Friday, February 25, 2011

Protein Boost

Hey ya'll....Happy Friday!!!!! It was a long week hey? Started off bad for me and turned better around hump day. I plan to take it easy this weekend, get in some good exercise and stay on track since I am going on vacation in less than a month! That means I need to buckle down and stay focused on my exercise.

Every morning I wake up with a mug of hot lemon water. Gave up my morning coffee a couple years ago  I (sometimes) exercise (or not) and then proceed to get ready for work. Before heading out the door I normally make a Green Smoothie and drink that on my drive into work (normally 20-25 minutes). I like to take my lunch around the noon hour unless for some reason I can't. I normally eat lunch at my desk & either work or read as well. Ahhh multi-tasking.. how I love thee. I might have a snack depending on how filling my lunch is - since I normally bring it from home, I am usually good until I get home. Depending on my work day I can get home anytime after 5pm unless I have later appointments or after hour meetings. I generally have a pre-workout snack (crackers, salsa, hummus, etc) and jump on my eliptical for 30-45 minutes (minimum). I also do some weights after my cardio workout unless I am sore... then I like to take it easy and do yoga or pilates. Normally I would prepare and eat dinner and spend the rest of the evening relaxing, doing housework, playing with the pups etc. Then do it all again  (Repeat).

 I really need to join a gym. Since I moved in October the closest gym is now about 10 miles from me and it is not a very big one so I am not sure about it.... I think I need to test it out. There is a really nice gym about 15 miles away, it is huge, expensive but really nice... I just hate thinking about the drive there & back. I guess it's not too bad however I used to be about 3 miles away from a gym and it is getting hard to adjust for me.

I was busy in the kitchen yesterday evening and made 2 very delicious recipes that I need to share with you. First off I made Averie's Ketchup & Mustard Lovers Protein and Veggie Mash with a few variations. I left out the potato (since I didn't have any), added in onion and cauliflower.
Ingredients

1 C sprouted green lentils
1 C dark red kidney beans
2-3 C diced Veggies (I used carrots, broccoli & cauliflower
1/2 C unsweetened ketchup
1/3 C yellow mustard
1/3 C Agave Syrup
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 onion (diced)
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/3 C salsa
salt & pepper

Cook lentils in a large pot on stove, after cooking add in remaining ingredients and cook on medium for about 20-25 minutes stirring occassionally or until carrots are starting to tenderize.
All in the pot... flavors coming together.

I really enjoyed this recipe, definately a great protein boost for vegan and vegetarians alike with the lentils and kidney beans, and thank you to Averie for the inspiration!

I had this for lunch today and it was even better than I remember.


I also made some Chocolate Protein Energy Bars and they turned out great! I can't believe how easy and delicious these turned out to be... so decadent.

Ingredients

1.5 C Oats
1/2 C Peanut Butter
2 Scoops Chocolate Protein Powder
1/2 C Vegan Carob Chips
1/2 C shredded coconut
1/2 C raisins
1/2 C Agave Syrup
2 Tbsp Chia Seeds
2 Tbsp Flax Seeds
dash of cinnamon
splash vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients into a large bowl and mix together.


Once mixed together, press into glass pyrex dish or tupperware, cover and freeze for 2 hours. Cut into bars and freeze individually.


I wrapped mine in foil since that is all I had on hand. They are the perfect mid day snack. So delicious and healthy for you!
You can see the flax seeds and coconut right on the bar... yum. (Please ignore my horrible manicure... I am scheduling a new one right NOW.)

On to the 30 Day Challenge!

Day 2: Meaning behind your blog name - I became a vegetarian or prescatarian in Jan 2009, and when I started my blog in November of 2009 I was flirting with the idea of becoming vegan. Basically I try vegan recipes here and there but I am not a full blown vegan. Flirting with Food, Fitness and Fashion was born with the thought of trying new things and "flirting" with these new ideas. Reading that first blog post makes me think about how much I have changed in these 2 years. It is quite crazy actually. I don't eat fish anymore and never buy cheddar by the brick anymore either.
Definition of flirting: to court triflingly or act amorously without serious intentions


Day 3: Your first love - My first serious boyfriend I dated in my junior and senior years of highschool, 2 years or so, was my first love. He was a great person and we knew eachother through mutual friends. We still have mutual friends but I do not talk with him today.

I hope you enjoy the recipes I posted about today, and I hope you enjoy your weekend!

Nichole

2 comments:

  1. just came across your blog! it's fabulous! you have some great insight on your posts! This looks so great :)

    ReplyDelete