Bikini = Chia Choco Peanutty Blues Protein Pancake

"Be careful about reading health books, you may die of a misprint."

Do you ever find yourself being a bit too obsessive about reading everything there is to know about being healthy, eating well, working out and being overall ridiculously awesome? Probably just me yet again. So at the end of last week I was preparing to head out to the river so was obviously working out a ton, eating for a bikini, and mentally preparing myself to relax and just be in my bikini. Not easy for me to do at all.

Ordinarily I feel the pressure of eating too healthy and find myself reaching for anything sugary salty and delicious to ease my pain. But this week was different. This time I was armed with Chia Choco Peanutty Blues Protein Pancakes. This is a recipe I have created in adaptation of various protein pancakes I've tried from Tone It Up, PB Fingers, and a few others. This recipe is delicious, nutritious, packed with protein, fiber, antioxidants and to me tastes better than the daily morning Pop Tart I'd rock my day out with in high school.

Start with 1 tablespoon of Chia Seeds

Add a tablespoon of Flax Meal (grounded flax seeds), and a scoop of Chocolate Protein Powder

Add 1/4 cup of Organic Egg Whites

Start mixing it up!

After the mixture is smooth, start folding in a handful of blueberries. About 1/4 of a cup. It helps to scrape the bowl with a pastry spatula!

Cook it up like a regular pancake, you will hear it start to pop and sizzle, and just ease your spatula underneath the pancake to see if it's ready to flip. It helps if you use one spatula to flip, and a spatula or spoon to help guide the pancake on the flip spatch!

Add a teaspoon of Organic Peanut Butter after it's cooked!

Avoid peanut buttah face!

After a week of working out, eating well, and setting yourself up for success every morning with a Chia Choco Peanutty Blues Protein Pancake, go enjoy yourself at the river! Jump with your friends, and remember you work your arss off everyday to feel good about yourself. So ACTUALLY feel good about yourself, or what is it all worth? xo

Chia Choco Peanutty Blues Protein Pancake

1/4 cup Organic Egg Whites (Whole Foods)
1/4 cup Organic Blueberries (Whole Foods)
1 scoop Chocolate Protein Powder (Sun Warrior is the BOMB DOT COM)
1 tablespoon Flax Meal (Henry's)
1 tablespoon Chia Seeds (Whole Foods)
1 teaspoon of Organic Peanut Butter (Whole Foods)

Mix all ingredients except blueberries and peanut butter. Fold in blueberries, fry it up like a pancake. Add Peanut Butter as syrup. Nom nom nom away!

Nutrition Facts:
265 Calories
26.5 grams of Protein
10 grams of Fiber
4 grams of Sugar (that's it!)

catching up with summa summa

"Basstrackers, bayliners and a party barge, strung together like a floating trailer park, anchored out and gettin loud all summer long, side by side there's five houseboat front porches, astroturf, lawn chairs and tiki torches, regular joes rocking the boat that's us, the redneck yacht club!" - Craig Morgan, Red Neck Yacht Club

So it's been a haute minute since I last posted.  I've been pretty busy between staycationing, playing OTL, and running head on full speed with my new job.  This summer has felt a bit like a comfortable warm red neck yacht club vacation with the ones I love the mostest.  Being with family and the friends in low places I call my own, really made me stop to think and remember to be thankful for all I am blessed with.  Including the ability to still dive and roll through the sand in my quest to one day win OTL...

Not to worry... I caught it... But it hurt like whoa.

I found something else this summer, my age, at least it was the first time I have felt myself getting older.  I used to be able to run, dive, be dehydrated and bounce right back the next day on a couple hours of sleep.  The funny thing is I am much healthier now than I had ever been through my youth and athletic career.  I used to live off of cereal, chocolate, and no water.  These days my favorite nosh is baked kale chips, and dessert consists of a piece of fruit when the craving surfaces.

Hubs and my cousin's son Brandt Man.  Stud to the muffins.

