. I don't deprive my body from any foods I just choose not to eat some foods for health reasons, plus I think natural and unprocessed foods taste so much better :) Eating clean makes me happy but seeing my sisters happy makes me happier. Love them so much. It is interesting how we are all very different yet we get a long very well.

These never get old

These protein pancakes never get old. Had these for breakfast this morning. My absolute favorite!

I've tried many recipes before and was never satisfied until I came up with my own. Protein Pumpkin Pancakes :) I added nutmeg today after reading this article on the health benefits of nutmeg!

Cooking up a storm

I cooked up a storm last night.
I wasn't in the mood to go out on a rainy cold night so I stayed home with my brother Fabian and made a delicious dinner with ingredients I had in the kitchen

Made turkey burger with bulgar, tomato sauce, mushrooms, and green peas. Also made BBQ red potatoes and baked baby purple potatoes in the oven.

This was all absolutely delicious!

 

Breakfast

My breakfast and snacks:

1/2 cup of cooked old fashioned oats
1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
Almond milk and cinnamon

Snacks: coconut oiled banana chips and raw almonds

My Friday Night

I had an early dinner tonight. I've been craving sushi all week and told my self I would have sushi at the end of the week. It was amazing and absolutely delicious. I have come to realize that the most simple plates are the best. The less ingredients to me the better. Believe it or not but the $20 roll wasn't as satisfying as the tuna poke or the simply seared tuna. I tried something new, the oyster and quail egg shooter (amazing)!

I ended my Friday night with a shoulder workout then 15 minutes on the stair master followed by 10 minutes in the sauna. I was sweating so much, I loved it!

As my post workout meal I had a protein smoothie when I got home from the gym:

2/3 cup of water
1/3 cup of almond milk (unsweetened)
1/3 cup of pumpkin
2 tablespoons of powdered peanut butter
1 tsp of cinnamon

Along with my multivitamin and my vitamin C

Now that I worked out so late I can't seem to sleep. That's why I usually enjoy the gym earlier in the day haha because working out gives me energy, as it should for everyone else. Unless you completely exhausted your muscles ;)

Exhausted cat lol wish her mom was tired. Sleep is important, at least 6 hours of sleep every night.

Pumpkin Protein Pancakes

These are the best pancakes I've had. Pretty impressed with my recipe

1/2 cup of 100% pure pumpkin
1/2 cup of egg whites
1 scoop of vanilla protein powder or you can use chocolate flavor
2 tablespoons of whole wheat flour
Cinnamon to taste, I love cinnamon so I put about 1/2 a tbsp
(If it is too thick add a little bit more egg whites)
Mix very well then cook on a med-high heat griddle with non stick cooking spray. Makes about 4 pancakes

Top with almond butter and sugar free syrup and voila! Best pumpkin pancakes ever!!

Progress

Seeing progress towards my goals: toned arms, big butt, smaller waist ;)

Tighter deltoids, firm gluteus maximus, stronger abdomen and a well balanced core!

Don't mind the messy hair, this was taken first thing in the morning after waking up. 

EAT CLEAN to STAY LEAN!!!

Something sweet

Nutritional benefits of a sweet potato: one medium sweet potato, about 114 grams, has 105 calories, 2.5 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber, and 23 grams of carbohydrates. It holds 28% of the daily value of vitamin C needed and 12.5% of the Daily value for Vitamin B6. Sweet potatoes also provide lots of other minerals such as manganese, copper, iron and potassium. Also depending on the color, sweet potatoes provide lots of vitamin A, up to 250% of the daily value.  The more orange the more beta carotene in the potato, when it becomes white the beta carotene is lost. 

So when you are craving something sweet grab a sweet potato, place it on foil paper and season with basil (you may add olive oil such as 1/2 a tsp), wrap up and bake at 375 degrees for 1hr to an hour and 10 minutes.  Bake a few and save in the fridge for a later snack :) Sweet potatoes are very satisfying and definitely take care of my sweet tooth cravings. 

Nutritional content in 1 cup (200 grams) of Sweet Potato:

Reference: The Worlds Healthiest Foods: Sweet Potatoes

My new favorite

This taste just like baby food which I love :)

1/2 cup of cooked quinoa
1/2 cup of 100% pure pumpkin or sweet potato
1 can of tuna in oil (4 oz. of tuna)

Looks nasty, but I greatly enjoyed this. Taste so good and my body sure loves me for eating this :D

Today's workout... LEGS!!

