Tall, Dark and Delicious

There is a new love in my life, version, delicious, never disappoints me. No, friends this isn't a post about how I finally found that certain someone special. This is about my favorite jumpstart to the morning, The divine Dark Chocolate meal replacement shake.

When I heard about the Dark Chocolate Vegetarian protein shakes I just could not wait to try them. I have tried and tried and tried many a vegetarian protein and meal replacement shake and almost all of them make me gag. I know they are good for me and a good source of plant protein but omg...most of them are uh...well kinda nasty. I can't quite place my finger on what the funk comes from but its hard to gag them down. So, needless to say I didn't have that high of hopes for this version. But...I decided to give it a whirl...if nothing else I knew it would be great to make some balls with!

The first time I had the shake I shook it up in my blender bottle with some water. Although this is great for the regular MRS shakes...the Dark choc does not get justice this way. I'm a big believer that everyone and everything should get a second chance to make a first impression. So, I did not give up on the DCMRS soul!

I made some balls and they were wonderful. A few days later I decided to tackle the shake again. This time I put in the old Blentec with water and ice. Oh yum! this was the ticket. The plant protein doesn't thicken up much like whey protein and I like that. I tend to like my shakes on the thin side so this was awesome. It has a dark rich chocolate flavor that is just amazing. I was in love!

I decided to really play around with the shake and have now finished the whole box and will be opening a brand new box tomorrow. I have come up with some delectable flavor combinations, to me its just as versatile as a vanilla! Be creative, my friends.

Add in ideas (with added foods, note will add calories of course)

• Add 1/2- 1 banana and some PB2 (this will make it thick and creamy option: freeze the banana first)
• Add 2 cuties (or mandarins) plus the zest
• Add 1/2 cup mixed frozen berries
• Add 1/2 cup fresh pineapple
• Add 2 Tbsp  unsweetened shredded coconut
• Add 2 Tbsp PB2
• Add 1-2 Tbsp almonds or almond butter 

Add in ideas (no added calories- perfect for 24 Day Challenge or Lean in 13)

• Cinnamon (vietnamese cinnamon is best find it here)
• Orange zest plus ginger
• Cinnamon and Cayenne (heat it up and perfect aztec hot chocolate!)
• Fresh Mint leaves or a few drops mint oil 
• Grapefruit zest 
• Mandarin zest
• Mix with Berry Shake and split with a friend-Chocolate covered strawberry!  yum

The possiblities are endless and your imagination is the limit!  Go out and be delcious, my friends!!

Lean in 13!

The AdvoCare bug bites hard and doesn't let go..no worries this is a good thing.  So its been about 2 months since the transformation has begun.  As of Day 24 of the Challenge I lost 11 pounds and 15.5 inches.  This morning, I weighed myself randomly and I have now lost 18 pounds.  WOW!  I am 2 pounds away from my halfway goal.  That is so motivating and exciting to me!

Today is Day 3 of Lean in 13!  I feel great, this program is quite different from The 24 Day Challenge, its a super challenge of will power and strength.  If you know me, you know I love my carbs.  Lean in 13 is a zig zag pattern of eating meant to really give your fat a good swift kick in the pants to get on and get going out of your body.   Days 1-3, 5-7,9-11 and 13 are protein and veggie based, As a vegetarian that means I have and will be eating a lot of eggs and tofu...thankfully I adore both of these, but non veggiesaurus types can enjoy lean meats as well!    Everyday features a meal replacement shake and muscle gain protein snack in the afternoon as well.  Days 4,8 and 12 you get to add in some carbs!  woot! I did some research and the *best* nut snack was almonds, best veggie, asparagus and best fruit to add grapefruit.  Score! I LOVE ALL OF THOSE!  I picked up some organic firm tofu to cube and bake / stir fry, some organic local eggs and yummy veggies.  I chose MNS Max E this go around for my super nutrition boost, stuck with my catalyst ( loooove catalyst)  Added in Thermoplus to burn some extra calories and nighttime recovery since I plan on doing some serious workouts.  Here is a sampling. 

Not gonna lie, I was a little worried going into this...I really love fruit so I knew Days 1-3 would be hard, but once I got into a pattern it wasn't so bad. I was also worried I wouldn't be eating enough calories so I continued track on spark people and found I was still hitting a 1200 cal minimum and staying with range for protein, carb and fat.  With the addition of MNS I knew I was getting all the nutrients I need, so that really eased my mind!  