There's a good chance hubs will not like me posting this photo, but it makes my heart warm so we'll deal with that later if need be...  This past week I was spoiled with a staycation with my family.  Although hubs insisted on bringing the deep fryer along for nightly meals, they fried everything, dough, onion rings, french fries, you name it.  Mix that with my family's shared love of kale, and our obsession with wine and beach fire s'mores, and I was obviously feeling more than fabulous in my bikini... pause.  Nyaattttt! 

 

It's Wine o'clock somewhere!

I don't know if there is anything more beautifully relaxing than wine and a sunset off the water.  Not to mention running by the water is more relaxing.  It may have been my dad who insisted on riding his bike alongside me as I trudged through miles each morning to prevent me from being kidnapped of course, but running at the beach was easy and I woke up every morning before 6:30 on my staycay to run.  What's more, I really, really looked forward to it like it was a treat.  Totally not a treat on most days in the real world.

Blonde Beezies on Court 27

I think I also liked running in the morning because it was like my morning workout preparing for our weekend of OTL ahead of us.  Yeah... I really take this OTL business seriously...

We coulda had it all... Rollin' in the dirt...

This was the one that really hurt, actually stills hurts as I sit here typing 5 days later...  I somehow landed on my back on the end of this dive and my neck still ain't feelin' quite right. 

Most amazing lady lovelies I know...

In the end, the neither the Blonde Beezies or the Bruin Bombshells won it all, despite our diving triumphs.  The ridiculous competitive blood in my veins still boils a bit just thinking about it, but oh well, 364 more days until next year's OTL World Championship, gotta keep in shape, and perfect my swing...

Thanks to my fam and all the beezies that keep me grounded and provide an enormous amount of love and happiness in my life.  Thanks for making fun of me for eating protein pancakes every morning instead of cinnamon rolls, but still making sure there was a healthy vegetarian option alongside all that was fried and glorious.

Hat says it all...

I look forward to aging with all of you and one day soaking it all in while flubbin' and remembering how we used to could.  Here's to one day taking the 'ship at OTL.

sometimes you need pasta

Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance. - Brian Tracy

Back on track with a delicious PB mocha covered strawberry smoothie! (Recipe below)

Balance looks different to everyone. You have to try it on sometimes to see if it fits, and sometimes you simply have to accept the fact that you're not perfect. You're not perfect in your words, thoughts, and for me food choices. But that's the beast of burden of our lives. If you can learn to live with it, let it slide off your back and move on, you'll feel a bit lighter walking the path of your life with the guilt monkey off your back.

 

Like a little glass of healthy heaven!

I have to kick myself constantly simply to remember that you cannot plan your whole life. Sometimes there's not going to be a healthy vegetarian option for you, and if you're real hungry you'll be just fine eating some bread and butter. Your body won't hold it against you. On Saturday my mom made her version of my Grandma Betty's spaghetti, and having lost her a few months ago, this was quite possibly one of the most emotional meals of my life. I know it sounds odd, but her spaghetti is like a little nugget of my childhood, when all the world falls away and enjoying some spaghetti is the key to all that is great. Needless to say I indulged in two full plates of spaghetti, and topped it off with some vanilla ice cream with the hubs. Granny Betty preferred cookies and cream ice cream, but she never believed in skipping a dessert, so I really had no choice.

Mmmm frozen strawberries, almond butta, coffee and protein does a body good! 

This morning I thought I would wake up 10 pounds heavier, upset and irritated for over eating and ruining a strong week of workouts and clean eating. Luckily I slept it off. Not the extra calories but the extra negative 'tude I gave myself for enjoying some pasta, ice cream and a night with the fam. Instead I woke up, laced up the sneaks and Jackalope and I set out for a 3.5 mile loop around the sunny block. I came back to a delicious peanut buttah mocha covered strawberry smoothie, a recipe which I adapted from PB Fingers, and bounced right back into health and happiness.

Bottoms up bottoms up whaa?

