3 ingredient protein pancakes

1 week post figure competition. My trainer ordered a week of rest. I've been going a little crazy. But I've complied. I have however, also allowed myself to indulge in goodies over the past week. Most were ok, but others were no where near as satisfying as I hoped. And yesterday's Pizza Hut lunch is really making me regret it! 

So this morning I wanted to eat something clean. Nothing "bad" even sounds good. But pancakes.. Who doesn't love pancakes on Saturday morning? 

If I can get off track real quick, I hate to reference "bad" or "good" foods. Of course there are foods that should be limited while living a healthy lifestyle. But I am a firm believer in "everything in moderation." I think it's unrealistic to stop all sugars or carbs or fats or anything for the rest of your life. So unless you have a legitimate reason to remove a food group or allergen, I recommend limiting but not removing completely. 

So.. Back to breakfast. 

I always have egg whites, they're a quick easy, healthy protein.  I of course also have protein powder. I had some baked sweet potato too. And there you have it. Easy peasy gluten free protein pancakes. 

The worst part of making pancakes is the waiting!! So I'm not going to lie. A few got eaten during the cooking process. 

So what's the process? 

First in a blender, food processor or magic bullet (or mix by hand if you want) 

Mix 

2 servings egg whites (92g)

About 6oz sweet potato (150g) 

1 scoop of protein. I used core fit cinnamon bun. 

You can get it at www.livecorefit.com discount code: Jennibean 

Blend that all together until a smooth batter forms. If it's a little thick you can add a table spoon or 2 of almond milk (or your choice of milk) 

The batter is very moist and very delicate. So don't rush the cooking process. 

Pour a little batter on to a heated skillet or griddle.

Wait to flip until the bubbles form and stay hollow. 

Once you flip it, the pancake will puff up a bit. Leave it until it collapses flat. Then it should be cooked through. 

Repeat and stack them up! 

The macros for the entire recipe are

Calories: 284

Fat: 3g

Carbs: 30g

Fiber: 3.8g

Sugar: 10.6g

Protein: 34g

You can divide as you see fit or eat the whole stack yourself. 

I wanted to add some more fats to my breakfast so I drizzled a couple tablespoons of almond butter on mine. Don't forget to include your choice of topping in your food log. 

My first figure competition part 1

So I just competed in my first figure competition. It was an amazing experience. I called this post part 1 because I plan on breaking down the experience in to pieces to avoid a CRAZY long blog entry.  So let's start with "peak week"

Peak week was a bit different than the rest of my training. We did full body circuits Sunday and Monday. Cardio only Tuesday and light cardio Wednesday with my trainer. Then nothing else. That was hard. Partly because I hadn't peaked. I was far from peaking. We hadn't reached our goal. Also, working out has become an important part of my life and I enjoy it. 

So I spent my last couple days before making a list of items I needed for my show and packing my bags. The show I competed in was the Heartland Classic in Omaha which is about 3 hours from where I live.  I was going to be out of torn for less than 36 hours but I had 2 very full bags to take with me. There's a huge list of items I took with me and most came in handy. Below is the list I used when packing. 

Nutritionally we kept everything the same for peak week. I was doing a keto diet  and we kept it the same through Friday. I did a bit of carbs for breakfast Saturday morning and for pump up before going on stage. 

So let's get to the packing list. Here's what I brought with me and things I highly suggest anyone doing any kind of physique competition consider bringing. 

1. Alarm Clock

2. Beauty Blotting Papers or powder if face gets shinny

3. Bikini Bite (to keep your suit in place) 

4. Bottled Water

5. Bras

6. Camera

7. Cash

8. Clothes - dark colored  

9. Competitor Number/Contest Registration

10. Contact Lenses/solution 

11. Cooler – soft sided or hard sided

12. Copy of entry form 

13. Crazy Glue

14. Dental Floss

15. Directions to and from the venue, hotel and any other necessary locations

16. Dixie Cups with Bottom Punched Out (for peeing)

17. Extra Competition Suit – having a back up can be a life saver

18. Flip-Flops

19. Food – premade and premeasured (bring a lot more than you think you need.)

20. Hair Spray

21. Hair Ties, bobby pins, hair clips

22. Hairbrush

23. High Heels for competition

24. Jewelry (competition) 

25. Laundry stain remover stick 

26. Lock for Bag

27. Loose, dark comfy clothing to sleep in and wear around

28. Lotion (for after the show) 

29. Mini sewing Kit

30. Mouthwash

31. Nail File/ Clippers

32. Old dark sheets - tan will stain sheets and hotels will charge you if you ruin theirs

33. Organization Membership Card

34. Panties 

35. Pillow case – tan will stain sheets and pillow cases (or just bring your own pillow with a dark pillow case like I did) 

