Sunday, October 28, 2012

Apple Cinnamon Banana Muffins

I'm always looking for something healthy to eat in the morning and with bananas quickly ripening I knew a traditional banana muffin recipe wouldn't be the best thing for my diet. I also wanted something that combined apples & cinnamon for fall. I'm very happy with the way these turned out. I plan on freezing the leftovers to microwave in the mornings for a quick breakfast on the go. 

 Ingredients: 
3 medium (7") Bananas 
2 Medium Apple 
1 cup Unsweetened Applesauce 
6 oz (170g) Chobani - Apple Cinnamon Yogurt 
1 1/2 cups Oatmeal 
4 packets of Truvia 
4 Tbsp. Carrington Farms - Organic Milled Flax Seeds 
1 tsp Ground Nutmeg 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon 
1 tsp Baking soda 
2 Tbsp Sliced Almonds (garnish) 

Directions: 
Mash bananas. Core and chop apples. (I chose to leave the skin on) Combine all ingredients in a bowl & mix thoroughly. Pour into lined muffin cups & garnish with almond slices. 
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Enjoy!



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Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Breakfast Idea: Strawberry Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

 


Ingredients :
•1 Small Banana
•3 Tbsp Vegan Chocolate Chips (I used Sunspire)
•1/2 Cup Sliced Strawberries
•1/3 Cup Ground Flaxseed
•1 Cup Whole Grain Oats
•1/4 Cup Diced Avocado
•1 Packet Truvia
•1 Tsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
•1/3 Cup Almond Milk
•1/4 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce 
Preheat Oven to 350
Sift together Oats, Truvia, Cocoa Powder and Flaxseed.
Add Applesauce and Almond Milk
Mix together Well.
Add Avocado and Bananas. Use an electric mixer to speed things up. (You can mash with large spoon if you don’t have one but your batter may be chunky)
Mix until smooth. Your batter will be very thick almost like oatmeal cookie dough.
Stir In Strawberries and Chocolate chips. Save 1 Tbsp of the Chocolate Chips 
Evenly distribute the batter into 6 muffin liners in a baking sheet. Top with remaining chocolate chips
Bake for 10-14 Minutes.  

There are so many different flavors running through the muffin.The avocado, while weird at first, really helps keep these muffins moist along with the apple sauce. This recipe was adapted from Taralynn's Blog- Undressed Skeleton . If you haven't read it yet you should check it out. She just posted a recipe for healthy pumpkin pie oatmeal I'm dying to try. When I make it I'll be sure to post pics! I didn't post any of my own this time because my muffins came out exactly like the photo from the blog. How cool is that?!?
These are perfect if you need a to go breakfast. Make a bunch, freeze them and microwave them throughout the week.  

Per Muffin: Calories 112, Fat 5g, Protein 3g, Carbs 17g

Happy dieting!




Saturday, September 9th. American Heart Association Walk in Dallas, Texas ^_^
 

Thursday, September 6, 2012

The 100 Best Running Songs of all time..from Sparkpeople.com


As a runner, I often turn to music to keep me entertained and motivated during my training runs and races. I love discovering new running songs (even if "new" only means "new to me"), listening to them, and sharing them with others via my blog posts and Facebook page.

I recently asked people to share their favorite running songs, then created a list of 100 titles, new and old, that keep us on our feet and on pace. List in hand, I asked members of SparkPeople.com, America's #1 weight loss and fitness website, to vote on their favorites, too.

Find out which song took the tittle of best running song, whether your favorite made the list, and how you can download a brand new 60-minute running mix of the top 12 songs (as voted on by runners like you)!

No. 1 Running Song of All Time:

Pink – Raise Your Glass

Watch it on YouTube.



No. 2:
Survivor – Eye Of The Tiger

Watch it on YouTube.



No. 3:
Adele – Rolling In The Deep

Watch it on YouTube.



No. 4:
Maroon 5 – Moves Like Jagger

Watch it on YouTube.



No. 5:
LMFAO – Party Rock Anthem

Watch it on YouTube.



No. 6:
Journey – Don't Stop Believin'

Watch it on YouTube.



No. 7:
Kelly Clarkson – Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)

Watch it on YouTube.



No. 8:
Black Eyed PeasPump It

Watch it on YouTube.



No. 9:
Bon Jovi – Livin' On A Prayer

Watch it on YouTube.



No. 10:
Outkast – Hey Ya!

Watch it on YouTube.



No. 11:
EminemLose Yourself

Watch it on YouTube.



