MyProtein: Double Chocolate Chip Protein Cookie

Recently I was able to get my hands on the Protein Cookies from MyProtein and was way too excited. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a major sweet tooth, especially one for chocolate. Needless to say, I was beyond stoked to dig into this cookie.

When I took my first bite, I was amazed by how many chocolate chunks there were. (I'm allllll about that chunk factor being turned all the way up). I liked how the cookie tasted by itself, not too crispy or chewy, but perfectly soft. However, I decided that no harm could be done by warming it up. I popped it in the microwave for about 15 seconds and yeah, it turned out to be an excellent decision. The chocolate chips got all melty and the cookie was soft and warm....the only problem was that I got some chocolate on my fingers but um, let's just say that this was not an issue for long.

Overall, I was extremely impressed with this product. Great taste and quality in general.

Macros for one cookie are: 320 calories, 10g fat, 20g carb, 37.5 protein

It's What's On the Inside That Counts

 

It sounds weird, I know. But adding zucchini (yes, zucchini) to my oats was quite possibly the greatest thing to ever happen to me. First off, it packs your oats with an added serving of veggies (all the micros, all the fiber). Second, it pumps up your oats with a ton volume. Like triple the size. And lastly, because of the super mild taste, it's like you aren't even eating a vegetable.

I used to be a huge fan of adding "riced" cauliflower to my oats but the prep for that, as well as the smell, was just becoming a pain in the ass after a while. I prefer zoats because it takes no time to prepare and it's a lot milder of a taste than cauliflower. Here's how I make mine!

Ingredients:
1/2 small or 1 large zucchini
1/2 cup oats
1 1/4 cup water 
1/4 cup egg whites
1 T chia seeds
Protein powder, nut butter, fruit, etc. (optional)

1. Grate your zucchini onto a paper towel and then squeeze out the excess water (I used to omit this step and still do if I'm pressed for time but it really helps!)
2. Add zucchini to a bowl with your oats and water.
3. Microwave until the oats are pretty well cooked.
4. Stir in your egg whites and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until the oats have fluffed up.
5. Add 1T chia seeds and after the oats have cooled a bit, stir in desired amount of protein powder (I typically do anything from 1/4-1/2 scoop).
6. Top and devour!

My One Year Transformation

One year ago I decided to make an Instagram account to hold myself accountable to staying on top of working out, eating right, and to hopefully learn how to make a pretty bowl of oatmeal. I had no idea what the next 365 days would hold in store for me. I refrained from making a post at the beginning of the month so bear with me as this might be kinda lengthy but I wanted to take a moment to reflect on this past year.
 
2014 was by far the toughest year of my life. This time last year I was in the absolute depths of orthorexia and was digging myself into a deeper hole every day. I spent the majority of my spring semester last year being terrified of everything, every situation that would force me to deal with an unplanned meal or possibly missing a workout. It still makes me depressed thinking about how much I missed out on and how many times I gave up making memories with friends in exchange for eating my "safe" foods alone in my room.
 
About halfway through the summer, I took a huge step and gave up counting macros which is by far the best decision I made for myself in the whole process. Looking back, I can see that I was still eating basically the same things every day but nonetheless, it was a step in the right direction. 

Towards the end of my fall semester, I fell back into some destructive habits (obsessive macro counting, restricting, etc.). Sometimes, and I feel like I'm not the only one who feels this way, I feel like the only way to achieve goals is to become obsessive about them and mask it as "dedication". This works for some people but all in all, it can just take over your life. 

It has taken time but eventually I just decided that enough was enough. I no longer count calories, I eat a wide variety of foods, and I am getting better at having less anxiety about skipped workouts/unplanned meals. Sure it's nerve wracking sometimes. I won't lie and say that I feel 100% free from my disorder. I believe I'll always be a work in progress. But over the past year I've really thought about the person I want to be when I'm older and I know that I'll never get there if I waste my 20s being obsessed calories and my body fat percentage. I am so unbelievably happy to have made this account because I've made some amazing friends and have gotten so much support from some pretty amazing people. I have big goals for this upcoming year and it's thanks to a lot of you guys that I feel confident in my abilities to achieve them.

Banana Bread Muffins

In the words of one of my teammates, "bananas shouldn't even be considered a fruit because they are basically on a dessert-level in terms of how delicious they are." I'd have to agree. I found myself with quite a few ripe bananas the other day and decided to give banana bread a go. Turned them into muffins though because it's just a lot easier to control the portion sizes and they look a little cuter. It was a highly scientific decision making process.