36. Plastic food wrap – for wrapping toilet seat in hotel room – tan will stain seat

37. Plastic gloves

38. Portable food heater for car if driving

39. Posing oil

40. Posing Suit / Competition Bikini – packed separately in labeled plastic bags so they stay clean and organized 

41. Q-tips

42. Razors or hair removal stuff

43. Robe – to wear after tan application

44. Safety Pins

45. Schedule for the day (received at registration)

46. Scissors

47. Small Mirror one that stands on its own on a table

48. Snacks &  Food 

49. Spare Hand & Face Towels

50. Stage Makeup (even if you're getting your make up done, extra bronzer and lipstick for touch ups are important) 

51. Sugarless Gum

52. Supplements

52. Toothbrush/Paste

53. Tubing to pump up prior to stage

54. Tweezers

55. Umbrella

56. Vaseline for Teeth

57. Vitamins

58. Wipes for quick clean ups

59. First aid kit

60. Deodorant (for after the show is over) 

61. Tanner (if you're doing your own tan, I used jan tana and I liked the result) 

This seems like a lot of stuff, but I used most of it. Didn't need the back up suit thank goodness but it's better to be prepared. 

I think that's enough for this post. I think it's good to leave off at the list. This will for sure be something I refer back to as well as tweak for future competitions. 

Orange cream protein pancakes

You never realize how much you love to eat something until you're told you can have it. But let's get real.. I've always loved my carbs. So while I do okay on Keto. I love my Sunday carb up. I was planning out my day and I was determined to make some protein pancakes. I searched tons of recipes and settled on one from proteinpow.com  As usual I adapted the recipe a bit. She almost always measures protein in cups and I prefer to measure in scoops so I think it leads to slight variances but I haven't had any failures yet. I would call these a success too! 

So here's the base recipe from proteinpow.com 

Ingredients

3/4 cup oats

1/4 cup egg whites 

1 scoop whey (I used orange creamsicle) 

1 scoop vanilla pea protein 

1 cup almond milk 

 

I added:

1 tablespoon coconut flour 

I found the original recipe was a bit funny for my taste. The few pancakes I made before adding the coconut flour were fine, just a bit thin. 

The directions are simple.. Throw all the ingredients in to a blender, blend until smooth, cook on a hot skillet. I spray a little olive oil spray between every other pancake or so and use a non stick skillet. 

I topped mine off with Waldon farms calorie free pancake syrup. They were sooooo moist and delicious though and probably could be eaten solo.

Macros for the entire recipe (easily could split and serve 2 .. If you're the sharing type) 

Calories: 543

Fat: 12g

Carbs: 61g

Fiber: 11g

Sugar: 5g

Protein: 51g

Avocado fudge

After my accidental avocado fat bomb incident. See previous post 

I decided to try again to make the avocado fudge I intended to make. I got the idea from chocolatecoveredkatie.com  

The original recipe called for coconut butter.. I usually try to sub out things I dot have with things I do.. So I just used regular butter. And they came out SO GOOD! 

They are way more delish than the fat bombs and they are a little bit less calories too! 

Fudge Ingredients:

6 tablespoons of butter

1/4 cup (about 56g) of mashed avocado 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

2 Tablespoons Waldon farms syrup (or honey or agave but this will add more cal and carbs) 

Pinch of salt

1-2 packets of stevia 

Optional chocolate layer 

2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa 

2 tablespoons Waldon farms chocolate syrup (or honey or agave) 

Directions below this yummy picture

Directions: 

Melt the butter, mix the fudge ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy. Pour into a small pan or container. Put in the freezer at least 3 hours. 

Once the fudge is in the freezer you can mix the chocolate layer now or later. I did mine right away and as you see it stayed right on top. 

Melt the coconut oil and mix together with the cocoa powder and syrup of choice. Pour over the avocado layer and let set. I left mine overnight. 

Macros for 1/8 of the recipe 

Calories 119

Fat 13g

Carbs 2g

Fiber 1g

Protein 0.1g 

Accidental avocado coconut fat bomb

Just over 2 weeks to go and I'm doing a Keto diet for the remainder of prep. For those who don't know that's a low carb high fat diet. So looking for recipes I found an avocado fudge recipe. The problem was 1. I can't read I guess. And 2. I didn't have coconut butter. 

These 2 factors led to the creation of avocado coconut fat bomb. They're still delicious. But not very fudgey.

Ingredients :

1/4 cup mashed avocado 

6 tablespoons coconut oil

2 tablespoons Waldon farms syrup (or agave or honey) 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

Stevia to taste. (I used about a tablespoon ) 

Mix it all in a small blender, pour into a container and set in the freezer 3 hours or until set. 