No. 12:
Kenny Loggins – Footloose

Watch it on YouTube.



Here are the rest of the 100, ranked in order of your votes:

13     Lady Gaga -- ''Bad Romance''
14     The Black Eyed Peas -- ''Let's Get It Started''
15     Ricky Martin -- ''Livin' La Vida Loca''
16     Van Halen -- ''Jump''
17     Bonnie Tyler -- ''I Need A Hero''
18     Jennifer Lopez -- ''On The Floor''
19     Blondie -- ''Call Me''
20     C+C Music Factory -- ''Gonna Make You Sweat''
21     Pitbull -- ''Give Me Everything''
22     Britney Spears -- ''Toxic''
23     Taio Cruz -- ''Dynamite''
24     The Go Go's -- ''We Got The Beat''
25     Katrina & The Waves -- ''Walking On Sunshine''
26     Foster the People -- ''Pumped Up Kicks''
27     Elton John -- ''I'm Still Standing''
28     Rick Springfield -- ''Jessie's Girl''
29     Billy Joel -- ''We Didn't Start The Fire''
30     Ram Jam -- ''Black Betty''
31     Blink 182 -- ''All The Small Things''
32     MC Hammer -- ''U Can't Touch This''
33     Soft Cell -- ''Tainted Love''
34     Duran Duran -- ''Hungry Like The Wolf''
35     ACDC -- ''Thunder Struck''
36     Queen -- ''We Are The Champions''
37     Madonna -- ''4 Minutes''
38     Rihanna -- ''Only Girl In The World''
39     Avril Lavigne -- ''Girlfriend''
40     Far East Movement -- ''Like A G6''
41     Devo -- ''Whip It''
42     Ke$ha -- ''Your Love Is My Drug''
43     Slumdog Millionaire Theme -- ''Jai Ho''
44     The Clash -- ''Should I Stay Or Should I Go''
45     Gorillaz -- ''Feel Good Inc.''
46     ZZ Top -- ''Legs''
47     Nirvana -- ''Smells Like Teen Spirit''
48     Neon Trees -- ''Animal''
49     Motley Crue -- ''Kick Start My Heart''
50     Britney Spears -- ''Til The World Ends''
51     The Verve -- ''Bittersweet Symphony''
52     ABBA -- ''Waterloo''
53     Billy Idol -- ''Cradle Of Love''
54     Aretha Franklin -- ''Think''
55     Shakira -- ''Waka Waka''
56     Tommy Tutone -- ''867-5309''
57     Pat Benatar -- ''All Fired Up''
58     M.I.A. -- ''Paper Planes''
59     Loverboy -- ''Working For The Weekend''
60     Jordin Sparks -- ''Battlefield''
61     Bill Conti -- ''Gonna Fly Now (Rocky's Theme)''
62     Elvis Presley -- ''Jailhouse Rock''
63     Tom Petty -- ''Now I'm Free (Free Fallin')''
64     Katy Perry -- ''Waking Up In Vegas''
65     Scandal -- ''Goodbye To You''
66     Prince -- ''When Doves Cry''
67     The Killers -- ''Human''
68     Aerosmith -- ''I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing''
69     Gwen Stefani -- ''The Sweet Escape''
70     Wiz Khalifa -- ''Black And Yellow''
71     KISS -- ''I Was Made For Loving You''
72     Madonna -- ''Like A Prayer''
73     Michael Sembello -- ''Maniac''
74     Frankie Goes To Hollywood -- ''Relax''
75     The Cars -- ''Shake It Up''
76     ABBA -- ''Lay All Your Love On Me''
77     U2 -- ''Pride (In The Name Of Love)''
78     Leanne Rimes -- ''Can't Fight The Moonlight''
79     Culture Club -- ''Do You Really Want To Hurt Me''
80     Flock of Seagulls -- ''Ran (So Far Away)''
81     Fall Out Boy -- ''Thks Fr Th Mmrs''
82     Judas Priest -- ''Johnny B. Good''
83     Pink Floyd -- ''Learning To Fly''
84     Janet Jackson -- ''All For You''
85     The Police -- ''Do Do Do Da Da Da''
86     Venga Boys -- ''We Like To Party''
87     Arctic Monkeys -- ''I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor''
88     The Doobie Brothers -- ''Long Train Running''
89     Daft Punk -- ''One More Time''
90     Keri Hilson -- ''Pretty Girl Rock''
91     Chris Brown -- ''Turn Up The Music''
92     Miley Cyrus -- ''Can't Be Tamed''
93     Hank Williams Jr. -- ''Born To Boogie''
94     Rihanna -- ''Rehab''
95     Jason Derulo -- ''Ridin' Solo''
96     Willow Smith -- ''Whip My Hair''
97     Aerosmith -- ''Jaded''
98     Hall & Oates -- ''Private Eyes''
99     Stevie Wonder -- ''Sir Duke''
100   Rod Stewart -- ''Young Turks''




Monday, August 27, 2012

Happy Monday! (ie, congrats for not failing your diet this weekend!)

