tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84699411287988017502024-03-13T07:56:30.210-07:00MiamyteA blog about Living! Living healthy and happy, with a dash of clean eating, fitness tips and great recipes. Because living is just the best thing there is. Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09298531817986994165noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8469941128798801750.post-10677103193859228202014-06-12T19:04:00.000-07:002014-06-19T07:53:39.249-07:00Changes and Snow White Oatmeal Hello again to whoever is out there!<br />
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So after a long (long long long) time no see, I'm back! And a lot has changed. And I mean A LOT - related to fitness and otherwise. So what exactly changed you ask? Well.. I shall answer... I apologized for the long post but read it if you'd like... if not, there is a great recipe at the end so just keep scrolling :)<br />
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<u>Life in general </u><br />
<b>I switched jobs not once, but twice, in a span of less than 2 months.</b> For those who don't know I was going through a bit of a rough phase career-wise when I first started writing the blog. However now I am glad to say that I am now back to my beloved advertising industry and <b>loving what I do</b> once again.<br />
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<u>Nutrition </u><br />
Now,<b> as with every big life change (at least for me), my fitness and diet had a bit of ups and downs.</b> But you know what? That was great! I <b>learned a lot </b>as far as <b>what works </b>and<b> what doesn't for <i>my body</i></b>.<br />
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I went to a functional nutritionist and got a very restrictive diet which, although it wasn't sustainable, taught me a great deal about when to eat what, different food groups that go together and how to balance out my meals. I also learned that eating to gain muscle mass <b>doesn't</b> <b>work for <i>me</i></b>. Yes, I need to eat protein and carbs and all and I can't deprive myself... but what I mean is that I realized I can't eat as if I'm a body builder even if that works for some. I work out hard but not <i>that </i>hard! Especially during the transition phase. <br />
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I joined <b>weight watchers.</b> Yep, I know. I'm opening myself up for criticism here, I know I am not overweight but<b> portion control and moderation have always been an issue </b>for me and the WW system helped me re-build a <b>healthy relation with the foods I love</b>. I'll admit the point counting did get obsessive at a certain stage but even that fades out as you start seeing result and begin eating more intuitively minding your portions.<br />
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Also, it's important to note that I used WW <b>in addition to my knowledge</b> of what to eat pre and post workout, clean eating, and my body's needs for certain nutrients according to my workouts. With that finally started seeing results! And no, <b>I don't mean getting skinnier, I mean getting leaner</b>! My body weight is going sloooowly down but still far from what WW set for me but I am way leaner than when I started - 6% less body fat to be precise. Sounds like a good deal to me. I'll share before and after pictures later.<br />
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Last, but definitely not least, I noticed that<b> depriving myself during the week and splurging during the weekends was doing me more harm than good</b> (thanks to my favorite brazilian fellow blogger Gabriela Pugliessi from @ tips4life for drilling that into my head through her posts and IG account).<br />
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<u>Fitness</u><br />
With all the changes in my work life I have to admit my<b> workouts kind of fell through the cracks</b> - and that was a-ok! I needed that time to re-align. Different times need different priorities. Once I finally got all setled and comfortable with my new work routine, my ideal <b>workout schedule just kind of fell into place.</b> I understood that <i>my</i> body does great for weights in the morning and I definitely have more energy for cardio at night so I combined both and BINGO! Also, I found some much needed space for my Yoga in the weekends. Recipe for mind and body success.<br />
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So basically I now know how to portion control and to eat in moderation and that one bad meal won't make or break my diet, just a one good one won't redeem me from a heavy load of naughtiness. I'm still eating clean but not as radical and I'm fine with that. I'm working out harder than ever but <b>because I love it, not to lose weight</b>. The feeling of getting stronger and better is sufficient reward. Most importantly though, I<b>'m going through the never-ending learning process of what works for<u> <i>my </i></u>body</b> (you noticed I always italicized that... that's to emphasize<b> it works for me but it won't necessarily work for everyone</b>) and I <b>strongly encourage everyone to embark on this journey</b> - with or without me. Do it for you!<br />
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Now that you were nice enough to stick with me for my ramble and welcome (myself) back spiel, you are more than entitled to a reward, and it's a big one! Here is the best oatmeal recipe ever (I SWEAR) I call it Snow White because of the apple ans it's just that sinfully delicious (ha ha.. #not).<br />
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<b>SNOW WHITE OATS</b><br />
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<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
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<li>1/3 cup of oats</li>
<li>1/3 cup of coconut almond mik (or milk of choice)</li>
<li>2/3 cups of water</li>
<li>1 tsp of Chia seeds</li>
<li>Stevia to taste </li>
<li>1 egg white</li>
<li>1/2 apple</li>
<li>2 tbsp of PB2</li>
<li>Stevia sweetened Chocolate Chips</li>
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<u>Preparation:</u><br />
<ol>
<li>In a bowl combine oats, milk, water, chia and stevia</li>