I'm really hoping to rock out Lean in 13.  I will keep you updated.  I absolutely cannot wait to eat a grapefruit tomorrow!!  Wish me luck and Keep on Keeping on!

Spicy Chocolate Popcorn with Quinoa

I found this to die for recipe on while trolling one of my favorite sites on facebook, Healthful Pursuit and just had to re create it!   I did a little tweaking to the recipe to remove the sugar and add some extra protein and nutrition brought to you by my favorite products!

I started by air popping a batch of popcorn, removing 6 cups and keeping the rest tucked away for some snacking later on.  I love air popped popcorn with a little sesame oil ,Chinese 5 spice and sea salt or coconut oil and cinnamon...mmm a bet a little mandarin orange spark mixed would be divine.. There are endless flavor combinations so play around with your favorite oil and spices, or the old stand by, olive oil and sea salt.  yum.

The original recipe calls for 1/4 cup of sugar...but we are doing things the clean advocare way so I decided to sub a 1/4 cup of chocolate muscle gain.  I used raw mixed nuts for my nuts, and I had some pistachio walnut butter on hand from some protein balls I made recently.   

I used my handy dandy pampered chef chopper to chop up the nuts into small pieces.  I plan to make some nut butter out of this delicious combo real soon, so stay tuned. 

Next grab a small sauce pan and on low heat melt the coconut oil.  Depending on how warm your house is yours may already be liquid...My house is on the cool side so mine was solid.  Add cocoa powder, spices (to taste) and nut butter, cook on low until combined and smooth about 2 minutes.  Oh this is looking sooo good.  Makes me wish that google smell wasn't just a April fools prank and you could smell this.

Spread popcorn on parchment paperlined baking sheet, top with chopped nuts then drizzle with chocolate.  Use your hands or a spatula to cover the popcorn as best you can.  Next sprinkle the magic...err quinoa over top of the popcorn.  Bake at 300 for 30 minutes, stirring half way through.  I don't think it would be the end of the world if you didn't stir at 15 minutes though...so sit back, relax and drool for a bit.

Stick the pan in the fridge to cool for about 15-30 minutes to allow chocolate to firm up and ENJOY!  I immediate had to portion mine out into small baggies for fear of eating the entire batch.  This is not super sweet and if you need or want sweet add some splenda or stevia to the mix.  Sit back and watch a movie and chill.

Spicy Chocolate Popcorn with Quinoa ala Queen of Quinoa (adapted)

Ingredients:

• 6 cups popped popcorn
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts of choice (I used raw mixed nuts, but this would be awesome with any kind)
• 2 tablespoons whole quinoa (uncooked)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup unsweetened Hershey's cocoa powder
• 1  scoop Chocolate Muscle Gain 
• 2 tablespoons nut butter of choice ( I used pistachio-walnut)
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (start with less and work your way up if you're not a fan of heat)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees . Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Add the popcorn to the baking sheet, then sprinkle with nuts making sure they're evenly dispersed.
3. Heat the coconut oil over low heat in a small saucepan until it melts. Whisk in cocoa powder, coconut sugar, nut butter, cayenne and salt. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes until everything is fully combined and it has thickened only slightly.
4. Drizzle the chocolate sauce over the popcorn-nut mixture and gently mix all the ingredients together.
5. Sprinkle the quinoa over the mixture.
6. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring the mixture once during cooking.
7. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Put in fridge to firm up for about 15-30 minutes
8. ENJOY!! 

Makes 12 1/2 cup servings
Nutrition:  120 calories | Fat 9.5g | Protein 4g | Carb 7.5g | Fiber 2.5g

Adapted from Queen of Quinoa/ Spicy Chocolate Popcorn with Quinoa

Fajita Taco Salad Swap

One of my all time favorite meals is Taco Salad.  I love a good taco salad, warm veggies on a bed of lettuce topped with gooey cheese, flavorful salsa and mounds of sour cream and guac and I'm in heaven.  Until I log onto spark people to track my calories and bam that deliciousness just cost me almost my entire days worth of calories.  For a gal that loves to eat that is so not cool.  I have taken to making my own taco salads. 

