Changes and Snow White Oatmeal

Hello again to whoever is out there!

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 :)

Life in general 
I switched jobs not once, but twice, in a span of less than 2 months. 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 loving what I do once again.

Nutrition 
Now, as with every big life change (at least for me), my fitness and diet had a bit of ups and downs. But you know what? That was great! I learned a lot as far as what works and what doesn't for my body.

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 doesn't work for me. 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 that hard! Especially during the transition phase.

I joined weight watchers. Yep, I know. I'm opening myself up for criticism here, I know I am not overweight but portion control and moderation have always been an issue for me and the WW system helped me re-build a healthy relation with the foods I love. 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.

Also, it's important to note that I used WW in addition to my knowledge 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, I don't mean getting skinnier, I mean getting leaner! 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.

Last, but definitely not least, I noticed that depriving myself during the week and splurging during the weekends was doing me more harm than good (thanks to my favorite brazilian fellow blogger Gabriela Pugliessi from @ tips4life for drilling that into my head through her posts and IG account).

Fitness
With all the changes in my work life I have to admit my workouts kind of fell through the cracks - 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 workout schedule just kind of fell into place. I understood that my 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.


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 because I love it, not to lose weight. The feeling of getting stronger and better is sufficient reward. Most importantly though, I'm going through the never-ending learning process of what works for my body (you noticed I always italicized that... that's to emphasize it works for me but it won't necessarily work for everyone) and I strongly encourage everyone to embark on this journey - with or without me. Do it for you!


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).


SNOW WHITE OATS


Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup of oats
• 1/3 cup of coconut almond mik (or milk of choice)
• 2/3 cups of water
• 1 tsp of Chia seeds
• Stevia to taste 
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 apple
• 2 tbsp of PB2
• Stevia sweetened Chocolate Chips

Preparation:

1. In a bowl combine oats, milk, water, chia and stevia
2. Microwave for 6 min on low power (50%) (crucial for creaminess and deliciousness) Keep an eye out so it doesn't overflow, seriously.
3. 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.
4. Remove bowl from microwave, top with pb2, try to wait for it to cool down  (this is the hardest part) and enjoy!

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!!

Nutritional info without PB2 and choc chips:

Breakfast Bonanza - Blueberry Bliss Protein Pancakes

Well, hello there! Please forgive me for my extended absence (erm...again) 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 probably one of the best recipes I have tried in a while. Notice I said RECIPE, pure and simple, not CLEAN, just recipe, which oh so happens to be clean - I just love these fabulous coincidences of life! Don't you? :) 

Before I get to the good (delicious, mind blowing) stuff, I will just give you a quick assessment of my progress so far: amazing! I mean it, feeling better than ever (I've said that before but worth emphasizing), 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 energy levels and resistance are waaaaay up there - I am getting stronger and I love it! 

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 take baby steps 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 eating every 3 hours, focusing on proteins and carbs (yes, I now know carbs are my friends and they won't hurt me! haha) and I'm never hungry. 

I am thinking of posting up some of my exercise plans here as well, what do you guys think? Also have a pretty cool product list of grocery items I found in my quest that are guaranteed to keep you happily (and tasty-ly) on a clean and healthy plan that I'm planning on posting soon (reviews included). 

OK, enough with the rambling. Ladies and Gentlemen, I now present you - The glorious Blueberry Protein Pancakes! 

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup of Oats

1/2 Ripe Banana

1/2 tablespoon of baking powder

1/2 scoop vanilla whey

2 egg whites

1/4 cup Greek yogurt (no fat)

Stevia

1/2 cup of blueberries (or filling of choice) 

Preparation 

1. Blend all ingredients, except the blueberries, in a blender until smooth. 

2. Incorporate the blueberries to the batter. 

3. grill them as regular pancaked in a coated skillet (I coated mine with coconut oil spray). They cook fast, so you'll probably only need about 30-45 sec. on each side. 

4. For frosting: a bit of vanilla whey, vanilla extract, Greek yogurt (no fat)  stevia and a dash of unsweetened almond milk mixed together.

They're panCAKES, so cutting like a cake made perfect sense! 

Note: You can substitute the vanilla whey for other flavors, same for the blueberries. Get creative! Also, to save you time in the morning, mix the dry ingredients the night before 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. 

On the macros note the ridiculous amount of protein and the laughable amount of fat. IHOP's got some serious competition. 

ENJOY! =D