These were everything that banana bread muffins should be: moist, dense, sweet, and cakey. Give them a shot!

Recipe:

3 large bananas 
1.5 cups old fashioned oats
1 egg 
Vanilla extract 
Cinnamon 
Stevia to taste 
1 tsp baking powder 
1/2 tsp baking soda
 
Grind oats into a flour, then mix with the rest of your dry ingredients. Mash bananas in a separate bowl, mix with rest of wet ingredients, the combine with dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips if desired.
 
Pour into greased muffin tins and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.
 
Macros (serves 9): 77 calories, 1.8g fat, 13g carb, 2.6g protein (macros will differ based on brand/amount of chocolate chips used)

Tiramisu Egg White Proats

Like most fit foodies out there, I'm always looking to get the most volume I can get from my foods. Tricking myself into thinking I'm getting ginormous portion sizes is a great way to help me stay full longer, something that's pretty difficult to do. Egg white oats are something that I've always been skeptical of but have recently fallen madly in love with.

I recently took a trip to WalMart and picked up some rum extract which lead me to thinking this would be the perfect time to whip up some Tiramisu oats. These were amazing - the coffee, rum, vanilla, and cinnamon flavors all work together so perfectly. Definitely try these out and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup oats
• Rum extract
• Vanilla extract
• Stevia
• Cinnamon
• 1T Chia seeds
• 3T or 1 Egg white(s)
• 1/4 scoop Cinnamon Swirl whey (I used Cellucor)
• Toppings!

Directions:
Cook 1/2 cup of oats in 1 cup of water for about 3 minutes. Then, add in your extracts (the amount varies to your own personal preference), 1 stevia packet, and 3T egg whites. Microwave the oats in :30 second intervals, stirring vigorously each time, until the egg whites have cooked and the oats have fluffed up. This usually takes me about 3-4 intervals. Add 1T chia seeds and cinnamon to taste. I also took the time to add in a bit of my coffee I had made, just to get some flavor in, not too much though. Once the oats have cooled a bit, add in 1/4 scoop or 1T cinnamon swirl whey. Top and devour! I used some berries and a TBSP of all natural peanut butter for some classic perfection.

Life Without Numbers: Week 1 Update

I can't believe I'm saying this but I did it - a full week without logging a single macro or counting a single calorie or even stepping on the scale.

I had always thought that in order for me to fully transition to this kind of lifestyle that I would have to do it in stages; first, only track some meals of the day, then stop weighing food and just eyeball or maybe just track breakfast, etc. All of these rules made me scared to stop counting. I had no idea the easiest thing to do would be to just go cold turkey once and for all with numbers.

This past week, I expected to feel lost and preoccupied with food but instead I just felt free. It felt so, so good to just eat when I was hungry and exactly how much I wanted of that thing, not stuff myself crazy at certain times of day when I wasn't hungry to make up for later or some other excuse. It felt so good to give myself a snack after dinner just because I was hungry for one.

Part of the reason I think this transition was easier for me is the fact that along with stopping counting macros/calories, I focused on eating less processed foods and more wholesome, single ingredient foods (namely, a LOT more vegetables). While IIFYM did help me get over some fear foods and learn how to eat in moderation, I do believe that eating lots of fruits and veggies and single ingredient foods is the best thing you can do for your body. Meeting your macros with wholesome foods is undeniably better than to do so with Oreos and doughnuts. Again, not trashing IIFYM at all, but for me, IIFYM was causing me to lose sight of what it means to fuel my body properly. If you are able to track macros and treat yourself occasionally while keeping your mental health in check, then I see no problem with it.

I did losely keep track of my meals throughout the day and I will admit to sort of estimating each meal's macros, not because I was scared of gaining weight or anything but because I wanted to make sure I was eating enough. I find that a lot of people are scared to eat intuitively as it opens them up to sell themselves short. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't restricting myself in anyway and that I was listening to my body.

Thursday in particular was a great day as I got Chipotle with a friend and stayed over at her house for dinner and instead of obsessively trying to estimate macros, I went with the flow, made the healthiest decisions I could, and paid attention to how my body was feeling.

It hasn't been easy but it's felt way too good. On to week two!

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!

Macros, Intuitive Eating, and Finding a Balance

Numbers. Who would have ever thought that I would let something as silly as numbers control my life so much?

