Homemade Hummus

  So I shared this with one of my groups yesterday but it's so good I had to spread the love. Mediterranean foods have been linked to longer life spans and I love a good hummus but the really good ones can be a little expensive. So why not make your own... You can control how clean it is, what goes in it and it's cheaper...

 Homemade Hummus

Ingredients

• 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), reserve liquid
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• ¼ cup tahini (sesame butter)
• Sea salt (or Himalayan salt) (to taste; optional)
• Ground paprika (for garnish; optional) 

Instructions

1. Place chickpeas, lemon juice, oil, and garlic in food processor or blender and pulse until chickpeas are mashed.
2. Add tahini; pulse for 1 minute. If hummus is too thick, add some of the reserved chickpea liquid. Add salt, if desired.
3. Garnish with paprika, if desired.

Self Sabotage is a bitch

You ever get to a point in your weight loss journey where you are about to hit a milestone? A weight you haven't been in a year or more and you can literally taste it. But then something happens. Your period comes (sorry guys) and your an emotional wreck, all you want to do is eat chocolate, pizza and other comfort foods to make your raging hormones quiet down. Or something in your life goes wrong and it sends you on an emotional junk food bender or your just plain craving junk food...you don't know why...and you can't stop yourself. And there it goes, that milestone that you were so close to...... yet again.

That is where I am right now, I am about to hit a weight I haven't been in almost a year. I am hoping I will hit it in the morning but it may take until Friday to get there. Either way, I have reached this point a few times over the last 9 months or so and every time something happens and I throw it all away..yet again.

Did you know that's called self sabotage? One my many character flaws :) And it doesn't help that as you lose weight your body is working against you to hold on to that fat. There are physiological reasons why it gets harder and harder to lose weight dating back to the beginning of time for survival reasons...but i won't get into that because that shit will bore you.,,,lol

But there is also a psychological component as well that most of us don't even recognize. Right now even though I know I am about to hit this milestone, I have wanted junk food all day and I have felt a little like crying because I won't give in... I want to emotionally eat because I am going through something and the fact that I won't give in to what my body is used to is making me weepy.... Our hormones are run by the devil I swear....lol

Anyways, I am sort of rambling. I guess what I am saying is for some reason this time I recognized the pattern and I am fighting like hell to not give in, to break the cycle and self sabotage no more...

Sorry for the long post...I hope that helped someone...

Workout Wednesday

Happy Workout Wednesday. I have absolutely fallen in love with several of these moves. One because they are killer and two because they work my favorite body parts, abs and glutes. I mean you gotta work that summer bum right...lol

Now for the Goblet squats pic a good weight to work that bum 20 pounds and up. For the single leg squats you can drop to a 10-15lbs weight, you can use this same weight for the weighted bridge...man that one really works the glutes. Lie down on the floor with knees bent, feet flat on the floor, extend one leg and place weight across your pelvis, dig your heels in and lift into a bridge using those glutes. Remember to use control when coming back to the starting position.

For the in and out knee crunches sit on the floor or bench, lean back, place your hands on the floor by your hips, lift your legs, slightly bend your knees and pull them in and push them out. The single leg lift crunch sort of works the same except your lying completely on the floor and as you crunch up you lift one leg and reach for your chins or toes, then alternate legs. Enjoy  :)

Transformation requires change

I have decided to drop a few things from my diet again. I have put the good old trusty, dusty sweet potato hash back into rotation...OMG!!! I forgot how much I loved this recipe. I love it because it is 100% clean, from the natural goodness of the carbs from the sweet potatoes (which don't be fooled ladies, your body needs carbs) to the fresh kale and spinach, my eggs over medium and all natural ground turkey mixed in. This is a protein packed delicious breakfast treat and I've switched back to black coffee. You know if you have a good coffee blend it tastes really good without all the added chemicals from sugar free creamers etc.