<li>Microwave for 6 min on low power (50%) (crucial for creaminess and deliciousness) Keep an eye out so it doesn't overflow, seriously.</li>
<li>Once 6 min are over, add the egg whites and apple, stir and microwave on full power for 1.5 min. While you're waiting, mix your pB2 with water to the desired consistency.</li>
<li>Remove bowl from microwave, top with pb2, try to wait for it to cool down (this is the hardest part) and enjoy!</li>
</ol>
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Seems complicated but really isn't - I do this at work so no excuses! you have to try and and let me know what you think!!<br />
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Nutritional info without PB2 and choc chips:<br />
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<br />Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09298531817986994165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8469941128798801750.post-53277238275638784582013-06-18T09:22:00.000-07:002013-06-18T09:38:11.166-07:00Breakfast Bonanza - Blueberry Bliss Protein Pancakes<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, hello there! Please forgive me for my extended absence (<i>erm...again</i>) but even though I am trying to keep at leas a post a week, a lot of things have been getting in my way! Anyhow, as a cry for redemption, I bring you </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">probably one of the best recipes I have tried in a while</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. Notice I said RECIPE, pure and simple,</span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> not CLEAN, just recipe</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, which oh so </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">happens to be clean </b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- I just love these fabulous coincidences of life! Don't you? :) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before I get to the good (<i>delicious, mind blowing)</i> stuff, I will just give you a <b>quick assessment of my progress </b>so far: amazing! I mean it, <b>feeling better than ever</b> (<i>I've said that before but worth emphasizing)</i>, skin is great, hair is shiny, no bloating aaaand that's only, I believe, are the benefits of nutrition. If I get into my exercise and workout benefits it gets even better - less fat, muscles are starting to show, and <b>energy levels and resistance are waaaaay up there - I am getting stronger and I love it! </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As far as the bulking and eating unsafe amounts of food.. I gave that a try for 2 days but it was too much for me. I need to<b> take baby steps</b> here. Mind you, I come from the diet, "anorexic" mindset, where less is more...so I need to take it slow in re-educating myself with food and nutrition. I am sticking to <b>eating every 3 hours</b>, focusing on proteins and carbs (<i>yes, I now know <b>carbs are my friends </b>and they won't hurt me! haha</i>) and I'm never hungry. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>I am thinking of posting up some of my exercise plans here as well, what do you guys think?</b> Also have a pretty <b>cool product list of grocery items</b> I found in my quest that are guaranteed to keep you happily (<i>and tasty-ly</i>) on a clean and healthy plan that I'm planning on posting soon (reviews included). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">OK, enough with the rambling. Ladies and Gentlemen, I now present you - <b>The glorious Blueberry Protein Pancakes! </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Ingredients: </u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 cup of Oats</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 Ripe Banana</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 tablespoon of baking powder</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 scoop vanilla whey</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 egg whites</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/4 cup Greek yogurt (no fat)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stevia</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 cup of blueberries (<i>or filling of choice</i>) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Preparation </u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Blend all ingredients, except the blueberries, in a blender until smooth. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Incorporate the blueberries to the batter. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. grill them as regular pancaked in a coated skillet (<i>I coated mine with coconut oil spray</i>). They cook fast, so you'll probably only need about 30-45 sec. on each side. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>For frosting</u>: a bit of vanilla</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> whey, vanilla</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> extract, Greek yogurt (no fat) stevia and a dash of unsweetened</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> almond milk mixed together.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdcYgvUkK6kzFUxfb1_w3ILmtyekT269bzs4LcvsYDAhc2P7APPoJ4M2kCUicCvI9KRR5wz8c83kbdrJhFZJykTE3I4xPPt1imJyZVOz2uQkH49Hm5i6Z535SjfPGLLv4d50FQFVWi3_HO/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdcYgvUkK6kzFUxfb1_w3ILmtyekT269bzs4LcvsYDAhc2P7APPoJ4M2kCUicCvI9KRR5wz8c83kbdrJhFZJykTE3I4xPPt1imJyZVOz2uQkH49Hm5i6Z535SjfPGLLv4d50FQFVWi3_HO/s320/photo+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They're panCAKES, so cutting like a cake made perfect sense! </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Note: You can substitute the vanilla whey for other flavors, same for the blueberries. <b>Get creative!</b> Also, to <b>save you time in the morning</b>, <b>mix the dry ingredients the night before</b> and just dump them in the blender with the wet when you wake up for a fast and delicious breakfast. This recipe should be enough for 2 people with moderate appetite or 1 person post-workout. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>On the macros note the ridiculous <b>amount of protein</b> and the laughable <b>amount of fat</b>. IHOP's got some serious competition. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ENJOY! =D </span></div>