Take a breath sometimes.  It's totally OKAY to eat pasta now and then.  Grandma Betty would be proud.  Don't beat yourself up, and don't use working out and healthy eating as a trophy to over indulge.  Live it breathe it balance it.

xo

PB mocha covered strawberry smoothie! 

* 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
* 1/2 c. almond milk
*1/2 c. coffee! 
* 1 tbsp. almond butter
* 1 tbsp. cocoa powder
* 3 ice cubes
* 5 small frozen strawberries

small detour, big realization

"He that can have Patience, can have what he will." - Benjamin Franklin

Let's go let's go let's go let's goooo

Meet my morning running buddy equipped with a built in alarm clock! In the past two weeks buddy boy has grown very fond of our morning runs. So much that he starts barking promptly at 6:15 so we are out the door and on the move by 6:30. What a guy. He is a terrific running partner. He is faster than I am, gets distracted easily, and warns off anything that dares walk near us. What more could a gal truly ask for?

By 7:30am Jackalope is curled up in the laundry fresh out of the dryer and ready to reenter his slumber.

As devoted as this running buddy is, I still managed to take a small detour on my getting it right getting it tight mission. Why? I ate too much cheese, did not plan out my meals, and decided my weekend was fair game for all things sugar.

Exhibit A. caprese at 9pm on a Thursday... First wrong turn of the week. 

There is nothing wrong with a little caprese salad once and again.  But when you almost eat the entire log of mozarella at 9pm on a Thursday when you are in full blown bikini shape up mode, there's a small problem. It was like the gateway drug to my weekend of terrible food choices.

Exhibit B. Hello 1995 it's nice to see you again. 

You didn't hear slurpees were making a comeback? Well apparently they were. Granted it was 85 degrees and I ran 3 miles that morning... Ironically my 3 miles did not cancel out my slurpee, #hurtful. It wasn't really the slurpee that bothered me, it was the "why" behind my detour... I popped on the scale Saturday and it didn't budge from the week before. What gives, what's the point, self-loathing, terrible judgments of myself ensues.

Back on track side braid... Aka I had 5 minutes to get ready this morning... 

I wish I had the ability to just say "so what, it means nothing, and you worked your donk off this week". I am slowing trying to become that person who rolls with it with patience, faith and hard work, but my olden ways of self belittlement creeps in now and again. Nonetheless, this morning at 6:30 my running buddy and I were right back on track and ready to kick the ish out of this week. Before I started to write this post this morning I really thought, I guess I shouldn't post about my progress, or maybe I need to fudge the results a bit... I'm sorry, whaaaa? Who lies to themselves that extravagantly? It was just a flash thought but the fact that it was there frightened me.

Feeling a rut, I wore 2 lucky bracelets today just because. My Grandma's gold links, and my Marc Jacobs haute pink pretty little thing.

A ton of you have commented on my progress and have gone so far as to email me your praise and encouragement. I am super thankful for all of your thoughts and wishes. If it weren't for you lovelies holding me accountable, I'd probably be lying to myself and moving nowhere. Much love.

Equipped with two of my favorite bracelets and some tougher skin against myself, it's sure to be a better week. Isn't it amazing how a little fashion is a big pick-me-up sometimes?  Have a rockin' week. xo

flannel, kale, jean jackets... someone's making a comeback...

Jean Jacket - Vintage Calvin Klein, Flannel tunic - Forever 21, wunder unders -lululemon, old boots - Frye, messy room - Mine.

On today's menu we have flannel and kale served on a bed of jean jackets. I don't always like to document my looks, but there was something Paul Bunyan meets Pat Benetar in my mojo today that ignited the occasion. Planning my menu for the day is oddly similar to my daily outfits, if it doesn't happen in the morning or the night before, it's turns out to be a real haute mess.

It's just one of those days...

Today was no exception to the rule, except I think maybe I compromised one for the other. After my daily morning cardio assault, I packed a kale salad for lunch, a mini Larabar for a snack, guzzled my meta-d morning tonic, and by the time I addressed my outfit it was time to hit the road Jack.

Little nugget fallen from heaven...

