Month: November 2018

#FoodieFriday: Crockpot Burrito Bowl

Happy Friday All!

I think one of my favorite types of food ever is Mexican. I love green chili, enchiladas, and tacos, what can I say? Here is a Mexican style recipe for your crock pot. It’s super easy to make, and great for meal prep!

What You Need:

1 Pound of Chicken Breast

2 Red Bell Peppers

2 Poblanos

1 Can of Whole Corn

1 Can of Black Beans

1 Jar of Sadie’s Not So Hot Salsa

Iceberg Lettuce

What You Do:

I spray my crockpot with PAM just to help with the clean up. Then,  add in the chicken and cover with your favorite salsa.

Next, drain both cans of corn and black beans. Add to the crock pot.

Grab your red bell peppers and poblanos. Wash and chop. Add to your crock pot.

Finally, mix the peppers, beans, and corn with a spoon. Turn the crockpot on high and let cook for 3-4 hours.

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Shred the chicken, grab some iceberg lettuce to add crunchiness, and top with a little extra salsa!

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338 Calories, 23 Carbs, 2 Fat, 36 Protein

What’s your favorite crockpot recipe?

Talk soon!

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#WorkoutWednesday: Killer Shoulder Workout

Happy Wednesday All!

I started off this week with a killer shoulder workout! Check it out below:

4×8-12 Military Presses (increasing weight)

4×12 Seated Lateral Raises 

4×10 Barbell Front Raises 

Superset 4×10 plate raises

4×10 Rear Delt Flies 

Superset 4×8 Incline Front Raises

3×10-12 Trap pulls 

How’d you start off your workouts this week?

Talk soon!

#MotivationMonday: Thankful & Blessed

Happy Monday All!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving with your loved ones! Being a student, I took Tuesday through Sunday off for the holiday, and I feel super refreshed! I merely focused on those around me and enjoyed the company, drinks, and food. I think it is important to take a step back, not track macros/calories or worry about working out. Everyone  needs a break, and dieting is sometimes a full time job! No matter what the scale says or how many slices of pie you consumed, walk away knowing that sometimes those moments in life are more important than staying on track. 

With 30 days until Christmas, I am stoked to post some workouts, holiday recipes, and challenges.

Stay tuned, and talk soon!

#FoodieFriday: High Protein Bento Boxed Lunch

Happy Friday All!

For me, lunch is the hardest meal to plan. Half of the week I am at home, and the other half I am on campus in class. For the days I am not at home, I have been packing a bento boxed lunch to take with me! It’s kind of like a grown-up version of a lunchable,  but I love being able to pick at it throughout class without making any disruptions! This recipe is also super easy to personalize and make your own. Any of the ingredients below can be substituted for other veggies, fruits, and granola bars. Check it out below!

What You Need:

Favorite Type of Lunch Meat (I used crack pepper turkey!)

Mini Sweet Bell Peppers

Strawberries

Fig Bar

Reduced Fat String Cheese

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What You Do:

First, throw in one serving of lunch meat.

Next, add in the string cheese. I use the cheese to separate my meat from my produce.

Then, add in your veggies and fruit. I typically add 3 bell peppers and 5 strawberries.

Finally, wrap your granola bar (I use fig bars) in foil or place into a sandwich bag and lay on top of other food.

Now, throw it in your backpack, purse, or car, and enjoy as needed!

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Calories: 315 Carbs: 30 Protein: 32 Fat: 9

What is your favorite on-the-road lunch recipe?

Talk soon!
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#WorkoutWednesday: Progressive Treadmill Run

Happy Wednesday All!

Looking to burn some calories before turkey day next week? Try this progressive treadmill run for your next cardio session!

Warmup: Walk for 5 minutes

The Workout: Increase your running speed every 5 minutes.  At the same time, decrease the incline you are running at. Complete one round for a total of 20 minutes.

  1. Run at 6.0 mph* and set incline to 3
  2. Increase speed to 6.5 mph and decrease incline  to 2
  3. Increase speed to 7.0 mph and decrease incline to 1
  4. Increase speed to 7.5 mph and decrease incline to 0

*adjust speed according to you!

Cool Down: Walk 5 minutes

What’s your favorite cardio workout?

Talk soon!

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#MotivationMonday: What Does Science Say?

Happy Monday All!

It’s 6:00am. My alarm goes off, and all I want to do is cover my head with a pillow. I do not want to walk in the cold to go to the gym. All I want to do is stay in bed, and watch movies. Can you relate?

We constantly hear people talking about lack of motivation. In fact, lack of motivation is in the top five reasons people don’t achieve their goals (according to Google!).

In 2016, The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness published a scientific study where researchers in Spain analyzed the relationship between physical activity and motivation in 901 university students. Each of the students completed questionnaires regarding behaviors and physical activity.

Essentially, the researchers found that the more self-ran or self-determined a person was, the more often that person participated in moderate to vigorous physical activity. Likewise, researchers also showed that students who motivated themselves to perform physical activity experienced lower levels of barriers to participate in physical activity. Basically, if you are working out for you and to improve your health, you are going to be more willing to make time to workout, and that workout will be performed with higher intensity.

