Came home from work yesterday in the mood to bake so I whipped up some protein cookies. They went over well, and I've always like them so here is the recipe.
Note: This may say "cookies" but adjust your expectations, they are great but no sugar & no butter makes things different. Make them, enjoy them but don't expect Toll House or you'll be disappointed.
Pre-Heat Oven to 350 degrees.
1/2 Cup Chocolate Protein Powder
1 Cup Almond Meal
1/4 Cup Coconut Meal
1/4 Cup Unsweetened coconut flakes
2 Tablespoons Chia Seeds
1/4 Cup Oats
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
4 Egg Whites
2 Tablespoons Plain Greek Yogurt
1 Tablespoon Honey (you could use agave, but reduce the amount)
3 Tablespoons Dark Chocolate Chips
Mix all the dry ingredients together first, then add wet ingredients.
Use non-stick cooking spray to prep cookie sheet.
Drop 12 tablespoon-ish size cookies on sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
*You don't have to worry about spacing these out on the cookie sheet, there are no ingredients to make them rise or expand so pretty much the size they are going in is the size they are coming out. Watch your first batch carefully to get the timing right, if they are over cooked you'll be using them as door stops instead of treats.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Friday, October 25, 2013
Back to Basics
Recently during a “conversation” about finding the ever elusive, BALANCE in life, I suggested to a gym buddy that maybe it might be helpful to journal about struggles with consistency. It’s something I've done pretty diligently in the past but recently not so much. As I was also commiserating about finding my drive again it was pretty clear I needed to take my own advice. So for the last few days I have been taking note of how I've been thinking/feeling in relation to a lot of different aspects of my life.
I realized I've been making a couple of really bad moves, so here’s my public confession. Number one: Negative self-talk, sh*ts gotta stop. I have this nasty habit of comparing myself to what I think I should be. “Should have been able to hit that set of deadlifts today, how’d I get so weak?”, “I looked better in this dress two months ago.”, “You sounded like a Rookie in that meeting today.” There’s a fine line between being self-aware and self-deprecating, I “cha-cha” with it often. I know I’m not the only one; most of us wouldn't talk to our friends like we talk to ourselves. Like any other bad habit, it’s going to take some effort to break the cycle, but if I can manage to quit this, it might just be one of the most positive things I can do for myself.
The second thing is: Cheating!!! On all the “good for me” stuff, which I actually do like, with the “not so good for me” stuff, that I also happen to enjoy. Wine, chocolate, pumpkin beer… I could go on, but there’s no sense in reliving the carnage. Summertime celebrations somehow blurred into some serious fall festivities, and for really no particular reason. With the exception of a few weddings, I've pretty much been coming up with imaginary events to celebrate. To be honest, as of late, it’s lost a bit of the appeal. If you know me, you know I enjoy a few Gin & Tonics as much as the next girl but it’s all gotten to be a little bit much. There’s no one to blame but myself, no one has been holding a gun to my head and insisting I have another glass of Merlot. I’ll pour another for myself and one for you too. In this particular situation, nothing drastic needs to happen here. As Uncle Joey used to say, I just have to “CUT – IT-OUT”. I know myself, where I've come from and the habits that got me there to begin with. I managed to change and maintain those positive changes for an awfully long time. I've been successful without seriously deriving myself, and I know how to maintain healthy habits on a daily basis. Time to get back to the basics, back to I know what makes me feel better, stronger and happier.
That being said, goals are important, for me at least. So here are a couple of the short term goals I’m working towards between now and the end of the year.
1. Carb Cycling- it’s worked to help me overcome plateaus and be mindful of eating well, and it’s really pretty simple. Some days are high, some days are low, watch fat in-take (make sure those calories are coming from good fats). That’s pretty much it, eat it, log it, repeat.
2. Deadlift- 300lb, trap bar by 12/31… it is possible. DL’s are the exercise I love but also kinda hate. Lately they've been creating an epic battle with my mental toughness. What I can do and what I think I can do are not in synch but I’m working on it.
3. Running- Getting back on that running game. 6-10 miles/week for the next few months. It’s a place to start… and not just a reason to buy new sneakers.
4. Reading- A few chapters of a book, an article, anything not work related, every day. Life should consist of more than work, gym, and sleep.
5. Blog- Weekly. I started this a place to share my thoughts and my experience because I do get a lot of questions about what the last few years of my life and transformation have been like. Honestly, reflection is the healthiest way I know to stay on track and keep moving forward. It’s helpful to remember where you've come from and keeping this blog helps me do that. Using it as a tool to help me with my other goals only makes sense. That being said, I’m not an expert, by any means but I have learned from some of my experiences. If there’s something to be learned by someone else from reading this, then excellent. Some of the best conversations I've ever had have been with myself, so I’m going to keep it going, even if it’s just for me.
I realized I've been making a couple of really bad moves, so here’s my public confession. Number one: Negative self-talk, sh*ts gotta stop. I have this nasty habit of comparing myself to what I think I should be. “Should have been able to hit that set of deadlifts today, how’d I get so weak?”, “I looked better in this dress two months ago.”, “You sounded like a Rookie in that meeting today.” There’s a fine line between being self-aware and self-deprecating, I “cha-cha” with it often. I know I’m not the only one; most of us wouldn't talk to our friends like we talk to ourselves. Like any other bad habit, it’s going to take some effort to break the cycle, but if I can manage to quit this, it might just be one of the most positive things I can do for myself.
That being said, goals are important, for me at least. So here are a couple of the short term goals I’m working towards between now and the end of the year.
1. Carb Cycling- it’s worked to help me overcome plateaus and be mindful of eating well, and it’s really pretty simple. Some days are high, some days are low, watch fat in-take (make sure those calories are coming from good fats). That’s pretty much it, eat it, log it, repeat.
3. Running- Getting back on that running game. 6-10 miles/week for the next few months. It’s a place to start… and not just a reason to buy new sneakers.
4. Reading- A few chapters of a book, an article, anything not work related, every day. Life should consist of more than work, gym, and sleep.
5. Blog- Weekly. I started this a place to share my thoughts and my experience because I do get a lot of questions about what the last few years of my life and transformation have been like. Honestly, reflection is the healthiest way I know to stay on track and keep moving forward. It’s helpful to remember where you've come from and keeping this blog helps me do that. Using it as a tool to help me with my other goals only makes sense. That being said, I’m not an expert, by any means but I have learned from some of my experiences. If there’s something to be learned by someone else from reading this, then excellent. Some of the best conversations I've ever had have been with myself, so I’m going to keep it going, even if it’s just for me.
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