First step, ditch the crunchy shell...its hundreds of empty calories.  For some extra crunch bake a corn tortilla and crumble on top, if you choose.  Next I cut up about 1 cups worth of assorted pepper strips.  I used red, yellow, orange and green.  I always keep a bag of mini peppers on hand, they are super easy to grab and go and much easier to chop up.  But use what you have.  Chopped some onion and some grape tomatoes and put them into my preheated pan with some chili infused olive oil on medium heat to get soft and delicious.

Once my veggies were nicely on their way to be perfectly soft yet still crunchy, I added a little taco seasoning.  I buy mine from a local shop, Crystal and Spice that has with no added fillers or salt and is super fresh.  Its devine! .  Add some pinto beans and mix everything together til warm.

While the goods were heating up I chopped up some lettuce.  I used a blend of red leaf and escarole, but use what you have.  I recommend a sturdy lettuce like romaine or iceberg.  We want a lettuce that can bring it to the recipe. Spinach has its place for salads, but baby its not here.

Next I diced 1/2 an avocado, shredded 1oz of cheddar cheese. (Note:Always, always buy cheese that is made without use of growth hormone, organic if possible, we don't like extra hormones in our food it messes with ourselves!)  Top with some salsa as the dressing, a little lime juice and crushed red pepper.  YUM.  I like to add a little Greek yogurt as a sub for sour cream, but I was fresh out today.  My favorite is Windcrest Dairy.  If you are local you can find it here.  Otherwise, Chobani is a great choice too.  

YUM!  To make this 24 Day Challenge friendly, ditch the cheese.  Add hormone free chicken for added protein.  Omit the cheese, use 1/3 avocado...make it your own, play around.  Enjoy and its 1/3 the calories of many popular restaurant styles.  Look at you saving calories, you'll be a slim and trim in no time! 

Fajita Taco Salad

Nutrition:   Calores: 450 | Fat 24g | Protein 19g | Carb 48g | Fiber 17g 

• 1 cup pepper strips
• 1/4 cup onions, chopped
• 1 oz grape tomatoes, halved (about 3-4)
• 1/2 cup pinto beans, rinsed
• 2 cup lettuce, torn into strips
• 2 Tbsp Salsa
• 1/2 avocado, diced
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp taco seasoning (more or less to taste)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, plus more for garnish

1. Heat olive oil in pan with chopped garlic and crushed red pepper
2. Add onions, tomatoes and peppers, cook til almost soft 
3. Add beans and taco seasoning cook til beans warm
4. Add mixture to lettuce and top with cheese, avocado and salsa.
5. Enjoy!

Spinning and Balls!

Spinning and Balls.  They go together like peas and carrots.   If you know me I not only love a good spinning class but I love my protein balls.  I love to eat them, I love to create new and fun flavors, I like to talk about them.  I just love them, love them, love them.  So whats better than to have a pre-spin ball?  It would be a crime not to.

Tonight was my first night back at spinning in a long time.  I ran into a good friend at the Y last night after swimming who twisted my arm to come spin tonight.  Since the old shoulder injury a bit over a year ago, I've shied away from anything that may remotely irritate my shoulder.  But...remember a little thing called the 24 day challenge and my super progress?? Yea!  I went for it, I spinned, I spun, I rocked it and no pain. NONE!  whaaaa??  That is huge, I still can't believe how wonderful I am feeling lately.  It was great to see friends I haven't seen in awhile, sweat up a storm and torch some calories.  After my ritual morning workout and a lunchtime walk, I'm expecting to be sore tomorrow.  Thank goodness I have some nighttime recovery to help ease my muscles tonight, these poor gams will need it!

Oh..right.  The Balls.  Gotta talk about the Balls.  Balls are a great pre-workout snack.  I knew I would be torching some calories and needed a little snack, so I made sure to pack some leftover balls I had made for a mixer....oooh baby they powered me on through.   Lucky you, 2 Bonus Ball Recipes!  

BALLS!

Vanilla Pistachio Balls

• 1 packet Vanilla Meal Replacement Shake
• 1/2 cup pistachio/walnut butter*
• 2 Tbsp raw local honey
• 6 Dates
• Dash cinnamon

Chocolate Almond Balls

• 1 packet Dark Chocolate Meal Replacement Shake
• 1/2 cup almond butter*
• 1/4 raw local honey

1. Combine all ingredients in Blendtec or Food processor til combined
2. Form Balls about 1 Tbsp.  
3. Enjoy!

*use store bought, natural no sugar added nut butters or place nuts in Blendtec and pulse on speed 1 til combined, then pulse on speed 6 several times to reach consistency desired, you may need to add a bit of oil to reach desired consistency, consider using coconut or hemp oil for an added boost!  

