Lifting Heavy and Two Recipes

If you’re interested in fitness and keep up with current fitness trends, I’m sure by now you realize that the old myth of girls “bulking up” if they lift heavy is just that — a myth. Unless you’re lifting for hours a day, or taking testosterone supplements, you’re not going to get big and bulky from lifting weights.

When I was following my own lifting plan, I thought I was going heavy, but now that I’m doing Crossfit, I’m learning what lifting heavy really means! Since I started the Crossfit classes 4 weeks ago, we’ve been working on elements of the Clean and Jerk, which starts with a deadlift. Today’s WOD looked like this:

Stretch & Roll

Skill: Jump Shrug to Hang Clean

10 minutes EMOM (every minute on the minute)
KB snatch (I used a 25 lb plate)
30 double unders (I did 90 regular jump ropes)

Deadlift: 5 sets of 5

I want to talk a bit about the Deadlift. There were 3 girls in class today, so we buddied up on one bar. We started with 95 lbs, which I thought was heavy. My friend Sarah was talking about adding weight, but I really thought 95 would be the most I could do. So, I did 5 reps of 95 lbs and it was pretty hard. Then we added 10 lbs (to make it 105) and I did 5 reps. Once I started gaining confidence, it wasn’t so bad. I added 10 lbs to the bar each set, and maxed out at 135 lbs! I honestly did not think I was capable of that, so I’m pretty pleased with myself this morning! I even think I could have gone a little heavier, so next time we do that, I will start at 105 instead of 95, and go up from there.

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Now, let’s talk a bit about food, because that’s the natural progression after workouts, right? I’ve been pretty adventurous in the kitchen lately, so I want to share a couple recipes with you:

Last night, Zach had to work late so I was on my own for dinner. After a pretty decent round of the Pick a Card treadmill workout:

Really? I couldn’t have gone that 0.02 miles to make it an even 3.75?

I decided a large bowl of pasta was in my future. I’ve been wanting to make peanut noodles for a while, but I don’t like springing something exotic that I haven’t even tried on Zach, so I thought it would be a good time to try it.

Thai Peanut Noodles with Peas, Carrots and Chicken

Note: I didn’t actually do much measuring while I was making this, so these measurements are guesses. Just taste your peanut sauce as you go to see what you need to add. 

1 serving whole wheat noodles of your choice (I used thin spaghetti)
1/2 c. frozen peas and carrots
1 knuckle of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
2 Tbs natural peanut butter
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbs plus more to taste Lite Soy Sauce
1 Tbs plus more to thin hot water
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
Crushed red pepper (optional)

Put a large pot of water on to boil, adding salt and oil if desired. Boil the noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat the sesame oil over low heat and add ginger (you could also add scallions or onions if desired). Saute until fragrant. Add peas and carrots, and saute about a minute more. Add peanut butter, soy sauce, hot water and salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until smooth and thick. If it’s too thick, add a bit more water. Taste the sauce and add more soy sauce, salt or pepper to taste. Toss with spaghetti noodles. Set aside. In the same pan you cooked your peanut sauce, turn the heat up to medium and spray with cooking oil. Salt and pepper both sides of your chicken breast (or use 7-2-1 spice) and cook on each side for about 3-4 minutes, or until cooked through. Slice. Sprinkle your noodles with crushed red pepper if you wish and put the sliced chicken on top. Enjoy! 

This turned out to be a really great dinner! Feel free to tweak the ingredients and play with the amounts. Let me know if you try it!

The next recipe I want to share is what I made for breakfast this morning. After Crossfit, I like to have something high in protein to help my muscles repair themselves. I wasn’t feeling like having eggs this morning, and protein pancakes didn’t sound appetizing either. Although, regular old fluffy, buttermilk pancakes did! So, I decided to make a protein-buttermilk-pancake hybrid:

Cream of Wheat Buttermilk High-Protein Pancakes

3 Tbs. Cream of Wheat Cereal
1/4 c. whole-wheat flour
3 Tbs. liquid egg whites
1 whole banana, smashed
1/4 c. almond milk mixed with a splash of apple cider vinegar
Optional: Cinnamon, Pumpkin Pie Spice, chopped nuts, dried or fresh fruit

In a small bowl, smash your banana well. Add the egg whites and smash the banana a bit more. Add cream of wheat and almond milk/vinegar mixture. Stir in whole wheat flour. Add any add ins you wish. 