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Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09298531817986994165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8469941128798801750.post-57303255427499816422013-06-11T06:49:00.001-07:002013-06-11T06:51:19.465-07:002 for 2 and a Perfect Banana Oatmeal <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All, I come bearing <b>good news</b>! Guess what... this whole thing <b>actually works</b>! And I've got <b>numbers to prove it</b>! In <b>1 month</b> of the non-diet diet I <b>lost 2% body fat</b> which in my case are <b>2 pounds </b>of fat. I think it's quiet impressive... not to mention I've never felt better! For the first time in my life the <b>scale went up</b> and I don't give a damn <i>(weight went up 2 pounds since I started... coincidence?</i>) because my clothes are all lose. <b>I attest: muscle does weigh more than fat</b> (<i>I am a "see it to believe it" person.. never mind that I always read about it everywhere, I had to actually experience it...</i>).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now to amp up my muscle gain <b>I am actually trying to eat a bit more</b> proteins and carbs <i>(for those of you who know me well... you know how hard that is for me)</i>. I'm <b>eating every 3 hours </b>which honestly is <b>not as great</b> as it sounds... I'm usually not hungry when it comes time to eat. I just started this though, so I'll keep you posted on the results and challenges.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Aaaaaanyhow... to celebrate success, I leave you with <b>my absolute favorite breakfast oatmeal </b>recipe <i>(this is the basic version.. but I recently I started adding whey protein powder to increase my daily protein intake)</i></span><br />
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<u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ingredients:</span></u><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/3 cup oats (I use steel cut oats old fashioned)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2/3 cup water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 sliced ripe banana </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/4 tsp cinnamon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stevia or Truvia to taste</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sliced almond and dark chocolate chips to top it off.</span><br />
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<u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Preparation: </span></u><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Combine the oats, water, almond milk, banana, cinnamon and sweetener in a bowl (microwavable) and stir. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Place the bowl in the microwave for 6 minutes at 50% power (trust me, this makes all the difference in the consistency you'll get... part of the deliciousness comes form this step).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Let it sit for 3-5 min once it's done (if you can wait for that long)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Top it with some sliced almond, a bit more cinnamon, some chocolate chips or peanut butter - or whatever you fancy! ENJOY!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Note: if you are an oatmeal expert you probably noticed that this recipe calls for a bit more liquid than you are used to BUT this is key! Adding more liquid improved the consistency and also makes the recipe "yield" more (so you feel you ate more). Got this tip from <a href="http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/">chocolatecoveredkatie.com</a> and it changed my world. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZggnuBCOzZPvSROHgG85zHIhcCDckueMB1nsQzTwaEG6qaliygGg_oK-PEgvzoCsh0wP6VB9t3jfPh87XXgtFTu-IJ0YsAiAQHcJgPOOF0W0OkMh3vFw5kkMTxxMUiT70iuOrq3IlhzS/s1600/2013-06-11+09_39_53-Calories+in+Banana+Vanilla+Oatmeal.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZggnuBCOzZPvSROHgG85zHIhcCDckueMB1nsQzTwaEG6qaliygGg_oK-PEgvzoCsh0wP6VB9t3jfPh87XXgtFTu-IJ0YsAiAQHcJgPOOF0W0OkMh3vFw5kkMTxxMUiT70iuOrq3IlhzS/s320/2013-06-11+09_39_53-Calories+in+Banana+Vanilla+Oatmeal.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09298531817986994165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8469941128798801750.post-73525779106606844532013-06-06T12:01:00.000-07:002013-06-06T12:35:45.937-07:00Turkey Sliders with Sweet Potato Buns<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I told you guys I would be back soon...and with a recipe! So here I am! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Recently I have been doing a lot of research on simple, delicious and affordable recipes that I can convince you people to try and, even more importantly, love! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That said, this </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">turkey burger (but sliders really) with sweet potato 'bun'</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> definitely hit jackpot and overcame my expectations! They have <b>very few and uncomplicated ingredients</b> (<i>more often than not, I noticed, clean recipies can have some very weird and hard to find ingredients that you will use once in a lifetime)</i></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">almost no fat, a lot of protein and a decent amount of good carbs</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. The fact that they are almost <b>too cute to eat</b> also helps </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(I'm a girl so I'm allowed to call food cute). </i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I got the original recipe from <a href="http://fitmencook.com/">fitmencook.com</a> but tweaked it a bit to fit what I had at home... and made a little happy mistake that was actually quite successful. I have to admit I had little faith in doing a turkey burger with only turkey (no bread crumbs or eggs), I was afraid they would get dry or just fall apart. However, after seeing (and tasting) the results, I have to admit I am now a true believer! :) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">OK, enough talking, let's go to the good