Thundersnow and the no Soup Sunday

Woke up to rain, rain, rain.  Where was that foot of snow I was promised??  eh?  It was a  late night jamming out to a great band, Brown Bottle Fever, one super delicious  local  IPA ( my fah-vo-rite) and lots of water shots, heh. side note: a little spark before you go out rocking at concert is a wonderful thing! Needless to say It was a bit of a lazy morning.  I decided to cook a yummy breakfast this morning, lounge around the house and partake in a dear old vice.  Oh, coffee how I love and missed you!  I ground some beans, boiled some water and made a delicious batch of french press sumatra.  Heaven and made a veggie omelet and got busy lounging!

It was a busy morning of booking the annual Memorial Day camping trip, Ozark Outdoors this year and I am super excited...then it started. The Thundersnow.  I have never in my life heard thunder while it snowed and it was freaky I tell you, I felt like I was straight out of a scene in The Day After Tomorrow.  It was really quite beautiful, but spring in St. Louis and snow? Clearly someone forgot to clue dear old mother nature in that spring arrived 4 days ago...

Spring Thundersnowstorm!

A short while later I had a beautiful sight from my window:  I don't care that its March, snow is beautiful and awesome and I love it!  I love it even more when I get to stay inside and watch it fall and fall and fall.  While all the snow haters were going crazy cursing it I enjoyed some quiet time just watching and enjoying.  It wouldn't be a productive day with out a workout so I popped my trust Can You 24 Workout and worked it with some melt 1 and my pal Jenny, then for good measure on a Sunday and cause I felt the need to work off that beer from last night, threw in Core stretch for good measure.  

So as you can imagine this snow fell hard and fast, typically Sunday is Soup for the week day, but I was not about to venture out to the store on these roads if I didn't have to...so what is a girl to do but improvise?  I threw together what left over veggies I had and made a wonderfully delicious tofu veggie side dish.  I paired this with a nice salad.  Bonus...to cap off the evening, no School and Late reporting for work!  Yay for Spring Snowstorms!! 

• 3 oz extra firm tofu, cubed and pat dry
• 5 asparagus spears
• 1/2 cup carrot, cut in large chunks
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped in large chunks
• 2 oz grape tomatoes (about 6)
• 1tsp chile infused olive oil
• dash of garlic powder
• fresh ground black pepper

preheat oven to 400, toss all ingredients in olive oil to coat, add spices and bake for about 20 minutes or until tofu is firm and browned.  Enjoy!!

Nutrition: Calories 182 | Fat 9g | Carb 18g | Fiber 5g | Protein 11g

Blaze the Day!

If you've ever met me, you know I will try anything once, within reason.  So about a week ago my advoidol, Jeanette gave me a little packet of muscle fuel to try.  I heeded the warnings that this was some serious stuff,  I'm a big girl...I can handle this.  I got this.  I had been saving this little gold nugget packet for a special occasion.  Whats more special than Saturday??

I woke up...I didn't spark...I know, I know.  The Girl Gone Spark didn't spark!!  And guess what, the world didn't collapse around me.  I poured the packet into my blender ball and shook away....

FIZZ...its fizzy, I loved it, the taste was eh but the fizz was a pleasant surprise.  I had a small snack and some extra water, got my sneakers on and headed over to the YMCA for some action!  Now, the muscle fuel suggested I take 15-30 min before exercise so by the time I got to the Y, I was ready for action.  This stuff was amazing...I did 3.5 miles on the elliptical and 10 miles on the bike, felt like a took a nice leisurely stroll in the park, I could have gone another hour at least...I even talked to a fellow sparkler at the gym while pounding out the miles on the bike.  I practically skipped home, danced around the house, made 2 batches of protein balls!!  Went to a mixer and was still energizer bunnying around into the evening.  OK....sooooo its like Spark on crack and I love it! If it were up to me I would name it something more appropriate, say Blaze.  "I'm gonna Blaze and run 10 miles" People could get down with that!  But, clearly I'm not a marketing genius...lets just leave that to the professionals, shall we? 