So, weighed myself this morning as I do every morning (yes, it's a bad habit- I know!) Anways, weighed in 2 lbs less than Friday meaning my weekend wasn't a horrible catastrophe like it has been the past couple weeks so with any luck by Friday's "official" weigh-in I'll have kept it off.

In the meantime I'm feeling pretty damn good about myself. I mean 10 lbs in 4 weeks. That's an average of 2.5lbs per week. Not too fast, not too slow but just right. I don't want to rush this stuff & rebound or anything horrible as in "diets" past.

I tried 2% milk Sunday night too. You'd think it'd be no big deal except that it was. I was 3 1/2 weeks into drinking almond milk. Good grief, once you get used to something you REALLY get used to something. That milk tasted nasty. I tried a sip of soda too. No thanks! I'll stick with MY foods/drinks. I'm loving this diet, loving my food choices, and best of all I'm not starving all the time!

For me this is a lifestyle change. 

  • I've started adding flax seed in small amounts to my diet. Heard some really good things about it so why not.
  • I'm also shopping vegan & gluten free products now. Still checking the backs of those packages though. Be warned. Just because it's vegan or gluten free does not make it a better product. The vegan cheese is pretty damned delish though. ^_^
Some more lunch photos. I've started making bento boxes for lunch. Not only does it make me pay attention to that all important portion control but I'm also having fun making lunch. Instead of food being a chore, it's fun. I'm still making sure I get that salad in for dinner too!
Photobucket PhotobucketPhotobucket  Photobucket


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Has anyone read this blog yet? She's got some nifty ideas:
 http://undressedskeleton.tumblr.com/

Monday, August 20, 2012

The Skinny Rules


I LOVE eating salad for dinner.

I like to add some shredded chicken breast or a hard boiled egg for some protein. Eggs are a good source of vitamins, proteins and minerals and since they're hard boiled don't use any additional fats in their preparation.
Cucumbers are a must because they contain about 95% of water and 5% of dietary fiber. Cucumber's have a positive effect on digestive system and also provide cleaner skin and are often the basis of cleaning and whitening cosmetic lotions and masks. They're a good weight loss vegetable because they're low in calories.
I also add a few cherry tomatoes for good measure since are rich in fiber and water therefore, filling enough to control hunger.
Lastly, I add a couple mushrooms. When you're trying to lose weight, calories are the name of the game. And mushrooms provide a big blast of deliciousness for very few calories. When watching your weight, it's important to take out the fat, not the flavor. They also provide iron, riboflavin, and niacin; offer decent amounts of potassium, selenium, copper, and zinc; and they are also full of fiber.

Something else I've been doing is planning one day per week as a "meatless" day. Monday in my world has become Meatless Monday. It's not hard to do when you have peanut butter, eggs, & soy products. Vegan products have come a long way since when I was in high school & trying to be fit. Gluten free products are really tasty too!

The important thing with any diet though is to keep track of your calorie counts are well as your nutrients. I can't emphasize enough how much I'm loving My Fitness Pal.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

I am you



I am a person blessed with good health, with no visible physical ailments or disabilities except for the fact that I am obese.

I am a person with too many damn excuses.

I am was you.

I am changing and I like it.

   
Thursday, July 26, 2012262 lbs
Friday, August 3, 2012259 lbs
Friday, August 10,2012255 lbs
Friday, August 17,2012254 lbs





I plan to lose a whole lot more.


Simple changes I have made that have resulted in weight loss:
  • I have eliminated carbonated beverages from my diet. I am no longer a 2-3 soda per day person.
  • I no longer drink Monster or any other "energy" drinks.
  • I started using using the My Fitness Pal app on my phone to track my calorie intake.
  • I have started working out on a daily basis with a goal to work out AT LEAST 30 minutes per day.
  • I have started drinking Silk Almond milk as well as eating Chobani yogurt and love them both.
  • I have started snacking healthier. I now eat berries and/or an apple a day and I eat salads as often as I can.
That food pyramid thing actually makes sense.
 

Here's one of my dinner bentos.

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