If you want to add the chocolate swirl 

2 tablespoons Waldon farms

2 tablespoons cocoa

2 tablespoons coconut oil 

Pour on top and swirl through with a knife 

Macros per 1/8 

Calories 134

Fat 15g

Carb 2g

Fiber 1g

Protein .4g

Low carb Oopsie rolls attempt 1

3 weeks to go and we are doing Keto for the remainder of my prep. It's always tough adjusting diets. I starting looking in to some low carb recipes and found oopsie bread. 

I read some horror stories about how difficult these were and although it takes some care, I didn't have too much problem.  I found several recipes and though the one I used came out well, I think I will cut out one ounce of cream cheese cause I found a lot that only called for 3 instead of 4.  So, lets get to it..

Ingredients

3 eggs

4 oz of cream cheese (or 3)

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

optional: spices/seasonings to taste

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit 

Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites

Mix the egg whites and cream of tartar until the whites form peaks

Mix the yolks and cream cheese and any seasoning. For this first run I opted for just 1 packet of splenda.  You can use italian herbs, splenda and cinnamon or any combo of spices you choose. 

Gently fold the yolk mixture back into the whites mixture, take care not to break down the whites.

Gently scoop 6 dollops of the mixture on a baking sheet, I used parchment paper to ensure they didn't stick.  You should use all the mixture making the 6.

Bake for 35 minutes.  Let cool, can be stored on the counter for several days or in the fridge, though the fridge will keep them SUPER moist so I recommend pulling them out and letting them sit before you want to use them.  Mine are still on the counter and I made them 5 days ago.. Still fine.

I'll be trying these again and will post up any other variations I come up with. 

Macros per the 4 oz recipe are, Per 1 of 6

Calories 102

Fat 8.5g

Carbs 2.2g

Fiber 0  (I'm toying with adding fiber powder to this next time)

Protein 4.3g

Peanut butter Marshmallow French toast

Hello fitfam!  I'm about to start 3 weeks of keto. Which means I'm saying goodbye to carbs for a few weeks until I carb load for my show. So I decided to make myself some french toast as a farewell to carbs.  I'm not going to lie.. it was AMAZING. 

I'm going to share the basic recipe as well as the toppings I chose to use so the macros will be for exactly what you see pictured: 

Ingredients:

1 whole egg (large)

1/4 cup egg whites

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

2 slices whole wheat bread (I used Sara Lee, you can substitute any bread you like but the macros will change)

Toppings:

2 tablespoons natural peanut butter

2 tablespoons Waldon Farms marshmallow fruit dip

1 tablespoon Waldon Farms strawberry syrup

Directions:

Mix the first 4 ingredients together in a wide shallow bowl. Preheat a skillet to medium/medium high heat. Lay one piece of bread in the egg mixture letting it soak it up, flip it letting the other side soak up some mixture. Place the bread in the skillet, flip after about 1-2 minutes (once the egg mixture is cooked on that side)  While piece 1 is cooking, start soaking piece #2 in the egg mixture, it should soak up pretty much all the egg mixture. (So you're getting ALL the protein from the eggs) 

Once piece #1 is cooked transfer it to your plate and layer 1 tablespoon of peanut butter and 1 tablespoon of marshmallow dip.  Cook the second piece like the first.  And lay it on top of the first piece.  Add your layers of peanut butter and marshmallow dip. Drizzle a tablespoon of Waldon farms strawberry syrup on top and ENJOY!

Macros for my recipe:

Calories:426

Fat: 22g

Carbs: 34

Fiber: 8

Sugar: 7

Protein: 27

Diet.. It's always a struggle

I hear it so often, and I've been through the struggle myself, I can get to the gym but I struggle with my diet.  Everyone is always looking for the secret to avoiding temptation or not craving "bad foods." Well.. the secret is willpower.  I will share some tips for keeping on track but ultimately it comes down to the choices you (and only you) will make for yourself.  Here's a little story from my day today:

I'm 3 weeks out from my debut show and I'm not quite where I want to be yet.  I'm not sure I'll get there in 3 weeks, but I'll get as close as I can.  I plan and track my food diligently but I'm human. I have cravings and sometimes I give in, most times I don't.  At work this morning, having eaten my breakfast before and snack 3 hours later, I still felt hungry.  I walked down to the vending machine and looked at my options.  I have a few calories to play with today, often my food doesn't come out EXACT to my calorie goal. I have 12-15g of protein, 6g of carbs left.  Nothing in the machine suits what I have available. So I walked away.

As I stared blankly into the vending machine I told myself "3 weeks.. you have 3 weeks to burn as much fat as you can before your stage debut. Nothing in this machine is going to help you do that."

I've been dieting for almost 4 years. Part of that has made me better at saying no to things I shouldn't have and part of that has left me wanting to just go eat food without considering the macros or what it's going to do to my body. It's a double edged sword and there's always a struggle between making a healthy choice and choosing convenience or just deciding, you know what? I'm going to eat a candy bar today.  For most people making that choice is fine.  One candy bar isn't going to make or break you.  I could've bought something, justifying that 3 weeks isn't enough time to make a change.. But I know that isn't true.  And to make a change everything has to be on point.