Preheat a griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Spray with cooking oil. Scoop about 1/4 c. of the pancake mixture into the pan and cook until bubbly. Flip and cook until golden. Repeat. Top pancakes with butter and jam or syrup. 

This will make 3 large pancakes or 6 smaller ones, so this can be 2 servings or just one. The nutritional information is here:

My Fitness Pal is the best for getting nutritional information for recipes!

I ate the whole recipe this morning because I was starving from my workout, but I would cut it in half for a lighter breakfast. Either way, you’re getting 7 grams of protein/serving, which is pretty good, and you’re still getting that yummy, thick, buttermilk pancake flavor! Of course, this recipe isn’t for the carb-o-phobes! If you wanted to cut down on the carbs, you could make them with just the whole wheat flour, but I really enjoy adding in Cream of Wheat to my pancakes.

Question of the Day:
Do you ever experiment in the kitchen? 

Monday, We Meet Again

I’m having trouble feeling upbeat this morning.

Mondays are rough for me, and this one is particularly rough. I had a wonderful, fun weekend — but at the expense of being productive. That means that I woke up at 2:00 this morning in a panic about all the things I didn’t do this weekend and couldn’t get back to sleep. Which leads to not making it to the gym in the morning…and well, you get it. It’s a vicious cycle that ends up making me feel…blah.

I don’t really know how to stop beating myself up about this stuff, and to be honest, I think the only solution is to get the nagging tasks done with. However, by the end of the work day, all I want to do is hit the gym, cook dinner and then relax because by then it’s almost bed time!

Maybe it’s just the winter blues, but I think both Zach and I have just been going through the motions lately. Yesterday, instead of cleaning my house (which, trust me, is desperately needed), I laid on the sofa all morning and read my book:

 

Which, let’s face it, isn’t a bad way to pass a Sunday morning — this book has me hooked in the best way. However, I know my time would have been better spent going for a run, cleaning my house, or cleaning out my poor turtle’s tank (he needs his tank cleaned in the worst way). But, I didn’t do any of that, I just kept on reading.

Then, I decided that Zach and I need to go out to lunch/dinner with friends, because I was sick of sitting around and was letting my Monday ruin my Sunday (as I’ve been told numerous times not to do). That turned into going out for pizza (which I definitely did not need, especially since I didn’t do any exercise on Saturday or Sunday) and beers (also not needed, but quite fun), and then straight to bed after Walking Dead.

So, this morning I sit at my desk at work feeling incredibly irresponsible and stressed out.

Why am I telling you all of this? I’ll be completely honest — I need someone to tell me to stop being so hard on myself! I know it, but I need to hear it from all you regular readers who I feel like have it all together!

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Ok, enough feeling sorry for myself.

I want to quickly share with you my very favorite spice for cooking anything ever:

 

It is called 7/2/1 Spice, and I read about it on a cooking blog. I really wish I could refer you to the blog on which I read about this spice, but I can’t for the life of me remember which one it was! If someone knows where this spice originates from, please let me know in the comments below.

I use this spice for absolutely everything. As shown above, I toss veggies with olive oil and 7/2/1 for roasting. I season meats with it prior to cooking. I sprinkle it on my eggs, in soup– it’s pretty much ubiquitous in my kitchen at this point. The very best part about it is the pure simplicity of it.

7/2/1 Spice
7 Tablespoons salt
2 Tablespoons garlic powder
1 Tablespoon black pepper

Combine in a clean spice container. Close the lid and shake to combine.

…and because of the name, you will never forget what the ratio is! I’m telling you, this is the perfect spice combo. I know a lot of people try to cut down on sodium, but I do season everything with salt and pepper. I guess if you’re a salt-ophobe this may not be the best spice for you. I try to use it as sparingly as possible.

Question of the Day:
What do you do when you’re feeling like you aren’t getting the things done that you need to do? 

