My attempt at a Protein Powder Microwave Mug Cake

 I am not prepping for a competition so sweets aren't off limits for me however I practice clean eating as my lifestyle NOT just when prepping for a competition. 

 

I made my family a nice dinner tonight which included a cake for dessert. I do make healthy meals but I don't expect my family to eat as strict as I do. Also I have a gluten allergy so I almost always have to prepare some different foods. 

 So any, I was really in the mood for something sweet and didn't want to drink a protein shake so I came up with this recipe: 

Ingredients:

1-1 1/2 scoop(s) UMP protein powder any flavor (I used Rocky Road) I used a digital food scale = 45 grams 

1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder 

1 tsp sugar or sugar substitute (I used Equal) 

1/4 tsp baking soda 

1 egg white 

1 tbsp peanut butter 

Add water until reaches a batter consistency. 

Instructions:

Mix all the dry ingredients in a mug (protein powder, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt) with a fork until well blended and there are no clumps. Add in the egg and water and mix until smooth. Drop the peanut butter into the center of the chocolate mixture and press down to submerge. Microwave for around 1-2.5 minutes on high (give or take some time depending on your microwave), but watch it! It will start to bubble over the top. If this happens, stop microwaving, press batter back into mug with fork, and continue microwaving. When finished, cake should be cooked but still very moist. It is okay if not all the batter has cooked! 

 Very yummy and a nice clean treat!! 

Happy Eating! 

Monica 

This is my mug cake after it was cooked! Yummy!! 

What does the bible say about being fit?

 I've been a Christian since I was 6. I've been closer to God than I've ever imagined yet at times strayed away. Never once did The Lord leave me. I chose to live apart from Him. God always seeks us out. Longs for us to spend time with Him. He loves us even when we aren't lovable. 

Over the years of my life, as I've grown and gone through different stages, I've always wondered if God supported different choices that I made. Never has that been more true than when I  began modeling and then later competing in NPC Bikini competitions. 

 The bible is filled with scripture that tells us that God desires for us to be healthy. 

Proverbs 31:17 ESV

She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.

 

 The one above is a favorite of mine as of late. Mostly because I'm working on growing my biceps! 

1Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV 

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 

What is your favorite scripture that talks about health or fitness? 

The alarm clock!

Blogger asked me the question this morning, "Do I think a person is being lazy when they hesitate before hitting the snooze button on their alarm clock?"

Well little did I realize that this is a somewhat sensitive subject for me.. This is my response:

I think that when I hesitate before hitting the snooze button that I am actually not being lazy. I am trying to negotiate with in my own mind whether it is worth it to get the extra time to sleep and having less time to be ready versus getting up and ready with the regular amount of time.  This is a daily battle as I am NOT a morning person! I dislike the cold air that hits my feet as I rise out of bed. I dislike waiting for the coffee pot to deliver that hot drink that finally brings me to the point of half awake..(I know, I know, I am supposed to be into health, I need one cup of coffee first thing in the morning to get me going.. It is my one vice!) I dislike that I am not a morning person.

 Each day I try to persuade myself to just get up when the alarm goes off. I know every night when I set the alarm on my phone that I am NOT going to get up when it goes off.. Yet to my husband's dismay I still set it for 5:45 A.M. I know that I will hit the snooze button once and then again maybe once more. Would this annoy me if the roles were reversed? Most likely.. But I swear I have good intentions. It is amazing to me that someone like me that is so good at setting goals and reaching them when it comes to my health simply cannot conquer the beast of the snooze button each morning.

 So instead I think of all the reasons it isn't my fault... Maybe alarms shouldn't have a snooze button. After all if no one created it, I wouldn't be tempted to use it. This excuse fails because people make donuts yet I choose to not eat them. I digress. So this brings me to the reason that snooze buttons were invented.  It seems that in 1959 someone from Westclox decided that alarm clocks weren't actually intended to wake people up.  So they added a snooze button. Makes perfect sense right? NOT!

 Since I like to focus on things that make our lives healthier, I decided to do a little research on whether or not the snooze button is unhealthy. Turns out that hitting the snooze button itself has no health risks.. Big shocker! Ha. The result of the snooze button though can affect your health in a negative way. When the alarm goes off and you hit snooze, you actually cause your sleep cycle to be disrupted. A disrupted sleep cycle IS a DANGER to your health. It is better to allow yourself to sleep through to the point that you know you have to get up rather than have the alarm go off every 9 minutes until you drag yourself out of bed. Studies show that using the snooze button can actually leave you feeling more tired than if you just forced yourself out of bed.

