Cinnamon Swirl Zucchini Waffles

If you follow me on Instagram, then you definitely know that I am obsessed with putting zucchini into any and all of my foods. It started as this weird need to eat something green in every meal of the day but now it's simply because zucchini is a great food for adding not only volume to recipes but also moisture for minimal calories (and yeah, yeah, yeah, it's good for you or whatever). It sounds weird but zucchini's taste is super mild and it can be masked relatively easily.

Once I acquired a waffle maker a few weeks ago (thanks mom) I knew that I could definitely figure out a way to make a zucchini waffle because, why not. It turned out amazingly and I've been having it almost every morning since I first made it! My recipe yields two almost full size waffles so bang for your buck + taste bud party = you should try this recipe (#DoIEvenMath)

Recipe:

 1/2 grated zucchini (squeeze excess water out with a paper towel)
40 g Kodiak Cakes mix
10 g whey (I used Cinnamon Swirl by Cellucor)
1/3 cup egg whites
1/2 tsp baking powder
Cinnamon and stevia to taste

Mix, cook, top, and devour!

Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Blondies

Made some Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Blondies today and they turned out great! I used the Jamie Eason Lean Body For Her Natural Whey Concentrate in Vanilla which I've been dying to try for such a long time now. It bakes SO well and the ingredients and flavor are both on point. Click here to check out this protein powder, you won't regret it! 

Recipe:
•1 cup chickpeas 
•3/4 cup pumpkin purée 
•2T sugar free syrup (I used hazelnut Torani but you could omit for just 2T more almond milk) 
•1/4 cup liquid egg whites 
•1 scoop Vanilla whey 
•2T almond milk 
•Vanilla extract 
•1/2tsp baking powder 
•Chocolate chips to taste 
•2 stevia packets
 
Blend all ingredients except for chocolate chips and pour into a greased dish. Bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes.
 
Macros (serves 6): 96 calories, 2.1g fat, 12.5 carbs, 8.3 protein

Chocolate Peppermint Protein Brownies

Just because the holidays are over doesn't mean I still won't be baking all kinds of festive food.
Whipped up some Peppermint Chocolate Chip brownies a few weeks ago - they're not super fluffy but they are really dense and thick which is how I prefer my brownies anyway. I used pumpkin to make them a little more dense which sounds kind of funky but I promise you can't taste it; the peppermint extract does a good job at masking it. 


Peppermint Chocolate Chip Brownies: 

Dry ingredients:
1.5 cups old fashioned oats
1 T chocolate fudge SF hello mix
2 T cocoa powder
1 scoop whey (I used chocolate chip cookie dough by @cellucor)
1/2 tsp baking powder
Stevia to taste

Wet ingredients:
2 eggs
1 egg white
1/4 tsp peppermint extract
1/4 cup pumpkin purée
 
Mix both wet and dry ingredients individually and then add together. Fold in chocolate chips and pour into greased dish. Top with crushed candy cane pieces if you like.  

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes and cut into 9 slices. ✨Macros for 1 slice: 117 calories, 3.4g fat, 16g carbs (2.4 fiber), 7.2 protein✨
 
Macros will differ based on the chocolate chips/candy cane you use.

Rest Days, Overtraining, and Listening to Your Body

A teammate of mine shared this article with the rest of our team today and it really got me thinking about the importance of rest and recovery.

I don't know what it is about taking time off but it scares the sh!t out of me. While I understand the importance of rest in order to repair your muscles and make you stronger and fitter, there is something about taking a whole day off of physical activity that worries me just a little bit. My body instantly snaps back to the disordered thoughts that I don't deserve as much food on rest days, that I'm being lazy, that my stomach looks bigger and my thighs are rubbing against each other more, and that I'm not as devoted to fitness as I should be. I don't know where these thoughts come from but I do know that I can't stand it when I justify them. God forbid if I get hungry on a rest day and eat some extra carbs, I start to freak out and parts of me feel like I'm going to wake up 5 lbs heavier.

Since I started my interest in health and fitness, in February of 2013, I have not taken more than three consecutive days off of training. Even when I had surgeries or back sprains, I always found a way to go on a run or swim or do jumping jacks in my room for fear of losing all my fitness and not burning enough calories for the day. And even this summer, I have not taken a full few days of rest aside from when I hurt my back. Even today, I took a rest day but I worked an eight and a half hour shift at the restaurant.

This article is making me realize how silly it is to beat yourself up over something so silly. Us people who care so much about our health are truly interesting; the rest of the world doesn't care at all when they don't work out for the day. It's mindblowing to me that there are people out there who aren't as preoccupied with training as I am. A lot of the times, I feel superior to them but in instances like these, I can't help but feel jealous. Laying in bed and watching a movie to them is just a relaxing day but it makes me feel like a couch potato.

Well, I'm going to break this cycle. If you think you are overtraining, you probably are, and I am challenging all of you as well as myself to take a week this summer and devote it to complete rest. Do some light cross training maybe or go on a relaxing walk. You won't lose all your gains and you'll come back to the gym even fitter and stronger than before. I'm scared, but I know it is well worth it.

 Listen to your body and know that challenging yourself isn't easy but...."extremes are easy, balance is hard". 

Strawberry Hot Chocolate

It's that time of year again, the time of year when I start craving literally anything that has sugar in it. And by "year" I obviously mean day.

I have a MAJOR sweet tooth and can't go a day without some kind of chocolate in my lifestyle. One of my favorite ways to eat chocolate is when it's covered around a nice, juicy, strawberry. One of the all time best combos in my opinion is berries with chocolate (or pretty much anything with chocolate. Like even vegetables, I'm that much of a freak).

One of my mom and I's favorite things to do is watch cooking shows on the Food Network, specifically Barefoot Contessa and Giada at Home, and just completely heckle them while the show's going. I mean, I think Giada's cool and everything but for the love of God, just say "parmesean", not "parmagiano". We get it, you're Italian.

The other day, my mom and I watched Giada make a Strawberry Hot Chocolate and seeing how this recipe was easy enough that her toddler helped her to do the whole thing, I figured it was a recipe simple enough to where I couldn't mess it up. Here's my spin on it!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 TBSP cocoa powder (*tip - for an extra boost of protein, use chocolate whey instead!)
• 3-4 strawberries
• Chocolate chips (optional)
• Stevia to taste

Simply combine the almond milk and cocoa, heat it up until it reaches the desired temperature, blend it all up with the strawberries and chocolate chips, and enjoy!

Alternatively, to make this drink more summer appropriate, you could take this blended mixture, pour it into an ice tray, and blend it up once it's frozen for a frozen hot chocolate!

Hope you all enjoy!