I'm trying to get extraordinarily lean so I don't have the flexibility I'm used to. I still get to get foods I like, luckily I don't mind healthy foods. :)
This process is not for everyone. I knew going in that it was going to test me. I think I've handled it all pretty well. Though I'm not sure how my experience on the stage will be, I've already started thinking past the stage. Carefully reverse dieting to avoid excessive weight gain and looking ahead to the next show I might do.

I'm not immune to cravings. I love sweets. I love to bake.. I stopped doing a lot of baking when I got really serious about getting back in shape.  Now I bake healthier recipes and find ways to satisfy sweet cravings without a lot of added sugars keeping either carbs or fats low.

So let's get to some tips for keeping on track

1. Have a cheat meal every 1-2 weeks.

I said A cheat MEAL.  Not a cheat DAY.  One meal. Don't eat yourself sick, but use it to eat something you've been craving.  This serves 2 purposes. First, the increase in calories will boost your metabolism. (more calories in means the body has to burn more to keep up).  Second, it keeps you sane. If you know you have a cheat meal coming every week or two, it's a lot easier to turn down tempting offers for naughty foods and you're much less likely to go crazy and binge.

2. Make sure you are eating enough day-day.

You have NO idea how sad it makes me to see girls eating 1000-1200 calories a day. Especially if they have a lot of weight to lose or are killing it in the gym.  You NEED to fuel your body.  The idea is to eat as much as you can and still lose weight.  Not cut calories as drastically as you can.  As the boost in calories from your cheat meal boosts metabolism, your metabolism adapts to your calorie cut as well. The more you cut, the more your metabolism adapts.  DON'T cut yourself from eating 3000 calories to 1200 right away.  It's only going to hurt you in the end.   **Trust me.. I did this to myself.. more than once!  It's not the right way and your results will not last cause you can't keep that up forever**

3. Find healthy alternatives

Craving chocolate?  Try mixing chocolate protein powder with greek yogurt for a protein packed chocolate treat.

Pancakes? Get some mancakes and waldon farms calorie free syrup.  Or make your own healthy version with oat flour (blend up oats) and egg whites.
Mancakes can be bought  here
Waldon farms makes TONS of calorie free products check them out here (My grocery store carries several of their syrups, sauces and marshmallow dip!)

Just want something sweet?  Try fruit instead of candy. Check out my protein fluff for a protein packed ice cream like treat right here

Check out http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/ For a TON of healthy recipes.  I LOVE her site. I get a lot of ideas from there.

4. Get accountability/Support system

Tell somebody your goals. It will make you more likely to stick to them.  Also if you find yourself craving something you can talk to those who you shared your goals with.  I know I have some friends that have been instrumental in keeping me on track.  When you're having an off day, these people will remind you how awesome you are doing and why you don't want to revert to old ways. There are going to be days that you just don't feel like working out or you really want to eat something processed and bad for you.  Your support system will help you stay on track OR get back on track after you've given in.

5. Remember you are human.

Perfection doesn't exist. You're not going to look like the photoshopped people in magazines and you're going to have slip ups, days you can't get to the gym or other obstacles.  The key is to accept these and move on. Everyday is a new opportunity to make better choices, workout a little harder and get closer to your goals.  This is a lifestyle, there's no finish line.

Protein Fluff Recipe

Here is a yummy post workout treat that would be especially refreshing on a hot summer day and is super easy to make protein fluff.  It's a protein packed low carb ice creamy marshmallow-y fluffy treat.

Ingredients:
1 cup frozen fruit (I used raspberries for this one)
1/4 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)
1 scoop of whey protein.

So let's get to the directions and pictures shall we? :)


1. measure out 1 cup of frozen fruit (berries or banana will work for this. I have done pineapple but it's really hard to break it down when it's frozen)

2. Add 1/4 cup of milk of choice to the berries.

3.  Add your protein.  I used Core Fit protein. I love the handy prepackaged scoops and the flavors are delish!!  You can buy it here and you can save 20% with coupon code Jennibean

4. Smash it all up.  I used this attachment to my hand mixer. I usually smash it all a bit before I turn the mixer on and smash it some more. 

5. Smash it all until it looks like the pic below.  Basically until it's well blended and no large pieces of the fruit remain.

6. Then switch to a whisk attachment and fluff it. You want to try to add a bit of air and make it a frozen-y fluffy yummy treat.  It should look like the pic below.

7. Enjoy your delicious healthy treat.

Macros below are for 1 recipe. It pretty much makes 1 serving so you don't have to share :)

Calories: 201
Fat: 4 g
Carbs: 20 g
Fiber: 9 g
Sugar: 8 g
Protein: 24 g