stuff! </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ingredients: </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">9 oz Lean ground Turkey</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3/4 cup chopped raw mushrooms (<i>feel free to change this for bell-peppers or any other veggie you have handy)</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cumin, Paprika, Chilli powder, salt and pepper</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 Medium Sweet potatoes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">50g All natural barbecue sauce</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some arugula</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For Burgers</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1) Mix the ground turkey, mushrooms and seasoning together in a large bowl. (<i>I also added a bit of the barbecue sauce to the mix here - mainly because I read the original recipe wrong and I thought I had to mix everything together at this point - oops - but it turned out great and I think it helped to keep them moist!)</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2) Portion out 1.5 oz servings (should yield aprox. 9 mini burgers). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3) Grill them in a hot skillet sprayed with coconut oil (<i>my newest addiction) </i></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the "buns"</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1) Slice your sweet potatoes horizontally, so you are left with 'circular' slices of about an inch thick each. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2) spray a baking sheet with coconut oil<i> (I mentioned the addiction above) </i>and place your slices in a preheated oven at 405 F for 17-20 min<i> (I flipped mine at around 10 min to get some nice outer crispiness going)</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>To serve:</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Place a mini burger on top of one of your 'buns', put a bit of sauce on it, some arugula on top, and top it off with another "bun" aaand voila: Sweet potato turkey sliders! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>(I used the tip of the potato for the top 'bun' on the one in the picture to give it more of a bun-y look.</i> )</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can eat 3 of these guilt-free in a meal and get the perfect protein and carb combo you need! Guilt-free and super clean!! If anyone is planning on trying, let me know how it goes~ </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nutrition fact per slider (recipe yields 9 - I recommend eating 3 if you are making it a meal) </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVZfbSvPnXfl98TPwaPger9IExt9EZcVVm524vXFMcPbRTtuFaDU9k6eVUG_pvX2MR9Jj_7Kuur9KLcGEHiPp1cpQ74lmmqmmNbXKLVJ10zVUgTmyNeQjWH5z3_kodh-GyIm2xjhH2k61/s1600/turkey+sliders.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVZfbSvPnXfl98TPwaPger9IExt9EZcVVm524vXFMcPbRTtuFaDU9k6eVUG_pvX2MR9Jj_7Kuur9KLcGEHiPp1cpQ74lmmqmmNbXKLVJ10zVUgTmyNeQjWH5z3_kodh-GyIm2xjhH2k61/s320/turkey+sliders.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<br />Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09298531817986994165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8469941128798801750.post-13616134669299033312013-06-04T10:46:00.004-07:002013-06-04T11:04:57.843-07:00Still living, and still going! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://media-cache-ak2.pinimg.com/736x/85/3e/c4/853ec44d9868203d45a8d7821a762b52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://media-cache-ak2.pinimg.com/736x/85/3e/c4/853ec44d9868203d45a8d7821a762b52.jpg" width="239" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yes, I have been MIA for a bit but I'm still here, and <b>still sticking to the plan</b>! Well, kinda sticking to the plan... last week I flopped a bit - <b>I had half a dirty, sinful burger on weekday</b> and a couple of beers more than I should... also on a weekday! But hey, the Heat were playing so cut me some slack hehe. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is one of my <b>shameless </b>(but actually shameful) <b>selfies</b> assessing my 2 week progress (fairly outdated, yes.. it's been 1 week since I did the second picture so hopefully I'll get something even better next week!). I think it's pretty good considering it was <b>only 2 weeks</b>!!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHdWSMtaJClCdpsynIUzTnXvfkK4oqqlxrT-8eLPHqZZ7B9YaxyTnFiz6doR23JFQNkh8tOpUZ0u_e2y5_SQ6lrwvt3F6TnWTbPZqhj_ig9aGDiOQcMQ3siCvChcXMy68hNcXnPkwrBzP2/s1600/image_5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHdWSMtaJClCdpsynIUzTnXvfkK4oqqlxrT-8eLPHqZZ7B9YaxyTnFiz6doR23JFQNkh8tOpUZ0u_e2y5_SQ6lrwvt3F6TnWTbPZqhj_ig9aGDiOQcMQ3siCvChcXMy68hNcXnPkwrBzP2/s320/image_5.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yes, I am (very) embarrassed by this, but I think it is good motivation</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, You'd be glad to know (I think) that I am <b>back on track now and at full force. </b>So full of force and determination that this week I <b>decided to cut out my oatmeal from breakfast</b> - just because I was close to getting clinically addicted to that stuff (sooo good *drool*). I mean, oatmeal is great for you and all that, but since I don't exercise in the morning I don't think I need all those carbs (what triggered me to do this was this post I read at<a href="http://www.hungry-runner.com/"> hungry-runner.com</a>). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, instead of my go to oats, I'm trying some <b>crazy smoothies</b>! So far so good! Second day in and I have to admit I miss the carb kick but I'm not altogether hating it. <b>Smoothies are fun </b>and every morning its like Christmas, you never know what to expect.<b> I will post some of my best recipes</b> here... but I am not sure if it is even worth it following recipes for smoothies.. you have to be adventurous, you know? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Some more recipes to come </b>(soon, I swear!) are (forgive me the pictures, I am NOT a food blogger): </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWYNBV0464NlEeQ9KR564MwgpdRyXJfnXQqrtxw1jCcZ4WAwyYHhDDNxqM9fM6F5HBDeAKUK_3NgeAPtvAmY_ImvJftw6GCsdqf14YddRtt_MAorj8lbQ4yF1i6FZBhOzT1w1CN7JmZY9/s1600/image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWYNBV0464NlEeQ9KR564MwgpdRyXJfnXQqrtxw1jCcZ4WAwyYHhDDNxqM9fM6F5HBDeAKUK_3NgeAPtvAmY_ImvJftw6GCsdqf14YddRtt_MAorj8lbQ4yF1i6FZBhOzT1w1CN7JmZY9/s320/image.jpeg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is just a good meal idea</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmKXgabdyfzoK18IKdrpNdzwEX-fGkeG_hjVo7yUPjO4Jm0n-BqXpqmy1gP53O58YqmbpTTHkWxDmNwPP8-IR8RzEc0nmSG1KX3_5E2Oo06Lf-leLGVgySzJrSEmiWNERcXB9XAQRm9BG/s1600/image_1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmKXgabdyfzoK18IKdrpNdzwEX-fGkeG_hjVo7yUPjO4Jm0n-BqXpqmy1gP53O58YqmbpTTHkWxDmNwPP8-IR8RzEc0nmSG1KX3_5E2Oo06Lf-leLGVgySzJrSEmiWNERcXB9XAQRm9BG/s320/image_1.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The patties are actually just sweet potatoes (these are slider size)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQC4lVbOIBXyeriNJpZBJ9ptUTH3QzNCwRh9OuQx6M76fX3uRkhlURwk_h-1tCQzLm3Os2w73WlVVFiyPBpF6XC_6tzsPY12gfQAQkALTtU8wly55t1hxigk_Sws3UrDMj_LjyVGwM3zfM/s1600/image_2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQC4lVbOIBXyeriNJpZBJ9ptUTH3QzNCwRh9OuQx6M76fX3uRkhlURwk_h-1tCQzLm3Os2w73WlVVFiyPBpF6XC_6tzsPY12gfQAQkALTtU8wly55t1hxigk_Sws3UrDMj_LjyVGwM3zfM/s320/image_2.jpeg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This chicken has some awesome tricks to it - trust me</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHEx3b-GFXY9ppmdpIbQHnMCpqhaybC3BuCUtpTPLKIY9BnB7bfRcovOi8BsPAox3ZuHTs3LQ3PkI_YgGS_SlIRCkD0wFt51sc0T5F8IyapLI-IF_F2ONtH9zdYXDDYzZQKN-4NHveLB6n/s1600/image_3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHEx3b-GFXY9ppmdpIbQHnMCpqhaybC3BuCUtpTPLKIY9BnB7bfRcovOi8BsPAox3ZuHTs3LQ3PkI_YgGS_SlIRCkD0wFt51sc0T5F8IyapLI-IF_F2ONtH9zdYXDDYzZQKN-4NHveLB6n/s320/image_3.jpeg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I mean EVERYTHING</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpwOha4fCs7W1F92Hqcgji8VS9_vH5JAf9y4Q78fgtMA2NHCKuscM11D9AZYUDFy43oTTPDe__FM-0Eza7a0DIksWNtCoJMhUxaIjjkOgYLSJ4SjHmqCgzJpUrtowcyxWJWV1LcK37bq6p/s1600/image_4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpwOha4fCs7W1F92Hqcgji8VS9_vH5JAf9y4Q78fgtMA2NHCKuscM11D9AZYUDFy43oTTPDe__FM-0Eza7a0DIksWNtCoJMhUxaIjjkOgYLSJ4SjHmqCgzJpUrtowcyxWJWV1LcK37bq6p/s320/image_4.jpeg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just because I'm not eating it doesn't mean you shouldn't</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyhow y'all (yes, I said 'y'all', it felt appropriate... don't ask me why) catch up with you later! Before I go though? Did anyone get motivated to at least eat a bit better by this? Let me know if you have any recipes too, I need ideas!!</span></div>
Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09298531817986994165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8469941128798801750.post-70817852076661471462013-05-23T10:19:00.002-07:002013-05-23T12:17:27.919-07:00Clean Eating Crash Course For Non-Scientists<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Are you guys ready? *drum roll* Ladies and gentlemen here is the much awaited for, highly anticipated post on<b> what </b>(the f's, h's whatever you want to insert here, but this is a clean blog so I won't - HA like the pun?) <b>exactly is clean eating</b>, eating clean... whatever you want to call it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First, things first, let me ask: do you have nutrition courses, food engineering degree, NASA certification in rocket science? No? GREAT! If yes was your answer, that's pretty impressive and congrats but you really won't need it. </span></div>
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<a href="http://athleanx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Eat_Clean_No_Processed_Foods_Chemically_Chemicals_Enhanced_Artificial_White_Flour_Sugar_He_and_She_Eat_Clean_motto-300x283.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="187" src="http://athleanx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Eat_Clean_No_Processed_Foods_Chemically_Chemicals_Enhanced_Artificial_White_Flour_Sugar_He_and_She_Eat_Clean_motto-300x283.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Clean eating means, at it's core, paying attention to what you eat and staying away from things that are not natural</b> - let's call them dirty. Anything artificial or processed is considered "dirty" when it comes to clean eating. So pretty much when you go do your grocery shopping you want to stay away of package foods that contain a loooong list of ingredients, half of which you can't even pronounce, let alone know what it looks like.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Lean proteins, veggies, fruits, seasonings, wholegrain and healthy fats and sugars are fair game. Always keeping in mind portion sizes and daily recommended amounts - it's all about balance (<a href="http://caloriecount.com/">caloriecount.com</a> is pretty useful for that).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Other than that, to make sure you have the best results possible to your well-being, make sure to <b>drink lots of water</b> (and I mean LOTS - as in a gallon a day if possible),<b> sleep well</b> and obviously, <b>exercise</b>!!</span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Clean eating may or may not be expensive depending on where you live, how hard-core you decide to go. I found my groceries turned out pretty much the same price since I already ate a lot of fresh produce before and I substituted what I used to spend with 'dirty' foods for clean versions. I am also using up stuff I still have in my pantry that is relatively clean (ie: canned grains, which are technically 'dirty' but I honestly think I will stick to those because they are too practical #cheating).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I said, it is pretty simple (sorry rocket science people :/) and the great thing is - <b>it is NOT a diet</b>! It is a lifestyle a change and a concept. It's really honoring your body as your temple (I forgot to mention I am a bit of a Yogi - Namaste) and treating it as such.