Again, if you know me, you know I am not an athlete, unless yoga or shaking your booty at a concert has recently become an Olympic event, but this muscle fuel just may give me the kick to start doing more and more.  I would in the future probably save it for before a race or a long bike ride but I had so much energy and felt amazing, it is definitely a winner in my bookWho is this girl I am becoming??  I'm not sure but I sure do like her Blaze Spark!

The day after

It almost feels weird being complete with the Challenge.  What is today? Day 25? Day 1 of the rest?  Tuesday?  Yes, friends its Tuesday. Its like the end of the movie, credits rolled and out to start a  new adventure.


Now the old me would have some killer plans for pizza, wine and about half a box of those samoas I stashed in the freezer a few weeks ago...but no, not anymore.  I got up today, I sparked, I worked out, I went to work full of new energy.  I was offered junk and even though, its not 'no thank you, I'm doing a challenge' its just, no thank you...I'm not feeding myself garbage anymore.  love it.

I do have to admit it was kinda nice not having to figure out what time I'm going to eat to take my 30 min prior to lunch pack, sometimes I get so busy at work and BAM I'm hungry, Not gonna lie, that 30 min can make a girl real hangry!  Its such a change actually feeling hunger, its a good feeling not to have to give into social food and actual recognize that I'm not hungry.  I don't need to eat cake because its someone's birthday, I can just wish them Happy Birthday, duh! Why did it take me so long to realize that?

Today should be posting some before and after pictures, but I'm still not quite there yet.  In time I will come back and post them all, but I want to get quite a bit further than I am right now.  I must remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint, dear sparklers.

Stop messing with my time, lets make SOUP: Day 16!

Day 16!  I hatehatehate daylight savings time.  Whether we are gaining an hour or losing an hour I dont' like it, It always messes with me for a solid week or so, I just wish we could let the time be.  grr.

Last night was a wonderful, albeit, late night.  I had such a wonderful time supporting my friend Kim and her family. Kim was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer right before Christmas, she is getting treatment and in good spirits, such an amazing lady and I was so thankful to be able to support her and her family last night.  I did great with my commitment, I ate my veggies and a few other people brought veggie and fruit trays too so there was plenty to choose from.  I drank my spark and sipped on some water and had a fabulous time with great people.  Danced to the band after trivia and stayed out to midnight laughing, talking and having a fantastic time.  With the time change I woke up and it was almost 10!  ugh, compared to my newly usual 0700 wake up on weekends I felt like have my day was gone already.  Oh well, one day wont kill me.  Its a lazy rainy Sunday.  I decided to veg out and catch up on some shows and make some soup.  oh and work out of course!  Gotta get some serious relaxation in for the work week ahead!

 Red Lentil Coconut Curried Soup;  adapted from Healthy Bitch Daily.  Love those gals!!

Red Lentil Coconut Curried Soup

• 3 cloves garlic (c'mon by now you should know my love of garlic)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 Tbsp olive oil (i used chile infused for an extra kick)
• 6 mini peppers, chopped (red, yellow, orange) or 1 red pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
• 1/4 tsp ginger (or 1 tsp fresh if you have it)
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 c. red lentils
• 6 c. water
• 1 can Coconut Milk

1. Sautee garlic, onion, carrot and peppers in olive oil unti vegetable are soft and onions are transulucent. If you have fresh garlic sautee it here
2. Add spices continue to sautee 
3. Add coconut milk, water bring to boil
4. Add lentils, reduce to low and simmer for 20 minutes.  Add a pinch of salt if desired
5. Enjoy!

Makes 5- 2c. servings
Nutrition:  Calories: 208  Fat: 5g  Carbs 28g  Fiber 3.6g Protein 11.3g

Happy Sunday!!

Cucumbers and Cilantro oh my. Day 9

Day 9!! I survived the birthday party, no wine, no pizza, no soda, no cheetos, no cake passed these lips.  I had a nice little snacked all packed and ready to go, but left it at home.  Darnit I was in for a challenge.  Luckily I had a nice bowl of  asapragus and quinoa minestrone before leaving the house.  I sipped on water all night and although all the goodies looked amazingly good, I passed on them all.  A big shout out to my friends for not over tempting me.  yay.

I'm super excited 3 people have expressed interest in the 10 day cleanse.  My friend, Kara and my parents.  My mom asked me to order her a kit for herself and my Dad...however, I'm not quite sure he has been let in on this little secret yet.  I'm so proud of them.  I feel amazing approaching Day 10 and I hope they feel the same soon, too!