Seems simple enough, right? So, how do we find this motivation? Whenever I am feeling discouraged, I ask myself one question: Why am I doing this?

At the end of the day, family, trainers, and friends can only push you so far towards your goals. You have to make the decision to be your own motivator!

Want to check out the research article? Click here.

Want to write a new goal? Check out my tips form a couple weeks ago!

What’s you favorite self-motivation tactic?

Talk soon!

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#FoodieFriday: Safeway Grocery Haul

 

Happy Friday All!

Rather than post recipe, I wanted to share what I typically buy at the grocery store to set myself up for a successful week! I usually shop at Safeway because it is one of the grocery stores my family used growing up. I am familiar with the brands and food sections, so it makes the trip quick and efficient!

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Protein

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Ground beef has been a staple in my diet the past few weeks! I experienced about a month of chicken that had a weird texture. Needless to say, I have been rotating between the 93% Lean Ground Beef and ground turkey! I also picked up some crack black paper turkey breast for my bento boxed lunches this week.

Snacks

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Rice cakes and some type of protein bar is usually on my weekly grocery list. One Bars were on sale this week, so I decided to try a few. I use rice cakes as a carb source for my bento box. My favorite flavors are either caramel or chocolate.  Finally, I picked up cereal, apple chips, and fig bars for carb sources and to fix my sweet tooth at night!

Produce

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For produce, I picked up fruits and veggies. I have really been enjoying strawberries lately. They are great for a dessert or to pack for lunch. I also wanted to incorporate sweet peppers in my lunch this week. Finally, I grabbed carrot veggie spirals and sweat potatoes for dinner.

Odds and Ends

 

I picked up some green beans for dinner, soup to substitute for lunch, egg whites for my oatmeal, and cheese sticks for a quick snack. Oh yes! is my favorite brand of soup by far. I highly recommend!

And thats it!

What are you grocery store favorites?

Talk soon!

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#WorkoutWednesday: Rest Day Style

Happy Wednesday All!

I hope you all are having a great week! This is an untraditional #workoutwednesday post. While sticking to a plan and grinding 24/7 are great ways to achieve goals, I think rest days and listening to your body is also important.

After the past two workouts, I have noticed that my body is not just sore, but I am actually having sharp pains in my lower back and hip flexors. This is a huge indicator that it’s time to hit the breaks, and let my body rest. Therefore, I am not working out today, and that’s okay! Instead, I am still going to eat nutrient dense food, stretch a little, and hit the hay early.

But, if you are dying for a new workout, check out last week’s leg day!

Remember, your body isn’t a machine! And even if it was, machines break, too. Listen to your body, and take a rest day if you are noticing extra soreness or pain!

What’s you favorite recovery-day activity?

Talk soon!

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#MotivationMonday: My Favorite Youtube Channels

Happy Monday All!

During my first year in college, I started following a few fitness public figures on Youtube. I still follow these same channels now (with a few new!), and I love trying out their workouts and food recipes! Youtube gives these athletes a more humanized form versus the edited pictures you may see on social media. More so, they also provide meaningful advice regarding unrelated fitness topics. Check them out below!

Christian Guzman

Christian Guzman is a entrepreneur who is relatively young. His work ethic and drive to be the best inspires me, and I strive to approach life with his mindset. Whether it’s working out, business, or life, his “rants” are perfect for self reflection.

https://www.youtube.com/Christianguzman

Max Chewning

Max Chewing is another entrepreneur with a very outgoing personality. I watch his videos for the comedy and reminder that you can live a healthy lifestyle and still enjoy life.

https://www.youtube.com/maxxchewning

Paige Reilly

I recently started following Paige Reilly, and I love her genuine personality. I am completely on board with her “bodybyoats” movement. She also has some awesome supersets to try if you ever want to switch it up!

https://www.youtube.com/Paige_Reilly

Who do you look for inspiration?

Talk soon!

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#FoodieFriday: My Go-To Starbucks Drinks

Happy Friday All!

I am a HUGE coffee fan! Whether I am drinking my coffee black, creamy, warm, or cold, if I have coffee in my head, I am pleased with life! Here is a list of my current favorite drinks from Starbucks:

Almond Milk Flat White 

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100 calories, 6g fat, 9g carbs, 3g protein

Flat whites has a sweet flavor and frothy texture to the coffee. I started ordering these about six months ago, and I am completely addicted! Plus, it’s pretty low calorie and easy to fit into my daily calories.

Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew

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110 Calories, 6g fat, 14g carbs, 1g protein

I ended up ordering this drink out of the blue. I didn’t know what I wanted other than a cold drink because it was 90 degrees outside! I saw the low calories next to the drink and ordered. Luckily, it was delicious! The drink is a bit more on the sweeter side, so I don’t order it often. However, it’s a great way to cure my sweet tooth early in the morning!

Iced Unsweetened Coffee with 2 pumps SF Vanilla

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Typically, I’m not a huge iced coffee fan, but I do like this drink! It is slightly bitter, though, so keep that in mind if you like your coffee sweeter!

5 Calories, 0 fat, 0 Carb, 0 Protein

What’s you favorite splurge coffee order?

Talk Soon!

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