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, all that said, I have to admit I am taking this easy. I don't like anything too radical (except when it comes too sports :) but that is a horse of a different color - and a different post maybe). We are living, breathing creatures with desires and sometimes that burger or ice cream will give you that dirty look that is just impossible to resist - I say (and do) go for it! Every once in a while, preferably on weekends allow yourself to get down and dirty, just pay attention to quantities and everything will be OK and life will go on - as long as you <b>don't let a one-time-thing become routine</b>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Any of you pumped to try? <b>Let me know if you have any questions and I will gladly help you out! </b>:)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Some useful resources:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Grocery list: <a href="http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-5353/The-Essential-Grocery-List-for-Clean-Eating.html">http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-5353/The-Essential-Grocery-List-for-Clean-Eating.html</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Clean eating meal plans: <a href="http://cleaneatingmag.com/meal-planning/meal-plans/">http://cleaneatingmag.com/meal-planning/meal-plans/</a></span></div>
Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09298531817986994165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8469941128798801750.post-35079417287511550062013-05-20T08:46:00.003-07:002013-05-20T09:02:50.807-07:00No-Hunger Games<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And the clean eating continues! I am so motivated you guys have no idea! I found so many cool inspirational blogs, instagramers, pinners - you name it - that I am pumped! I don't think I am ever counting calories again and I feel so free! This "clean eating' mentality of reducing processed food, eating nutritious wholesome foods in smaller portions and more often, is extremely compatible with my lifestyle and I honestly think it is working better than any low-cal/ fad diet I've ever tried<i> (ps: I've been getting a lot of questions along the lines of "clean eating?! huh?! what does that mean?" so I'm planning a post on explaining exactly what it is soon, so stay tuned)</i>. Hopefully I will feel even better about this when the results come along - I've got to say I think I see some already (placebo or not, I don't care). </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">As long as they are not processed, fake or 'un-clean' - GO FOR IT! </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So last week I decided to go a little wild and try my own Avocado Tuna Salad (recipe below) and it turned out awesome! I encourage you to try it as is or add your own twist - one can never go wrong with avocado (seriously, you just can't). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is what my days went like last week (pretty much had the same meals every day for lack of time/ planning): </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Breakfast: </b>Vanilla oatmeal (same from previous post - creativity is not my forte in the morning)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Morning snack: </b>1/2 cup greek yogurt, 5 blueberries and a dash (and I MEAN a tiny little dash - not the food network definition of "a little olive oil") of honey</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Lunch: </b>Tuna avocado salad and a Plum for dessert (which was delicious by the way - is it season yet?)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Afternoon snack(pre-work out): </b>Ripe banana with 1/2 teaspoon of PB (now this is not lach of creativity, I am just obsessed with PB and banana) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Dinner: </b>Chocolate protein shake (with almond milk - post workout), asparagus, 1/2 cup spinach, 1/4 cup butternut squash puree and 1/2 cup cooked zucchini (OK, creativity failed here again... ) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Workout highlight of the week: </b>Upper body and Zumba (1hr) - I was lucky enough to finish my workout just in time for Zumba class. I hadn't done zumba in a while and was usually really skeptical that it even really qualified as cardio... but I take all my suspicions back. It IS a workout. I was sweating like... someone who sweats a lot. Not to mention I had a blast - detoxed in every sense!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh I love the endorphin high! Do you? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Tuna Avocado Clean Salad</b> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOQaJh8UKB05e8p2Dl2wvNWeKz1iE_73IEA2xBLn5HClg5i1JXsUSY_7e9NOzE1soIP1kAP58s1NIiZ9yXlQ-JfI24ql1h5FxiK9v1hmdexYYn5zCYZdp7_sOz1eVCRoIGeUxJ6-sAvnF/s1600/IMG_1856.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOQaJh8UKB05e8p2Dl2wvNWeKz1iE_73IEA2xBLn5HClg5i1JXsUSY_7e9NOzE1soIP1kAP58s1NIiZ9yXlQ-JfI24ql1h5FxiK9v1hmdexYYn5zCYZdp7_sOz1eVCRoIGeUxJ6-sAvnF/s320/IMG_1856.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I promise it tastes better than it looks in my little bento box</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ingredients:</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 Tuna pouch (low sodium in water)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/4 Diced Avocado</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 Cup fat free greek yogurt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/3 cup chopped celery</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 1/2 cup baby greens</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/4 tomato diced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Parsely</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mr. Dash</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lemon juice (I cheated and used the ready made one)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Salt and pepper</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Preparation:</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mix the tuna, greek yogurt, celery, avocado and seasoning to taste. Place it over the tomato and baby greens (I added a liiiiiitle bit of olive oil and salt to the greens)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ENJOY! :)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6XkzS5PlJejXdkTjhPDuakePRwXmeYbyehuqBwiGaN8ga_nMznbBjQpVPIg0F9rXRmAY_XX1yPcYCJ_XRih_mENUEQzbssKWr_uy-yBXFmjvfiVQCvEZoFYRqqA6K0M3oVlvgl7pVmdU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-14+at+9.07.05+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6XkzS5PlJejXdkTjhPDuakePRwXmeYbyehuqBwiGaN8ga_nMznbBjQpVPIg0F9rXRmAY_XX1yPcYCJ_XRih_mENUEQzbssKWr_uy-yBXFmjvfiVQCvEZoFYRqqA6K0M3oVlvgl7pVmdU/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-05-14+at+9.07.05+PM.