 

Veggie Burger Round-Up

I love a good veggie burger recipe.

It’s really easy to whip up a recipe of veggie burgers on your own, for a lot less than it costs to buy a package of the frozen pre-made burgers (although I do love those as well!)

This weekend, I finished off the last of this recipe:

I know the burger kind of blends in with the bread, but trust me, it was delicious. I topped it with a slice of cheese, mustard, a little ketchup and a few dill pickle slices. Burger heaven. I think that most veggie burgers are more flavorful than regular burgers, also. In honor of the #Elf4Health challenge for today (increasing fiber intake), keep in mind that a burger patty (with beef OR turkey) has 0 grams of fiber, so eating one of these on some whole grain bread or a whole grain roll will increase your fiber by the # listed next to the burger. Here are some of my favorite veggie burger recipes:

• Mushroom Veggie Burger (8 grams fiber per patty)  I found this recipe on About.com, it says it was adapted from a recipe on WeHeartFood.com, but I couldn’t find the original recipe on that site. This is the one pictured above and it’s very good. This burger does have eggs, so it’s not vegan, but in the comments section of the recipe one person says that they have had success with egg substitute. This burger is delicious! It tastes almost like a fried stuffing patty. I love the flavor it gets from sauteing the mushrooms, onions and garlic first. I find that mushrooms really add a “meaty” texture to a veggie burger, if that is what you crave. 
• Mediterranean Lentil Burger (5 grams fiber per patty) (vegan) This is a recipe from Sarah at Peas and Thank You. Most of the burgers on this list are hers, because she makes the best veggie burger recipes! I made this recipe a couple times the summer before last for a few different barbeques and they were a hit, even with the carnivores. The kalamata olives, basil and sundried tomatoes give this ‘burger’ a distinctly Mediterranean flavor that is to die for. You could eat these burgers plain on a bun and you would have plenty of flavor, but adding a little feta cheese (which would make the burger non-vegan, obviously) really makes the flavor pop!
• Yukon Gold White Bean Basil Burgers (3 grams fiber per patty) (vegan) This recipe was my go-to veggie burger recipe for a while. The flavor is mild enough to not clash with any of your favorite burger toppings, yet still gives a good complexity to the burger. Mama Pea does it again 🙂
• Black Bean Burger (Mama Pea style) (8 grams fiber per patty) (vegan) Another Mama Pea recipe that really packs a fiber punch! I love this mexican style burger, the addition of corn really makes it for me. This is a great burger that you can top with salsa and cheese. Yum!
• Thai Veggie Burger (9 grams fiber per patty) (vegan) I swear, this is the last one on the list from Peas and Thank You! This burger can only be found in Sarah’s book, and it is AMAZING! If you love the Thai flavors, you can’t miss this one. I’ve added Sarah’s book to my Amazon store under the Healthy Living Tab.
• Red-lentil Burgers (about 6 grams fiber per patty) I love this burger with red lentils, carrots, and marjoram. Yum! Here is the recipe. Again, the addition of mushrooms adds a ‘meaty’ texture.
• Falafel Burger (9 grams fiber per patty) Recipe here. Can you tell I love the Mediterranean flavor? Falafel is great, but you can also make it a burger. It’s really good with some plain yogurt, onions, tomatoes and lettuce on top. Yum!

Hopefully you’ll try one (or all!) of these recipes for your next Meatless Monday!

Question of the Day:
Are you a vegetarian? If not, do you have designated “meatless” days, do you just eat meatless once in a while, or do you eat meat at every meal? 

Recipe: Pumpkin Roll Pancakes

For book club on Sunday, I had to bring something. Since I also went to try on wedding dresses that day and I was running late, I just picked up something at the grocery store. I had to get a pumpkin roll:

Photo credit: http://www.verybestbaking.com

Ohh, pumpkin roll. With your moist pumpkiny cake — and that frosting in the middle! I could probably eat my way out of a vat of that frosting. I definitely will be eating my fair share of pumpkin roll this winter. My mom’s recipe is the best (well, I think so, but I’m sure you think your mom’s recipe is the best too!), and she taught me how to make a while back. I really do think that pumpkin roll is the perfect dessert.