I love and hate working out my legs! I love that I'm seeing results but I hate how intense, painful, and tiring it is however that is exactly what makes it worth every minute of painstaking sweat ;)

This becomes very addicting so if you start working out all the time be careful ;) make sure it is something you want to do for a very long time. I don't see this as a task that I have to do everyday but as a lifestyle. I don't find time to go work out I make time and it soon becomes part of your daily schedule. Make a schedule that's enjoyable and productive and stick to it. Find what works for you, everyone is different. They say you are more motivated in the morning than at night but for you it might be different. I know I get most of my work done and feel the most productive in the morning.

Also, do what makes you happy! It's YOUR life, YOUR health, YOUR body. You shouldn't care what other people think or say. Living a long, healthy, prosperous life with an overall good fitness level is why I do this. This is what makes me happy. It's my hobby; I also enjoy motivating and helping others reach their fitness goals a long the way (and not just reach but to maintain as well).

This is a new workout I found online that I haven't tried yet. I'll let you know what I think about it when I'm done :)

Fat, sick, and nearly dead

Good 2010 documentary: fat, sick & nearly dead

It surprises me how the majority of people in the U.S aren't eating enough fruits and vegetables, even after they know it will increase their over all health. I guess their will power isn't strong enough and society has the best of them.

Mondays workout

10 minute warmup on stair master

3 sets of 12 reps:
Bicep curls
Shoulder press
Triceps kickback
Arm raises

Then 40 lunges with 12 lb dumbbells in each hand

15 minutes in the sauna

Turkey and broccoli

lean ground turkey seasoned with minced garlic, cayenne pepper, fresh ground black pepper, and basil
w/steamed broccoli and whole wheat penne pasta with olive oil

4 oz of turkey
1/2 cup of pasta
1 cup of broccoli
1/2 tablespoon of olive oil

Today's meals

Here are my meals I had today, all very healthy and yummy. Eat clean to stay lean!

The pictures are turkey, broccoli, and whole wheat penne pasta (with olive oil) in one, and asparagus, quinoa, and tuna (with dijon mustard) in the other.

Spicy Peanut Sauce

So I just invented an amazing peanut sauce that taste just like the one you would see at a Thai restaurant. I was going to make spaghetti for my sister and realized there was no pasta sauce so I decided to make my own from what we had.

This makes one serving :)
2 tablespoons of Korean BBQ sauce
1 tsp of peanut butter
Cayenne pepper to taste. Just play with it and see how spicy you like it. You can add more peanut butter or BBQ sauce if you'd like.
1/2 tablespoon of olive oil

Stir really well then mix into a bowl of whole wheat spaghetti pasta and voila!!
:)
P.S. my sister LOVED it!

Pineapple protein smoothie

2/3 cup of unsweetened almond milk
1/3 cup of cold water
1 full scoop of vanilla whey protein
2/3 cup of all natural nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup of frozen pineapple tidbits
Cinnamon

My meal #3

Great for a post workout smoothie. The enzymes in pineapple (bromelain) help to easier digest proteins.

Getting Stronger!

I'm lifting twice as much as I used to when I started, about 3 months ago. Supper excited about that. Leg pressing 4 plates total (180 lbs)

Tuesdays Meals

These are meals 4 and 5:
Tuna with black beans & bown rice
and Egg Whites, Avocado, & Spinach.
I also had 1/2 a small pizza from Trader Joes (portobello mushroom and garlic) for my last meal. Meal # 6 which was 250 calories and 10g of protein with 3g of saturated fat.

Thinking ahead

I'll be away from home for the next 4 hours so I packed my lunch.

Meal #3
Egg whites
Broccoli
Brown rice

Packing your food and preparing for your day is crucial in maintaining a healthy fast metabolism. You don't want to get to the point where you are hungry or starving because you are more prone to eat what's around and most likely it won't be healthy. If your body is starving and you feed it Panda Express or beef tacos from Taco Bell then it will absorb more of the saturate fat from the meal and put it in unwanted places. Furthermore, eating out you are more likely to overeat, even a subway sandwich with all the ingredients is about 600 calories. When you feed your body with more calories or carbohydrates/sugar than what it needs it will convert it to triglycerides/fat in the body. So prepare ahead and make all your meals at home. In the long run you will be saving a lot of money and your body will be thanking you ;)

Pumpkin Smoothie

Post workout pumpkin smoothie
1/2 cup of liquid egg whites
1/2 cup of 100% pure pumpkin
1 scoop of vanilla whey protein
Cinnamon

Blend and enjoy!

