Alone time dinner

Saturday I was alone in my house with my cats and no vehicle.

Alone...all day, unheard of.
Which meant I had a lot to get done, I was very productive, laundry, cleaning, workout, groom cats, etc. After lunch, I had the hindsight to throw in some chicken breasts onion and garlic with spices and my fav hot sauce into the slow cooker. By the time dinner rolled around I was hungry.  There wasn't much in the fridge but there was enough to make what I gotta say, was an amazing dinner.

I sautéed some kale in olive oil and garlic, sea salt and some pepper and a spash of white wine. I like my kale crispy so I wait until the edges are brown to eat it. I then baked a sweet potato in my microwave. I peeled it first then washed it then popped it in for 7 mins. While that was all happening I remembered my avocados. Took out an avocado and smashed half of it with lemon pepper mix mix mix. 

Once the potato was done. I took it out and cut it and laid it out like it was a plate, smeared some virgin coconut oil on it, put on some pulled slow cooked chicken, threw on the avocado, put the kale on the side and went to dinner heaven.

 

Okay I'm not the best with photographing it, but that shit was GOOD.  I was soo full and happy after it was amazing.  I also had extra kale for my lunch today, which made me extra happy.

 

What you need to recreate;

 

- Cooked "pulled" chicken (slow cook a pack of chicken with onions, garlic, salt pepper, whatever other spices you like, a dash of hot sauce and let it cook for hours until you can pull it apart.

- Kale (with olive oil, kale, garlic, salt pepper, a splash of white wine)

- Half of a ripe avocado

-Sweet potato (and coconut oil, or if you want to use butter and can eat it, go for it)

 

Simple ingredients in little to no time.  I wish I worked from home so I could use my slow cooker for everything, I don't trust it on all day when I'm not home.  Lucky Megan...

 

Linda

 

 

Throw out your scales!!!

Whats up fitfam?!  So, in my 15 day hiatus.....I've done a lot!  Bronchitis and walking pneumonia overtook my house -- thankfully not me -- Work has been crazy (what is it with this time of year?!??!) and I've been planning for the start of coaching my first junior high Hockey season, which starts tonight! So, while my diet hasn't been "on point" in my hiatus, my workouts most definitely have been.  So get to the point here Megan, what is this post about!

Alright, alright.....I want everyone, yes everyone.....to throw out your scale!!  But why!!! Why would anyone want to do that?!?!?  Think about it....your weight, it's just a number.  But it's a number that you let CONSUME your every being.  You are probably that person who weighs themselves every.single.morning.  or better yet, weighs themselves 5 times throughout the day.  Okay, timeout....you know that your body can fluctuate weight up to 8 lbs in an entire day right??  Just ask Lin about my extraordinary food babies and my amazing ability to hold like 10 lbs of food at one time.  But anyway...back on topic...the scale.  It's just downright depressing.  Who the hell wants to get on a scale after busting their ass in the gym or with their diet just to find out it hasn't budged AT ALL.  Talk about a buzz kill.  I'll admit it, there are times I get like that.  I was in a downer on Friday...I worked hard all week at the gym and expected to see SOMETHING and I didn't.  And then I slapped myself and realized "silly girl. you know better than this!".

The scale means NOTHING when it comes to telling you how in shape you are....NOTHING.  When you weigh yourself, you are weighing bones, fat, muscle, water, the 1/2 lb cheeseburger you ate 2 hours ago.  Lets get in to it even more.  Muscle weighs more than fat....Fat takes up more volume in your body. To get a definitive gauge of yourself, you should be taking your measurements.  I do mine every week. It's much more rewarding to see your inches decrease (and by saying that, I'm hoping it is being replaced with lean muscle mass and not just eating so few calories you are losing everything you have).  So instead of saying "I want to lose weight" everyone should be saying "I want to increase my lean muscle mass".  I'll give you me for example.  My diet has been....well...not where I know it could be.  Sure, I'm eating in a deficit, I'm watching my macros for the MOST part, but I indulge....more than I know I should.  Just ask the tupperware full of brownies and funfetti cupcakes on my counter right now.  Over the past 4 weeks, my scale has gone up 3 solid pounds.  I briefly had a cry sesh over this the other day......and I mean briefly, as in step on the scale, see the number, step off, cry for .2 seconds, then put my favorite pair of pants on that have been too tight for 6 months that actually now fit, and get happy again.  But how?!  I will tell you how.  My gains in the weight room have been incredible.  I am gaining lean muscle mass and losing fat.  My inches lost tell me so.  So while the scale is going up, my body is replacing fat I had stored with lean muscle and decreasing my size.

I ain't scared....I'll tell you....today I weigh 142 lbs, was 18.4% body fat when I got measured last week at the gym, and am sitting solid in a size 2/4 pant. This ain't no lie.... Flash back 5 years ago when I was in college.....didn't know what a diet or a gym was.....weighed 150 lbs and was in a size 10...barely.  It's a hard concept to grasp, I know this, but trust me on it.  Don't be afraid of the weights people, and stay away from the scale.  Take your measurements.  Judge based on "goal" pants. Do whatever works for you, but stay away from the scale.  You will thank me for it later.

xoxo!

Protein Chocolate Chip Cookies!!!!

Okay.....so here's the scoopy doopy.  I downloaded the Blogger app on my phone.....typed up this post four....yes FOUR times.....forgot to save it and closed out of the app.  Poof.....it's all gone.  So now, for try five.

So, stuffs been super cray around here.  I've been so busy with work (yes....I do have a real job) that I haven't had time to do anything...literally anything....let alone catch up on here.  I've been feeling like a little worker drone who doesn't have enough time in her day to get done what needs to get done.  I mean, lets be honest here, when you start your work day at 6:45-7:00, by 4:30 in the afternoon you are tired, worn out, and ready to hit your head off your desk.  Not to mention, I've been traveling a lot this month so the ability to play catch up is non-existent.

Anywhoo...I'm back and have actually made some ridiculous gains in my hiatus.  I'll blog about that later because, well....there's another special topic I want to tackle with that one.  So back to my cookies.  I made brownies last night...because well IIFYM and I made sure brownies did do that.  So I thought to myself, man....I should probably make something a little cleaner to go with it. So I whipped up these cookies and they are yummy.  Like, straight out of the oven eat the whole pan yummy.  Or even...next day, make a cup of coffee and heat some up in the microwave yummy.  They are yummy. In every way shape and form.  I combined 2 different protein powder flavors this go around and honestly it works so good. So, here ya go. Keep in mind, you don't have to make it with canola oil.  I did because honestly, that's all I had.  You can sub whatever you want.

Servings: 13       Serving Size: 1 cookie
Cals:   113         Protein: 5g      Carbs: 8g      Fat: 7g 

• 1 1/2 c oat flour 
• 1 scoop vanilla protein
• 1/2 scoop chocolate protein
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup Splenda for baking
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350.  Mix all ingredients together (minus chocolate chips).  The dough should be kind of stiff.  If you need more of a liquid, add a smidge more applesauce tablespoon by tablespoon until everything is JUST combined.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.  Drop on to sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until just done.  Then EAT!