End of Week 13 And Other Updates

It seems like forever since I have posted a weekly update. Between home and work, it's been so busy. I get home from work and don't even want to look at a computer. And the past few weekends have been packed.

One weekend we painted both kids' bedrooms - I let the kids pick what colors they wanted. My son wanted black, but I talked him into gray. He ended up choosing a color called "Platinum". It actually turned out really nice. It's a gray with a bluish undertone. My daughter, on the other hand, chose a color called "Rosy Cheeks". It really should have been called "Strawberry Milkshake" because that's exactly what it looks like. I don't know if I could sleep in her room, but she really seems to like it. :)

Then another weekend I ran in a St. Patty's Day 5K. I'm a little out of practice, but I came in a fairly respectable 88th out of 327 in my age division. I was hoping to make it under 30 minutes, but there were 3 pretty big hills I had not anticipated, and ended up with a time of 30:43.

I've also been reading like crazy, which cuts down on my computer time. I recently read all 5 of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books (loved them), then I read Christopher Pikes' Thirst No. 1: The Last Vampire, Black Blood, Red Dice (just OK, will probably read Thirst No. 2 eventually), and I just started Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith (and Jane Austen). So far it seems pretty funny. Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite books so I am getting a kick out of reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

Today is the last day of Week 13 in the program I am using (the one from the Precision Nutrition forums). I am in Phase 4, which is supposed to be more of a fat burning phase. The problem is, the strength training part of the workouts takes me so long, I don't have time to do the recommended cardio. I recently began to look over my Turbulence Training workouts because I have an event I would like to attend in about 5 weeks and really need to lose a little fat! :)

However, when I went to the grocery store yesterday, I picked up the March/April issue of Muscle and Fitness Hers magazine and there on the cover was "Bikini Ready in Just 4 Weeks!" So I looked it over and it looks like a solid workout. It's circuit training 4 days a week, with other cardio on the remaining days. I plan to complete Week 14 to end Phase 4, and then I think I am going to start the "Bikini Ready" program. I'll let you know how it goes!

If you're still with me here after all my rambling (thanks!), I wanted to let you know I may not be posting very much in the near future. Things have been pretty busy, and will remain that way for the next few months. I hope to pop in when I can! :)

Have a great week!

Tasty Tuesday - French/Catalina Dressing

I really like French/Catalina Dressing, but it's often filled with sugar. This recipe is adapted from Dana Carpender's 500 More Low Carb Recipes. I took out the Splenda, which I don't use so much anymore, and used an organic agave-sweetened ketchup and a few packets of Stevia. This dressing is quite flavorful, thick and rich. I only use about a tablespoon at a time and that's enough for 2-3 cups of salad greens. If you want a thinner dressing, you could add more vinegar or lemon juice.

French/Catalina Dressing

2 Tablespoons minced red onion or shallot
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons ketchup (preferably low sugar)
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
4-5 packets Stevia
dash sea salt (please don't leave this out)

1. Blend everything in a food processor until mixed. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge.

Sorry for the bad picture. Dressing isn't very photogenic. ;)


This will make about 1 and 1/2 cups (24 Tablespoons). Each Tablespoon will have approximately:

60 calories
0g protein
5.8g fat
2.2g carbs
0.2g fiber

Enjoy! (Sparingly!) :)

Tasty Tuesday - Chocolate Tofu Mousse

This recipe was created when the kids were asking for chocolate pudding and I looked around the kitchen to see what I had on hand. It makes a nice and light chocolate dessert. Plus, it's super easy to make!

Chocolate Tofu Mousse

12 oz package lite silken tofu
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk
2 packets Stevia
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Blend all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor for several minutes until light and fluffy, stopping and scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary. Just when you think it's done, let it blend a little longer. :)

2. Pour into 4 pudding dishes. Each serving will be about 1/2 cup.


Each 1/2 cup serving will have approximately:

66 calories
8.5g protein
1.8g fat
4.0g carbs
2.1g fiber


Enjoy!

Almost Forgot!

I almost forgot to mention that through this Thursday, you can get a free 21 day Easy Veggie Meal Plans Detox Diet when you purchase the Easy Veggie Meal Plans System here ==> Easy Veggie Meal Plans

I am considering giving it a try. I don't normally go for "detox" diets because I like to think I can just eat healthy. But too many of those candy-coated-chocolate-peanut candies have been sneaking their way into my diet. LOL So we'll see. Maybe I'll just try to stop eating the candy. ;)




Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase the product, I will receive a small portion. I don't get paid for reviews, and I only review items that I actually own.

Tasty Tuesday - Buckwheat Pancakes

We eat pancakes for dinner quite often, and there are many different kinds I like to make. These have a really nice texture and flavor. And, the kids love them! :)

This recipe is adapted from The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook.

Buckwheat Pancakes

dry ingredients:
1 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

wet ingredients:
1 + 1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk (plain or vanilla)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 Tablespoon extra virgin coconut oil, melted
1 Tablespoon pancake syrup (I used sugar free)

Optional:
1/2 cup blueberries
extra cinnamon

1. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl. Place almond milk and lemon juice in a small bowl. Add the remaining wet ingredients.

2. Pour wet ingredients into dry, and blend. Let sit for a few minutes while you heat up your griddle. Spray a little nonstick spray on the griddle, or grease with coconut oil.

3. Drop batter onto griddle with a tablespoon (one tablespoon per pancake). The batter will spread out. Place a few blueberries on the pancake at this time (if using).

4. When edges are dry and the pancake is bubbly, flip and cook on the other side. Sprinkle with extra cinnamon, if desired.


I made 16 pancakes. Without the blueberries, each has approximately:

47 calories
1.5g protein
1.6g fat
7.1g carbs
1.1g fiber