Power yoga tonight followed by 20 minutes on the stair master (level 10)

Supplements

These are the supplements that I take for a healthy fit lifestyle:

Vitamin C (USP verified) – Vitamin C is essential, the only way we can obtain vitamin C is either through our diet or through a daily dietary supplement. It is hard to obtain enough Vitamin C through the diet because of the high oxidation levels of Vitamin C.  Vitamin C is crucial for burning fat, increasing overall energy, and increasing your immune function. Vitamin C is a great vitamin to take daily. Increasing the amount of vitamin C will increase the absorption of many other nutrients.

B-12 supplement/B-complex- a great supplement to take if you want increased energy. It is a natural form of a thermogenic and it is far less expensive than the thermogenics sold at health stores.

Multivitamin- taking a daily multivitamin is beneficial in making sure your are getting all the essential nutrients your body needs to be happy J Some foods may not contain all of the required or recommended value of micronutrients.

Supplements to sustain an active healthy lifestyle and to help build muscle and lose body fat:

100% Whey Gold Standard Protein to maintain muscle

Opti-Women dietary supplement (acts like a multivitamin with other ingredients to help increase lean body mass)

Amino Energy- for increased energy

BCAA’s- branched chain amino acids to help build strength and muscle

Iron – Supplementing on iron is good to increases oxygen transported in the blood while exercising. If you are going to supplement on iron make sure to not exceed the upper limit, which is 45 mg/day. Some supplements are sold as a 65 mg/dose. If that’s the case take it every other day. 

Glutamine- this acts as an anti-inflammatory which is essentially needed when having increased physical activity. Glutamine is also known for improving muscle tissue and helps reduce inflammation in joints. This would be excellent to take after a workout (helps increase muscle mass after a workout).

Bromelain enzyme- If you are always in the gym I would recommend Bromelain, which is a natural enzyme found in pineapples. Bromelain helps digest proteins and especially essential after a tough workout to decrease muscle bruising and soreness.  

Papain enzyme- Papain is a natural enzyme found in papaya and it does the same thing as bromelain. It helps digest proteins if you are eating a high protein diet (when incorporating weights in your exercises, your lean muscle mass will increase as well as your dietary protein intake).

Body changing

I'm starting to notice my body changing. I'm eating smaller portions (about 250-300) calories every 2 hours. The calories are nutrient dense (healthy foods) with good fats and absolutely no Trans fat and very little saturated fat. I'm focusing on the good fats like flax oil which contains omega 3-6-9. My current body fat % is 20. My goal is 15%.

I did a 10 min warmup on the elliptical then worked my biceps and triceps. Ended todays workout with 15 minutes on the stair master.

Productive Saturday

Today was a fun and productive day, who knew keeping busy can actually be enjoyable and rewarding.

Did a lot of house work today after taking the dogs on a 30 min walk. I considered all the housework my cardio for the day :) I also bought a Christmas tree and some ornaments and started decorating away. Excited for Christmas, like always! My kitten thought it was for her and considered all the ornaments her toys. The cutest thing ever.

After a busy day I still had so much energy and figured it would be tough falling asleep so decided to burn off all this excess energy at the gym.
Successful late night workout:
5 min warm-up
DB Military Press 8, 12, 12, 15, 15
BB Bent over rows 12, 15, 15, 20, 20
Seated Rows 12, 15, 15, 20
5 pull ups
Closed leg (feet touching) leg press 135 degree angle- 20, 20, 15
15 minutes on the stair master level 10

Meal #5

Brown rice, broccoli, and chicken!!

Post workout smoothie

1 cup of water
1 scoop of whey protein
1 cup of spinach
few leaves of fresh parsley

I had this immediately after my intense leg workout

Banana & Beet Smoothie

1 avocado ,1/2 banana,
3 stalks of Kale, 1/2 beet, 1 scoop protein powder, little of almond milk, little water
😋😋👍

This smoothie was created by Lisa Fresa Palacios!!! Looks amazing!! Can't wait to try it myself. This would be a great early pre-workout smoothie.