Got up, sparked did the shred 1 workout, put some steel cut oats on to cook and did the core stretch...fun fact steel cut oat cooking time is the same as core stretch video.  fun!  Picked M up from her sleepover and got to creating in the kitchen!

I recalled seeing a recipe somewhere for cilantro cucumber hummus.  I had almost all the ingredients I needed at home and decided to give it a whirl.  I had dried cilantro in the cupboard...I imagine this would be waaaay better with fresh herbs.  Everything is better with fresh herbs!  (new goal: grow some fresh herbs.)

I gathered all the ingredients and got to work.  I had some garbanzos on hand from earlier in the week, chopped up a cucumber, reconstituted some dried cilantro in lime juice and threw it all together with some a lot of garlic.

Now, friends if you have a heavy duty blender such as the Blendec, try this at home.  Otherwise use a food processor to pulse the mixture until just blended (level one on blendtec) Or if you are in a pinch use a potato masher to mash all the ingredients and hand mix together, I'm way too inpatient for this method, so I use the good old Blendtec.  If you use your grandma's old oster you will surely blow the motor and that's just no fun for anyone.

Cucumber Cilantro Hummus

• 15oz garbanzo beans  
• 1Tbsp dried cilantro 
• 1/3 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1Tbsp olive oil
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 cucumber, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic

Combine all ingredients in Blender, blend to desired texture and enjoy.  Its that easy!  Garnish with crushed red pepper and serve with cut veggies.  Would work great as a sandwich or cabbage roll spread.  Makes 4 cups 16 0.25cup servings.

Nutrition:  0.25cup (4Tbsp)  Calories 66  Fat 3.2g  Carb 8g Fiber 1.5g Protein 2g

Full of Spark(le) with Results: Day 8!

Day 8!!  I'm full of Spark(le) and energy.  Its official, I'm one of those people I used to glare at.  What possesses someone to wake up at 6:30 on a Saturday??  I suppose its a good rest and increased energy.  I'm loving it.  Haters gonna hate.

Today is officially one week.  M has been bugging me to try the workout videos with me, but since I get up at 5:30 on the weekdays to workout, she hasn't been able to join me. The only video she has done so far is core stretch which is basically like yoga.  This morning I decided to let her try melt 1 with me, she loved it.  She was able to follow it well and go between levels as needed for her ability.  Plus, she said it was fun!    I think this is so awesome that a 7 year old is excited to exercise and we can share a workout video...just goes to show the Can You 24 Workout, truly is for everyone.  Don't worry, folks...I did not give her a spark. This kid of mine has natural born in spark all. the. time.  I couldn't imagine her with added energy.

I measured today and also re-weighed, I chose Saturday, cause its lazy non structured nowhere to be day.  Drum roll....6 pounds and 4 inches total lost.  woohoo!  The only place I lost none was my calves.  ugh!! I will keep on keeping on. I will have those boots!!

I love making a good breakfast on the weekends.  Today I made a delicious concoction I created.  Southwestern egg and lentil scramble.  I know, it does not look terribly appetizing but OMG it was so delish.  I only had one egg left, otherwise I would have used two.  Must get to the farmer's market today to pick up more.  Hold your horses before you flip on the fat level, most of the fat comes from the avocado which is GOOD FAT!  You could use 0.25 of an avocado to reduce the fat.

Looking forward to an energy filled Saturday...wow it feels great to actually have energy to go out and do things.  Tonight will be a test of will power.  Helping with a kid's birthday party (cake, pizza, junk food!!) Then going to hang out with friends (junk food, cocktails)  I got this, I will bring a healthy snack for the party and maybe sip a spark instead of cocktails.  Thankfully I have super supportive friends that won't try to bring me to the dark side tonight!  Happy Saturday!!

Southwestern Egg and Lentil Scramble

• 1 egg (2 if you have them, I only had one)
• .075 cup lentils prepared (.025c dry=.075c cooked)
• .05 Haas avocado, diced
• 2 Tbsp Salsa (or more to taste)
• 1 Tbsp almond milk (or other milk of your choice)
• 2 cloves garlic (I'm afraid of vampires so I load up on the garlic...oh wait now, its just delish!!)
• 0.5 tsp coconut oil
• .025 tsp taco seasoning (more or less to taste)

1. Heat pan to medium low, add coconut oil
2. Crush and chop garlic, add to pan
3. Combine egg, milk, taco mix in a shaker or whisk together until light and fluffy
4. Scramble eggs on medium low to desired texture
5. Warm up lentils
6. Mix all together and Enjoy!

