Posts tagged ‘protein’

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May 23rd, 2013

Gym Feelings & Quest Love

by Tiff

Happy Thursday!  I felt much better yesterday, which must have had something to do with all those well wishes.  Thanks a bunch!

Today is my leg day, but it’s nothing too crazy.  To be honest, I used to feel like this while working out (insert any BAMF here)…

but now I feel more like this – only not so tan.

fit

Okay – I don’t actually have  belly like that, but I’m just happy I held onto some of my old soccer shirts so that I don’t have to be shimmying into spandex every morning.  Ahhhh, yes – gotta love baggy clothes.  In case anyone was wondering, I’m actually more like this in the gym right now.  (I took this sneaky selfie yesterday to show the bump!)

bump

I worked out on my lunch break and had another spring salad afterwards.  I still got my protein for the day with protein oats for breakfast and a protein bar for snack, a Quest Nutrition protein bar to be exact.

Not tooooo long ago, Quest kindly sent me a mixed case of goodies to try, along with their new-ish pb cups, as part of their campaign with FitFluential.  I believe I mentioned receiving them, but now that I’ve tried more flavors, here are some thoughts.

brownie

I prefer the natural line, and so does my belly.  However, the others are good too.  My favorite of the original line is Chocolate Brownie, and my favorite of the natural line is Banana Nut Muffin, though Strawberry Cheesecake is quite tasty too.  I must admit, I’m not really a fan of the pb cups (die-hard Reese’s lover over here).

quest

They’ve got loads of protein, are incredibly low-carb, and are packed with fiber.  What’s not to love?

  • How do you feel in the gym, pic 1 or pic 2, or something in between?
  • What’s your favorite snack or meal bar?

Posted in Food | 19 Comments »

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May 21st, 2013

Motivation & ALT

by Tiff

Hello!  First up, big thanks to all the supportive comments on yesterday’s post.  I just had to put it out there, and I knew y’all would be accepting.  K, now moving on…

My morning workouts have been frustrating lately.  I usually roll out of bed and hit the gym – no question, just habit.  However, I’ve been laying in a bed lately debating with myself.

If I sleep in now, I can just do some stretching on my lunch break…. If it doesn’t rain later, I can get an outdoor walk in after work instead of a treadmill one this morning… I probably don’t NEED to work out as often, do I?…

You get the idea.  What’s up with all this dialogue?  Why the change?  Thank goodness, I’ve still been getting it done, and 90% of the time, once I actually get my butt to the gym, I have a pretty fabulous workout.  (kinda like my hilly 5k walk yesterday)

workout

But I suppose we all have times of motivation peak and pitfall, eh?  I’ve already written a post on motivation, so there’s no need to re-hash all that.  But I can say that what’s working for me now is just telling myself to go and give it 20 minutes.  Promise to give 20 minutes, and I bet you’ll probably end up completing a full (or nearly full) and stellar workout.

20

Speaking of workouts, have you heard of Larabar‘s latest creations?  They’re called ALT bars, and I was lucky enough to receive samples last week through my FitFluential family.  I love Larabars, so I was pretty pumped.

alt

The calories are close to regular Larabars, but there are 10g of pea protein in these babies.  What a great post-workout treat!

larabar

My only beef with these bars is the added brown rice syrup.  Larabars have never tried to be low-carb, which is fine by me because they get natural sweetness from fruits.  However, I just don’t think the added sweetness was necessary in these.

larabar

Nevertheless, they taste great!  I dug right into the lemon flavor first.  Major yum!  (And no, I’m not paid to say that.)

  • Have you tried Larabars or Alt bars?  Got a favorite flavor?
  • Does the 20-minute-trick work for you and your workouts?

Posted in Fitness, Food | 14 Comments »

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April 17th, 2013

Wimpy WIAW

by Tiff

There. I’m saying it. I’m a wimp. My pain tolerance is astonishingly low, or at least I assume it is. I went to urgent care yesterday before work on account of my very painful, tender, swollen right hand. Last weekend, I thought it was a spider bite, but since it has been over a week and was worse yesterday after using the elliptical on Monday, I thought maybe I had a fracture.

hand

Normal Hand vs Jacked Up Hand

Welp, the doc thinks it’s tendonitis, which I suppose makes sense. I just had no idea tendonitis hurt so badly! I can hardly take it, but I guess I don’t have much choice, do I? It grossed out my boss, so he told me to leave work early. haha

Time for WIAW!