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09298531817986994165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8469941128798801750.post-12552786722322939852013-05-14T19:29:00.001-07:002013-05-15T11:35:30.289-07:00Clean eating - Game on!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjReY-yMDvyKMLGPs8eqwBtYs7_spTII9dKMDtK2w4KphHl3xzitWikRKsrJ_xpJALoBYGQF6oVVCaHv4UQE5LYFVCjy0gWo5Fc1fgQ4ZrXYXTk4B50pKN7XJxd5hvctINOzoqGLYq4hSA/s1600/IMG_1854.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjReY-yMDvyKMLGPs8eqwBtYs7_spTII9dKMDtK2w4KphHl3xzitWikRKsrJ_xpJALoBYGQF6oVVCaHv4UQE5LYFVCjy0gWo5Fc1fgQ4ZrXYXTk4B50pKN7XJxd5hvctINOzoqGLYq4hSA/s640/IMG_1854.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've been working out for a good portion of my life but<b> I've never really been<u> fit</u>.</b> You know - toned, defined abs, lean etc. I've never been over weight (minus a liiiittle slip freshman year in college) but I never really had <b>THE </b>body I hoped for. So, I decided its time for a change. I've been reading about what to do and what not to do for so long in terms of eating and exercising to get<b> THAT perfect body</b> that I honestly believe I could write a book on it (or at the very least blog about it). Yet, in spite of my extensive knowledge on nutrition and fitness, I never really practiced it. I mean.. I work out, I eat healthy most of the time but I splurge a lot, have a big pitfall for fake sweeteners diet coke and other health sins that are bound to halt my fitness progress. Thing is, <b>I have to stop reading and start doing</b>!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I actually <b>hate 'selfies'.</b>.. but I feel <b>accountability</b> is a must on this one, so here it is...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>So here is the deal:</b> I decided to give clean eating a try - bye bye fake food, diet coke and my beloved zero calorie sugar substitute (mind you, Stevia is still allowed). So long to the days of crazy cardio attempts and in comes the era of constant and disciplined weight training! I am hoping to not only see results but also eel better with myself and the world (oh so poetic). I will keep you posted with my<b> tips, tricks and progress </b>(hopefully lots of the latter).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Are you heading down that road too? </b>Well let me know what you think and give me tips to!<b> LETS DO THIS!</b></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the day:</span></b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yuuum - mind the keyboard </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Breakfast:</b> Vanilla Oatmeal (old style oats, vanilla extract, almond milk and stevia with cinnamon and sliced almonds to top it off)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Morning snack: </b>Baby carrots and 2 tablespoons of cottage cheese with parsley and salt.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Lunch:</b> 2 oz of grilled Chicken (seasoned with cumin, paprica and thyme) and baby greens, cherry tomato and parmesan salad with balsamic dressing + peach for dessert</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Afternoon snack (pre-workout):</b> Banana and half a teaspoon of low fat PB</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Dinner: </b>Chocolate Protein shake (with almond milk - post-workout), 1/2 cup od cooked spinach, 4 asparagus spears and 1/4 cup pumpkin puree</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Workout of the day: </b>Legs + 20 min treadmill</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2EkbrtgG9wIMHL5bMRHYruBzLilCS8SU1B_ytAKNs2KvYMmuKVkWrPgpcahU2h7mytcDVz41yOzsZqC9STWTs6AtWhWB5ZU9ACLM42sGY-0vg_3ckgWy4OydTj8PVU1BxYvItPoc06iya/s1600/IMG_1853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2EkbrtgG9wIMHL5bMRHYruBzLilCS8SU1B_ytAKNs2KvYMmuKVkWrPgpcahU2h7mytcDVz41yOzsZqC9STWTs6AtWhWB5ZU9ACLM42sGY-0vg_3ckgWy4OydTj8PVU1BxYvItPoc06iya/s320/IMG_1853.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Tip: </b>Cooking and chopping veggies for the week in one sitting saves you a looot of time and effort later on. Plus you're less likely to cheat if everything is handy</span>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09298531817986994165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8469941128798801750.post-80787305369629066562013-04-24T17:47:00.000-07:002013-04-24T17:48:59.747-07:00Brownie Points<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, Wednesday seems like a good day to post a great low-cal recipe so you can start looking forwards for the weekend! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxnVHA_9QllOIkFUzV-allj8yzgxNn2Il3Zshsiltk_j8TvYzcCZ_GDzk_0XwSoAoYF1OwBCK1j6QcL3-B3UMV-KPFNM_RKabOV6KA8BwHnRDC_Fio66TXeGq0yxls67TGTzrVv7aSEGPp/s1600/IMG_1654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxnVHA_9QllOIkFUzV-allj8yzgxNn2Il3Zshsiltk_j8TvYzcCZ_GDzk_0XwSoAoYF1OwBCK1j6QcL3-B3UMV-KPFNM_RKabOV6KA8BwHnRDC_Fio66TXeGq0yxls67TGTzrVv7aSEGPp/s400/IMG_1654.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">100 cal? You got my attention!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You probably don't know me that well yet but see, thing is, I am a huge healthy eater. Well, actually, scrap that. I am a woman-woman; as in: I worry about my weight more than I should. However, I stay away from fad-diets (e<i>ven though I have tried a fair share... I can share my experiences later)</i> and try to keep a balanced, active lifestyle during the week with not-so-unusual splurges on weekends because life is jus too short (<i>and eating is just too damn good</i>) . Above all I love food; I really do! And I absolutely love baking, so I figured I should share some of my favorite low-cal (a<i>nd some not-so-low cal but totally worth it</i>) or healthy recipes with you guys. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To kick off this section of the blog I decided on my most recent attempt: 100 cal brownies.. Yup you heard me! I got the recipe from <a href="http://www.thelondoner.me/2013/04/100-cal-chocofudge-brownies.html">The Londoner </a>blog and the moment I saw her pictures I HAD to try them... so I did! Are they good? Yes. Are they great? No, but they make the cut. They are pretty great for mid-week sweet craves and delicious heated up with a bit of low-cal protein based ice-cream (<i>post to come on those later, stay tuned!</i>). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think I over-cooked mine a little which might be why they weren't as fudgy as I expected, so keep a close eye (and ear) on that timer! Also, I substituted the low fat yogurt for greek fat free yogurt to make it completely fat-free. Also recommend adding some semi-sweet chocolate chips just for the sake of it. Try it yourself and let me know how it went! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Ingredients</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">3/4 cup Low fat yogurt (I used fat free greek)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">1/4 cup Skimmed milk (or almond/soy)</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">1/2 cup Cocoa powder</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">1/2 cup Wholegrain rolled oats (I used regular rolled oats)</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">1/2 cup sweetner of choice </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">1 free range egg</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">1 tsp Baking powder</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Pinch of salt</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">150g Roughly chopped pecans (or nuts of your choice) (I omitted these altogether)</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><u>Preparation</u></span></span><br />
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<li><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pre-heat your oven to 2400°F & grease a small baking tray (about 8in x 8in).</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Throw everything except the nuts into a blender. Blend until smooth. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pour into tray, scatter with nuts & bung it all into the oven for 20mins.</span></span></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqwEQcGPT3rdbOcd0GW3ggvq5zZZw_zDog7MoOpz_YfpksbKrh-cUQE9BbvJvQQyXthCvRCsiRPl745ghNcB8mIG6aT77lImA5kY90T_Xkji7tEKFaKnuZ2QWOT2DSgLZHiiMjGr4N3k5/s1600/IMG_1653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqwEQcGPT3rdbOcd0GW3ggvq5zZZw_zDog7MoOpz_YfpksbKrh-cUQE9BbvJvQQyXthCvRCsiRPl745ghNcB8mIG6aT77lImA5kY90T_Xkji7tEKFaKnuZ2QWOT2DSgLZHiiMjGr4N3k5/s320/IMG_1653.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">100 cal (2 WW points +) per brownie. Calorie count is based on cutting up 9 brownies. Without the nuts and fat free yogurt you can chop off some calories too - enough to add some chocolate chips! Also works well for a 6 muffin tin (small muffins, Vita-top style)</span><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span><br />
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Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09298531817986994165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8469941128798801750.post-29856477434187660202013-04-07T17:00:00.001-07:002013-04-07T17:00:13.292-07:00Messy good Sunday<br />
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I once read an interview where an actress (I can't remember who) said that when things in her life weren't good she would always tidy up her bed, but when things in her life were going well, she would allow herself not to make her bed for a day - just to celebrate that there is space for messy. So this is me, on a sunny spring sunday with a beautiful unmade bed! That's right, you heard me... a whole mess of duvet, pillows, sheets, and tedy bear, all intertwined because life is good. Fair enough it <i>was</i> laundry day and I just washed my sheets, but hey, the metaphor is still powerful! <div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheers to mess</td></tr>
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Part of the reason I am celebrating with my hurricane of a room is because Miami just gave me a day worth celebrating. Licoln road had a flea market today and that was where I headed right after not making my bed. The flea market itself was dreadful. Over priced not-do-great parafernalia scattered in 6 little booths. The fail of a market did not however spoil the amazing vibe at Lincoln today - packed as usual and just so much fun. Stopped at my usual go-tos: H&M and Forever 21 but had no amazing finds to boast about... next time maybe! I could have maybe found something if H&M decided to add some fitting rooms to their store, which would have allowed me to try some stuff on! Honestly people... the line was going around the <strike>racks</strike> corner, and that was not the first time I have seen this happen. Next time I'll post a picture I promise (its a given there will be a next time with the crazy <strike>brazilians </strike> crowds that place attracts). </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A 'small' cookie dough crunch frozen yogurt at Tasti - only 80 cal for the whole thing!!</td></tr>
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One absolutely MUST-taste while strolling around the area is Tasti's frozen yogurt. The place has over 100 unbelievable flavors and even more unbelievable, in a good way, calories. Flavors range from 70 - 100 cal for a small... that's a large in any normal person's standards (the one in the picture is a small!). I will leave this as my restaurant review for the day. </div>
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Anyone has tips for good finds at Lincoln road? Restaurants? I have some more I've been there but I'll hold the suspense... and save for later posts! Tata! </div>
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Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09298531817986994165noreply@blogger.com0