Nutrition (1 egg)  330cal  25g carb 12g fiber 21g fat  15g protein.   (2 eggs)  add 70 cal 5g fat 6g protein

(0.25 avocado)  subtract 70 cal 6.5g  fat and 3.5g carb, 3g fiber, 1g protein.  

                                                             

Wide awake and sore, oh so sore. Day 2

Day 2!!  I went to bed around 11 last night, I wasn't exhausted but, I figured it was time.  So after reading a couple of chapters of Water For Elephants (so good! I have it in epub if anyone wants it) I went to bed...then I woke up and it was still dark, I looked at the clock at it was 0600.  WTH??  I shut my eyes vowing not to be up before the sun on the weekend.  Its just not right, I argued with myself. I'm a sleeper. I don't get up early.  No way, no day.  I love sleeping in, its not unusual for me to sleep til 9 or later on a weekend, I refused to be awake at 6am!  I woke up again and there was the sunlight....it was barely 7am.  FINE.  I'll get up. I was wide awake and I was SORE.  Jeanette was not kidding, that 24 day workout is really effective.  Yes, yes, I did go to the Y yesterday and bike but I do that every Saturday and I am never sore from that. ever

I got my spark on, mandarin today, yum and did Shred 1 workout on the 24 day workout. It would have been so easy to just skip it being so sore, but I put on my big girl pants and powered through.  I even felt a little less sore afterwards, whats up with that??   I made a new friend, Level 2 Jodi...although due to my soreness (and inability to do big girl  push ups) I hung out a bit with Shawna on level 1 and we did our girly push ups, but hey...we still did it!

Additional goal:  Do big girl push ups.

Side note for Day 1, I wasn't hungry all the time...I figured I'd be starving constantly.  But I'm satisfied, I tracked my intake yesterday on sparkpeople and I ate about 1300 calories.  I don't know if the spark is helping to suppress my appetite or I'm just eating more protein and staying full, either way, I'm not complaining and I'll take it!

The Back Story, You Gotta Have a Back Story.

Its been almost a year since my shoulder injury, Brachial Plexus Impingement.  (I wouldn't recommend it, its sucks pretty hard)  Although its not an excuse, I've gained at least 20 pounds and lost a crapton of muscle strength since I've been unable to run. With the help of my super awesome friend/chiropractor I've regained use and sensation of my hand and arm and don't have constant pain anymore, which is pretty cool.  Its been a vicious cycle of pain, not working  out, not running (which I sooo miss) junk food, wine, stress and being just plain tired!  My good friend Tracey invited me to a 'Fitness Mixer' and gave me a sample of this stuff, 'Spark'(go ahead, click it, you know you want to.)  To be honest I was expecting lots of glitter and something pink...well, I was partly correct.  I had been trying, unsuccessfully, to lose some of this damn weight.  But...I was so tired. Every morning and all day.

6:00a hit snooze

6:10, hit snooze again.

6:20 listen to alarm and stare at ceiling wondering if its really Saturday and I forgot to turn off my alarm (no such luck, EVER)

6:25 drag myself out of bed fight with kid to get up and dressed, eat a crappy granola bar or chalky protein shake, gag and try not to vomit. 

7:00am off to drop kid  Exhausted.

7:30-4:30  lots of coffee, I mean, LOTS the workworkworkwork the rest of the day. With a few breaks and a lunch thrown in at some point.  I always  had good intentions every day of going to the gym but then around rolls.....

4:30p and its leave work, pick up kid, take kid home, kid is crabby, cranky, has homework, hungry.  Make dinner, BAM its 

7:30p, kid doesn't want to go to Y, I'm tired, kids tired, read a book, put kid to bed, where is my wine??
10:00.  out, exhausted, maybe I'll get up early and workout tomorrow...there is always tomorrow..

So...I bit the bullet and bought a 24 day Challenge.  I had done a similar challenge about 3 years ago and had awesome results, so I knew I could do it and rock it.  I had a little panic attack that moment when I entered my credit card info and hit send as any dirt broke single mom does on a daily basis.  

And then, we wait for the package to arrive...