Breakfast: rice cake and protein oats (pre-doctor visit)

eating

Snack: salt-free cottage cheese and half a gala apple

snack

Lunch: toast, 100-cal guac pack, boiled chicken breast, and veggies

lunch

Snack: I wanted two eggs and an orange, but my hand didn’t feel up to cooking.

quest

Snack: pre-workout snack (I did this Fitness Blender Barre Workout with minor hand/wrist modifications.)

snack

Dinner: Tiffos Rancheros

tiffos

Desser: frozen peas for the hand and frozen treat (strawberry ice cream) for the soul

  • Ever had tendonitis? Tips?

Posted in Food | 29 Comments »

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April 8th, 2013

Work Hard, Rest Hard

by Tiff

Word Hard, Play Hard.  That’s how the phrase goes, right?  Well, that’s not how it went down at my house.  Kevin and I worked hard all week, and then we rested hard… or at least a lot harder than we usually do.

I probably should have taken a rest day on Friday, but I didn’t realize it until I was already at the gym.  I powered through a hard workout, and then I kept the workouts light over the weekend, a three-mile walk Saturday and again on Sunday.

cleo      ooooo

Kevin, on the other hand, worked really hard at work.  The poor guy didn’t get home until 8:30 at night on Friday, and then he had to return to the office on Sunday.  Hmmm… I’m not too sure I like this new job of his.

Luckily we caught a break after Kevin returned from work Saturday.  We tried a new restaurant with another couple, and if you’re in the Charlotte area, I thoroughly recommend it.  It’s called Deejai Thai, and sadly I didn’t get a picture of my amazing panang curry.

cottage cheese

On Sunday, we had great weather, so I enjoyed a little rest n’ sunshine.  Of course, I later got to work in the kitchen.  Sunday fun-day turned into Sunday prep-day.

prep

At least part of my kitchen time paid off.  Mmmmm…. beeeeeef.

steak

Not a bad weekend!  Even with a the rest I got, I think I could still use a few more hours this morning.  Who’s with me?

  • Did you work hard, play hard, or rest hard this weekend?

Posted in Food | 19 Comments »

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March 5th, 2013

What’s Up Doc?

by Tiff

As promised, today I bring you muffins!  These are so carrot-packed, they remind me of this guy.  (Does that make them kid-friendly?)

bugsThese muffins are also super healthy, making them a perfect way to start your morning… or break up your afternoon and end your evening if you’re my husband.  He ate three on Sunday.

Yes, this would be the same hubby who doesn’t like sweets, so keep in mind that these are not super sweet bakery-style muffins.  They’re just plain good.

muffins

As you’ll notice, they also have an extra punch of protein and healthy fats.  Told ya they were healthy…

Carrot Raisin Muffins

Ingredients

  • runny chia or flax egg (1 TBS chia seeds & 3 TBS water)
  • 2 cups flour (I used 1 regular whole wheat and 1 whole wheat pastry flour.)
  • 2 scoops vanilla protein powder (I used Sunwarrior.)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger (heaping)
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 cups freshly grated carrots (fresh matters)
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/4 cup walnuts (or more if desired)
  • 1 cup milk (I used skim dairy, but almond would have been great too.)
  • 4 oz unsweetened applesauce
  • 2 TBS maple syrup
  • 1 TBS apple cider vinegar

Directions ~ makes 12 muffins

  1. In a medium bowl, make your runny chia egg and set aside.  Grate your carrots.  Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. In a second large bowl, mix the dry ingredients.  (flour through pumpkin pie spice)
  3. Return to the medium bowl, and add the remaining ingredients.  Mix gently.
  4. Add wet to dry, and stir until mixed.  Fill a greased muffin tin with the mixture.
  5. Bake at 350 F approximately 18-20 minutes, checking with a toothpick.
  6. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan about 10-15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

muffins

I hope you like them as much as I do!  According to my best estimation, they’re about 156 calories per muffin.

  • Baked anything good lately?  Would you eat a carrot muffin?

Posted in Food | 20 Comments »

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