 Now those are all changes I have made as personal choice. I know in order to continue to transform my body I have to be willing to give up things along the way that could cause or contribute to a plateau or a stall in gains.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not 100% willing at this moment. I actually threw an internal temper tantrum about having to change my coffee this morning. I wasn't happy about it at all. But that's human nature...we don't like change and we don't like to give up things that give us pleasure. Even if that pleasure is an illusion. The illusion being that artificially sweetened creamer creates a chemical reaction in your body that makes you feel good or happy. But we shouldn't rely on food to have those emotions....but that's a totally different topic. Anyways, transformation isn't easy, it's a conscious effort and decision to do something different over and over again.....even before it starts to feel good.

Happy Transformation Tuesday.

Limits

Happy Sunday, it's a little gloomy here so it's the perfect day to stay in and get ready for the upcoming week. Meal prep, planning, scheduling workouts and writing them out. I am such a weirdo, I love making lists and one of my favorite things to do is to write down what my workouts will be for the coming week. I love to do it after a really good workout too.

I know that I want with every fiber of my being to be stronger and fitter and I want you to be able to look at me and tell how hard I work. So every workout i write out for myself i do with that in mind, knowing that this week I want to run faster and conquer a new hill. I want to lift heavier with improved form. I want to work those parts of my body that I love to work so much, like; my legs, chest, glutes and my arms. I know what I want my body to look like and I want to push for it every single day and i want to push harder than I did the day before. Run faster, run on a higher incline, lift heavier, do body weight workouts that are super challenging that increase my performance and I want my nutrition to support those goals.

That's why prep days are so cathartic for me. I get to schedule my workouts, plan my meals and everything else I try to work around that. I guess I am saying all of this to say take a few minutes today and think about what you want for next week. I know I want to push my body to it's limits and beyond all week long so that on the weekend when I am out and about I can move with pride and confidence because of my accomplishments. Or to fit better into that one or two favorite weekend outfits I like to wear. Or so when I look at my naked body in the mirror before my shower I see the changes and how far I've come. Once you've experienced those feelings, you want it all of the time. Happy Sunday, now after church go meal prep.

Healthier Cookie Dough

THIRSTY THURSSSSDDDAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY!!!!
You know I love my treats. Given that I am just getting back from a mini vacay and my husband's simple carbs and sugars got me I have to have something to wean myself back off that nonsense that taste just as good but is better for my waistline and goals.
So today's faux cheat God-send is:
Shakeology Cookie Dough...YUUUUUUPPPPPP!!!! Healthy cookie dough yo :D

How it's done;
1 Packet of Vanilla Shakeology
1/3 cup of Peanut or Almond butter
1/4 tsp of Vanilla Extract
1 Tablespoon of Organic Extra Virgin Coconut oil
1/4 cup of Chocolate chips (dark or semi sweet)
Sea Salt to taste

Mix it all together and slap yourself because it's real...Healthier cookie dough :D Enjoy
Fun Fact: Shakeology Formulators are switching the sweeteners in it's formula from Agave to Organic Cane Sugar. Because it contains no harsh chemicals, or harsh herbicides and Cane sugar contains 17 amino acids (the building blocks of muscle) 11 minerals and 6 Vitamins. Other companies can try to copy or offer lesser value shakes but can they back up the value of their ingredients with proven facts and science...that's the question. What goes into my body matters.. #thirstythursday #superfoods

Peanut butter cups that aren't bad for you.

If you like peanut butter cups, here's a recipe to use if you're in need of something that tastes like a cheat
Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
(Makes 14 servings, 1 each)
Total Time: 15 min.
Prep Time: 15 min.
½ cup finely chopped raw mixed nuts (like walnuts, pecans, or almonds)
½ cup Chocolate Vegan Shakeology
½ cup organic old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup all-natural smooth peanut butter
3 Tbsp. raw honey
1. Combine nuts, Shakeology, and oats in a medium bowl; mix well.
2. Add peanut butter and honey; mix well with a rubber spatula or clean hands.
3. Roll dough in balls about 2 Tbsp. each.