In the beginning of my weight loss journey, numbers were a vital ingredient towards my success. I'm sure most weight loss beginners feel the same. Counting calories and tracking macros all made me feel in control. I knew that if I tinkered around on MyFitnessPal for long enough and was able to fit in 11g of peanut butter into my sixth meal of the day, then I would hit my calorie goals and I would wake up with a flatter stomach and a happier brain. This kind of thinking kept me on track, held me accountable, and led me to lose about 50 pounds.

However, I'm realizing that there needs to be an end game to all of this. Like so many people I follow on Instagram, I am realizing that the numbers game cannot be forever. I know that I can't be tracking calories for the rest of my life and staying home while my friends are out to dinner because I couldn't find the restaurants nutrition information is a total waste of my time. Even while I was away at school for this past year, I am saddened thinking about how many meals I missed out on with friends because I was worried about being able to count calories.

This obsessive behavior has led me to gain weight as well. Our bodies need varying amounts of fuel each day depending on our activity level and telling your body you're only going to allow if 2000 calories, 60g  of fat, 250g of carbs, and 150g of protein (for example, not my own macros), is ridiculous. Some days I would be ravenous but wouldn't eat because I had already met my macros and some days I wasn't hungry at all but I would try desperately to meet my macros for fear of my metabolism slowing down.

I'm also realizing that this behavior has led me to make some pretty unhealthy choices in my eating. Rather than eating a salad or a vegetable dish at a the dining hall because I couldn't find the macros, I would eat a bagel or something because I could track that. Yes, I would still eat my macros and everything in moderation blah blah blah, but overall, I believe that eating a bunch of bagels and missing out on some great and healthy alternatives is not good for you. Simple as that.

So yes, I do support counting macros if you're a figure competitor or something and I worry about intuitive eating not because I'm scared I'll gain weight but because sometimes I'm scared I'll sell myself too short, but you know what? I've spent a full year of my life playing around on MFP and the time has come for me to move on. I'm 20 years old and should be enjoying life, not stressing about having a 6.5 oz sweet potato instead of 6.2 oz one.

I hope by proclaiming all of this on my blog, I will be held more accountable. For the next two weeks I am hereby making a promise to all of you and myself to:
1. Not track a single macro
2. Not weigh myself (another obsessive and stupid habit)
3. To eat wholesome and nutritious foods
4. To be spontaneous with my eating

I'm hoping in two weeks I'll feel healthier, look better, and will really be able to be on the road to a macro-less lifestyle. And after the two weeks? I hope to continue on with this! I'm just saying two weeks to make this goal seem a little less daunting.

"If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you". Let's see how true this holds up to be!

NuGo Slim Protein Bars Review

Hey all!

So recently I was sent two protein bars from NuGo nutrition to try out and review! I was so excited to try these out since, if we're going to be perfectly honest, protein bars are expensive and..um...#poorcollegekidproblems. But also because these bars are vegan and I love getting the chance to try protein bars that aren't made from whey isolate. One of my favorites is the Larabar ALT bars that are made with pea protein. They're also gluten free, perfect for all you Celiacs and others trying to be trendy (kidding!) ;)

These bars are also made with REAL dark chocolate and are the only protein bars out there to do so. Both bars I tried were entirely coated in rich and creamy chocolate, it was so freaking good.

The first one I tried was the Espresso flavor. The first thing I noticed about this bar was how rich the dark chocolate coating was. Not too thick, not too thin, jusssstttt right. The espresso flavor was also perfect. It came through nicely and wasn't overpowered by the chocolate; the two flavors complemented each other nicely. I also really loved how crispy this bar was! Not crumbly like a lot of protein bars and had a great and satisfying crunch.

Look at all those perfect crispies! So delicious.

 The  next bar I tried was the Crunchy Peanut Butter flavor. I knew this one would be good because, I mean, it's peanut butter and chocolate. Kind of hard to mess that up. Luckily, I was right. This bar was the perfect pairing of smooth and rich peanutty goodness paired with rich, dark chocolate. Again, same awesome texture as the Espresso bar and equally as crunchy.
                                             
All in all, these were awesome protein bars that I'm so happy I got to try out. Normally vegan protein bars have kind of a bad rap but I straight up forgot these were vegan while I was eating them. The macros for these bars are also great for those of you interested in that. I'll post them here:

Espresso: 170 Cals, 5g fat, 20g carbs (7g fiber), 16g protein, 3g sugar
Peanut Butter: 180 Cals, 7g fat, 18g carbs (7g fiber), 17g protein, 3g sugar

Click here for more information about these bars and here to use their store locator to find where they're sold near you (US and Canada only).