This morning, I wasn’t feeling my normal egg/bacon on a whole wheat bagel thin. What I really wanted for breakfast was pumpkin roll! But, as we know, pumpkin roll probably isn’t the healthiest way to start your day. Enter, the pumpkin roll pancake:

Oh my word, these were delicious! They were also filling, and healthy!

Pumpkin Roll Pancakes
by: Kristy
Makes about 12 2″ pancakes (4 servings)

Ingredients:

1 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. rolled oats
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 c. pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 c. almond milk (plus a little more), mixed w/ 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

Pour the almond milk and apple cider vinegar in a bowl. Set aside. In a separate (bigger) bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder and pumpkin pie spice. Stir with a fork until combined. Add the pumpkin, vanilla and egg to the bowl with the almond milk and whisk until combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until combined (batter will be lumpy). At this point, I felt that the batter was a little too thick so I added a little more almond milk.

Heat a small pan on the medium heat. Spray with cooking spray (I used my misto) and let the pan heat up a little . Add two heaping spoonfuls of  the batter to the pan (until  you have about a 2″ pancake). Let cook about 2-3 minutes (until the pancake is golden brown on the bottom) and flip. Cook 2-3 minutes on the other side. (you can check the doneness of the pancake in the middle with a fork).  Move the pancake to a plate.

Take about 1/2 tablespoon of neufchatel cheese and spread it on top of the pancake. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon and stevia. Repeat two more times until you have a stack of three pancakes.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving = 3 2″ pancakes. Calories: 195, Carbs, 34 grams, Fat 5 grams, Protein 8 grams, Fiber 6 grams 

Ok, it doesn’t taste exactly like a pumpkin roll, but it definitely cured my craving! Yum!

 

Protein Pancake Recipe

It’s a hot one today. I biked to work, and I noticed my tires were low so I stopped at a gas station to fill them up. I was dripping sweat, even though it only took a couple minutes to fill my tires. I couldn’t wait to get to work and get into the AC to cool off.

Well, the AC is broken at work today. Sigh. It’s miserable in here!

But I am excited to share a protein pancake recipe that I made up this morning. If you’ve been reading Healthy Living blogs, I’m sure you’re aware of the Protein Pancake. Usually, I follow the Tone It Up recipe (using protein powder), but I’ve seen a few floating around that use cottage cheese so I wanted to try that. I couldn’t find any recipes that sounded good, so I made up my own. It was SO GOOD! It ended up being 256 calories, 42 grams of carbs (a little high for a protein pancake, but I’m not super concerned with carbs, especially if they are good carbs), 3 grams of fat and a whopping 16 grams of protein. I love a good protein punch in the morning, it really keeps me satisfied until lunch.

I brought it to work in a rectangular container, hence the weirdo shape.

Blueberry Buckwheat Protein Pancake
by: Kristy 

Ingredients:
1/4 c. Hodgson’s Mill Buckwheat Pancake Mix
1 T ground flax seed meal
1/2 banana, mashed with a fork
3 T egg whites
2 T low fat cottage cheese
1/4 c. fresh or frozen blueberries (or fruit of your choice) (optional)

First, combine the pancake mix and the ground flax meal in a bowl with a fork. In a separate bowl, mash your banana and add the egg whites. I like to mash the banana a little and then add the egg whites and mash some more. Add the cottage cheese to the egg/banana mixture. Now, add the wet and dry ingredients together. Stir well and then stir in the blueberries or fruit of your choice.

Put a small non-stick pan or griddle over medium heat  and spray with cooking spray. Add the batter to the pan and let cook about 5 minutes, or until browned. Carefully flip over the pancake (I had to use two spatulas) and allow to cook until the center is cooked through (you can use a fork to peek inside).

I drizzled just a tiny bit of Organic Grade B maple syrup on top of mine, but I think this would be good with peanut butter, jam or just some fresh fruit sliced on top. This makes one large pancake (it was also super thick). You could probably also make this with protein powder instead of the pancake mix for a lower-carb, higher-protein pancake.

Enjoy!

P.S.
I plan on doing a Financial Fitness post later today, so I hope you’ll check back. Have a great Tuesday!