Calories: 122 per serving

Workout Wednesday

The wise words of Eminem...

Happy Monday, I woke up this morning thinking....Never underestimate your ability to do anything you want to do. I know that can be hard sometimes with how daunting things can seem but, you really can do anything you train to do.

Years ago when I first fell in love with the idea of doing races it started with just an admiration for the women that did them. I always looked at them in awe. Wondering how they did it, wishing I was as awesome but then brushing it off with...maybe someday, not really believing that I could do it. But something changed in my life and I was put in a position to be surrounded by women that made me feel like I could and the more I was around them, the more I believed I could, the more I believed I could, the more I wanted it and so I started training. I started with poor training but the belief needed and over the years my training has improved and my belief has grown bigger and so have the races.

 

 Since then I have done; two half marathons, competed in a figure competition, done a triathlon and run the Peachtree road race and loved every minute of it. This year, I will be running the Peachtree again, doing my second figure competition, my second triathlon at an Olympic level this time and taking on the challenge of training for my first full Marathon.  The sheer thought of how far I have come brings me to tears. This is the person I have always wanted to be. I am a true testament to the old adage " you can do anything you set your mind to". It's true, it's real, and all you need is the belief, a plan, support and to get out there and freakin' train. Have a happy Monday and don't sell yourself short....EVER :)

Workout Wednesday

Happy Workout Wednesday, as you know I am getting ready for my race and I have been doing some speed and conditioning work. One of the workouts I designed for myself is this little treadmill gem I am sharing with you. It has really taught me to push myself to get a faster base pace in turn helping me burn more calories and spending more time in the high intensity zone. On the second round if you can you should try to beat your time from the first round.

This next 10lbs

Happy Sunday y'all, you know I was just thinking about goals today and yesterday as it is a new month. I am down 10.4 pounds as of the last time I weighed and I was thinking what that meant for my journey. That means that the next 10 pounds is going to be a huge deal for me. This next 10lbs will completely change my body. It will be during this next 10lb weight loss that the people that I am around daily will start to notice. I will officially go from medium/large (depending on the cut) to medium/small. It will take this next layer of fat off of my body exposing more of the muscle I have built. This next 10lbs will take me from borderline overweight to looking pretty fit. But that is only if I don't give up.

I would be lying if I said this isn't going to be hard or daunting. I would be lying if I said I won't want to give up or quit. I mean let's face it, this shit is hard, it has it's emotional ups and downs and it's not going to be easy. I am going to have those days where I don't want to push myself, I don't want to workout or eat right. I will have days where I just don't want to fight for this anymore and I just want to stop trying and eat what I want. There will be tears and feelings of despair and defeat. But that is when I have to remember my "WHY". Why am I doing this? Why am I fighting so hard to change when the results are so slow? Why do I care? Because even though it's hard, even though it sucks some days, even though I feel like I am never going to get there..... I will and I am happier trying than I am when I have given up. Plain and simply there is by far more joy in my life when I am eating right and working out. The journey is so much more rewarding than hitting the finish line. I know that sounds like bullshit but think back to the last time you had given up....how happy were you? So I look at this next 10lb journey as a possible spiritual, learning experience. The first 10lbs already taught me so much about my body and what works best for it. Now this 10 can teach me more about myself on a deeper more spiritual level. It sounds crazy doesn't it, but think about it. To get past all of the desires to give up I am going to have to tap into something on a much deeper level within me to keep going. Which means getting real with myself about who I am and who I want to be. Anyways, I am rambling. I guess my point is for me to focus on the journey at this stage and what it can teach me along with what it will mean for my fitness level and outward appearance. So get deep with yourself today, what does your goal for April mean to you in every aspect of your life and connect to your "why" for doing this so on those days when your mentally, physically and emotionally tired of the ups and downs of this journey you can push through....at least until the next day. Happy Sunday.