Hazelnut & Pear Stuffing

Multigrain baguette
Olive oil
Onions
Shallot
Pears
Parsley
Prosciutto
Rosemary
Sage
Thyme
Celery
Hazelnuts
Low sodium chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Killer Leg Workout

QUADS
Leg extension 15, 15, 20, 20
Squats 12, 15, 15, 20, 20
Leg press 15, 15, 15, 25, 25

HAMSTRINGS
Lying curls 12, 12, 15, 15, 15
Stiff dead lifts 12, 15, 15, 15
Single leg curls 15, 15, 15, 15
Seated leg curls 15, 15, 20, 20

Doing this for my Friday Workout (day after thanksgiving) I'm excited and scared at the same time! The challenges for these workouts are getting through them. They are very long workouts but very rewarding (especially after a big Thanksgiving meal)!

Turkey trot tomorrow morning!! Woohoo!!

Delts and Biceps

10 min warm up


Delts
DB Press: 8, 12, 12, 15, 15
BB Bent Over Rows: 8, 10, 10, 15, 15
Seated Row: 12, 12, 12, 20

Biceps
Straight Bar Curls: 10, 12, 12, 15, 15
DB Alternating Curls: 12, 12, 15, 15, 15


That was my workout today and the 2nd time I've done this workout.. pretty intense!! The challenge is getting through it.

I'm still very sore from my quad workout I had yesterday. It hurts when I walk and sit down!!

Quads
Leg Extensions: 15, 15, 20, 20
Squats: 12, 15, 15, 20, 20
Leg Press: 15, 15, 15, 25, 25

Ended with horizontal/hanging leg raises: 20, 20, 20, 20 (4 sets of 20 reps each)

Again, the challenge is getting through the workout. No cheating!!

Coconut Chicken

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (13.66 ounces) of Coconut Milk
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or to taste
Cooked brown rice

Directions:
SEASON chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove chicken from skillet.

ADD onion, bell peppers and garlic to skillet; stir fry 3 minutes or until vegetables are tender-crisp. Stir in coconut milk and red pepper flakes; simmer 5 minutes on medium heat. Return chicken to skillet, spooning sauce over chicken. Cook, uncovered, 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Serve with cooked brown rice

Protein bars!!

Easy and delicious protein bars!

8 scoops of protein powder
1 cup of oats
1/2 cup of natural peanut butter
3-4 tablespoons of honey
1/2 cup of nonfat milk

Mix the dry ingredients first in large bowl then mix in the peanut butter (mix very well) then the 3 tablespoons of honey then lastly the milk. Mix well then drop mixture into a flat glass dish then press mixture down and smooth out then sprinkle cinnamon or peanut crumbs on top (optional). Refrigerate for 45 minutes then cut into squares an enjoy! Makes about 6-8 bars.

Grilled chicken

Olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 boneless chicken breast
4 single pearl garlic cloves
Korean BBQ sauce

Heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Slice chicken breasts in halves and place on skillet, top with salt and pepper then cover an let cook for 8 minutes. Cut cloves in halves. Turn chicken over after 8 minutes and place 2 cut cloves on each sliced chicken. Cover and cook for 8 minutes. Then spread 1 tablespoon of Korean BBQ over each chicken then cover, reduce heat, and let simmer for 4 minutes. Place chicken on large plate and enjoy!! Makes 4 servings

9 AM breakfast!

1/2 cup of oatmeal w/cinnamon
1 egg + 1 extra egg white
w/Spinach (sprinkled lightly shredded cheddar cheese on top)

Here's a good workout that will tone you up!!!

Start with 45 mins on the stair master!! Fat burning mode at levels 8-10.

Then go into Bar Bell Bicep curls, do 10 reps then 12, 12, 15, and 15 reps (so 5 sets total) of these bicep curls. If you need to go down in weight a your increasing the reps that okay! (Give yourself at least 45 secs of rest between sets)

Then go into alternating dumbbell curls with 12, 12, 15, 15, 15 reps (5 sets total- in the first set you are going to do 12 reps then rest 45-60 secs then the second set will be 12 reps again then rest then 15 reps on the 3rd set and so on)

After the alternating bicep curls grab a bar bell of comfortable weight and do Barbell bent over rows with 5 sets of 8, 10, 10, 15, and then 15 reps again.

Once that is over go into the sauna for about 10 mins (no more than 10) make sure you are drinking lots of water and branched chain amino acids (BCAA's) or you can skip the sauna and do a couple crunches or any abdomen workout. I enjoy doing my ab workouts in the sauna


I know these workouts are tough but if you work through it, you will see results. This is only 1 hour- 1hr 20mins of your entire day. Leave everything back at home and give the gym (more like your body) all you got!