In the end, thank you Whole Foods for the bag of pre-cut and pre-washed kale/carrots/cabbage mix, you make my heart warm and my daily menu plans doable. Additionally, two shakes to Larabar for the minis that taste like a 10:30am slice of apple pie. Not quite sure what the diagnonscience is on my outfit of the day, but since working out more and eating mo bettah with rather elaborate planning, I've embraced messy hair and the occasional mishmash outfit. Chew on this, "About half my designs are controlled fantasy, 15 percent are total madness and the rest are bread-and-butter designs." - Manolo Blahnik

xo

Get it right Get it tight

Officially Tonin' it Up

Do you follow the Tone It Up girls? You should, they are pretty wicked awesome. I have always admired their message, their videos and their ability to authentically inspire thousands of women. So many fitness peeps try to get it right, but intentions get lost in their inability to softly and effectively communicate their message to the world. These girls are quirky, sweet, super informative and pretty smokin'. As a girl, I do not envy them, I want to be their friend, which is hard to do to other females.

Pretty.  Healthy.  Real.

I have looked at their program probably a dozen times now and have always been so delighted that they have both vegetarian and a vegan options, which is virtually unheard of in the mainstream fitness world. I never purchased the program because you do not get to preview it really, and I thought I had my world on lockdown...

Someone begs to differ...

Long story long, I finally purchased the full vegetarian plan last night, and I am beyond delighted. It is a wealth of information loaded with recipes, workouts, and basically a guide that just like a typical girl, if you love your body and treat it right, it will love you back and treat you right.

Day 1 begins...

Today was morning 1, and I actually listened to their advice, woke up early and squeezed in a 30 minute fat burn via the Tracy Anderson Mat Workout DVD. I am always resistant to morning workouts because my joints ache in the morning do to my RA, but Tracy treated me right and I was ready to go for the work day ahead. (P.S. If you haven't tried Tracy's method, and enjoy burning your tush away, do it.)

Grapefruit and Cottage Cheese morning

Just to be clear, not trying to kill myself and drop 50 pounds, just trying to literally tone it up, no pun intended.  So you probably won't see a before and after, never a "thinspiration" which I find to be ridiculous and odd.  But, as you may know by now, I need to be held accountable, so if you don't see an update from me soon regarding my progress, holler at me.  Eeek bikini season! xo

the best thing to hit my mornings since blackout shades and cookie crisp cereal.
Last week I finally stopped reading and constantly obsessing over healthy recipes, and started actually making them.  Love at first bite, while true and corny, doesn't cut it.  This little Jezebel has made my morning for the last 4 days in a row.  (I think it's getting serious, and we might need to talk about where this relationship is going.)

The "Breakfast Cookie"

Thank you from the bottom of my heart Tiffany for pointing out this really, really, ridiculously good looking Breakfast Cookie from one of my favorite lovelies, Fitnessista.  It is truthfully bomb.com.  I made just a couple tweaks by adding a little quinoa, and a dash of cacao powder, and honestly my mornings have been magically delicious.

halloween leftovers

One thing I've noticed since starting a revolution with myself in just this past week, is that my relationship with food has changed, literally over night.  Normally on holidays -- especially ones that involve chocolate, which to my chub-a-love desires is every holiday -- I prepare myself to gorge and detox shortly thereafter.

The Grave Yard of Pudding Coconut and Cookies

This weekend I enjoyed a couple Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, my drug of choice, sampled the graveyard and worms my momma and I made together, and did not feel an ounce of guilt.  Not because I am a changed woman ready to star on Lifetime, but because I did not overeat with the lingering thought that I'd never get to eat candy until the next holiday and I have to workout all week and try not to eat so I might as well chow down in worm town.  

Totally had warms.  They were dirty delicious.

my big fat swedish revelation

Eat, enjoy, workout, relax, talk to yourself nicely, tell your loved ones you're going to talk to yourself nicely, and somehow the chub-a-love desires melt away.  Put that in your pipe and smoke it gangsta boogies.  Peace out from Maverick and Sarah Sanderson.