 Upon learning this new information, I am going to make a concerted effort to get up when my alarm goes off.. To not hit the snooze button, no matter how much it pains me.. Are ya with me?

Have a great day y'all! Do your best to make healthy choices today! 

Love and Peace 

M 

Amazing deals to help with your journey to a healthier you!

I have noticed some really amazing deals lately that I wanted to pass on to everyone. These deals will definitely help in your pursuit to a healthier you!

 

One such deal is actually at a store that I don't typically purchase my workout clothing from, however the items I found were too cute to pass up! At my local Kohl's department store in the Junior's section I found some really funky workout tops.

This one was my absolute favorite. They also have several that have cute sayings about running. While I do love to run, my real passion is in lifting weights so I tend to lean towards those types of sayings. 

These shirts are originally $15.99 at Kohl's. I used my Kohl's card which gave me another 15% off so I ended up getting it for 11.99. Not bad for a workout top that is also CUTE! Yay girl power! :-) 

 After I went shopping at the local store I was curious about what else Kohl's had to offer online. As usual I WAS not disappointed! Check out these super cute shirts available on WWW.kohls.com for less that $10 each! 

 Aren't these adorable and very affordable! 

Another great deal that I found recently while surfing the web is actually available at a fellow blogger's page. This woman is an inspiration to me because she is a Momma and a figure competitor. Her Facebook page is Busy Mom Gets Fit. This gal really has her stuff together! She offers 12 week workout plans on her we page that are catered to either working out at home or the gym. These plans only cost $24.95! That's a steal at $2.07 a week. Definitely check her out even if it is just for some motivation. Her page is :

WWW.busymomgetsfit.com

Happy Shopping y'all! 

In the beginning..

Let me begin this post by saying that I am not a doctor nor do I have extensive background in nutrition. Unless of course having an eating disorder for 15 years and memorizing every nutritional value known to man counts.. I digress.. 

 Seriously though, when I first began lifting I just wanted to change my shape. I wanted to get back in to my clothing, be able to wear a bikini again after having my babies and last but not least look good naked for my husband.  Little did I know that I was beginning a journey that would change my life forever.  A journey that has not only brought me to some of my weakest moments but also my proudest!

 My husband purchased a gym membership for me as a requested gift for my birthday. I started going to the gym 3 days a week and using the cardio equipment. After a couple of weeks of doing this, I decided to be brave and sign up for the free training classes that were offered at the gym. Most gyms charge $40 an hour and up to train with a personal trainer. I'm blessed to belong to one that does not charge. You simply sign up and arrive at the designated time.  I met with Billy the first time and she showed me the ropes.. After that one meeting, the fire for lifting was re-ignited in me. (On a side note, I lifted during high school but stopped because of some ridicule for how muscular my legs became). Funny how women are so easily swayed away from being muscular! 

 Fast forward 3 years.. I found myself not happy with the rate that my body was changing. I had definitely built muscle but I wasn't losing fat as I wanted. At least not at the rate that I wanted. I contacted the trainer at my gym and asked about getting on a meal plan. Easy enough right? Whoa. I had no idea how much of my life was about to change. 

 It took a couple weeks to get myself totally on the meal plan. There were many choices that I thought I was making previously that seemed healthy yet after I saw the numbers on paper I was shocked. Apples are good. Peanut butter is good. The two combined in excess.. Not so much.. Healthy fats are important and so is fruit. However, healthy fats should be eaten in MODERATION. Fruit should be eaten at certain times during the day to ensure that it is metabolized properly. 

 Sounds confusing huh? Well it was at first. To be the most clear about it, clean eating is basically consuming food in it's most natural state. 

(I'll include a beginner's list of clean eating below) This is how my journey to competing began. I was amazed by how quickly my body changed WHEN I began feeding it properly! Truly the changes happened SO fast! I won't lie. At first it was tough. I wanted to go back to my go to snack of pretzels and string cheese and my "healthy" snack of apples with peanut butter and caramel! Ha! Right?! Everyone knows that peanut butter is an addiction that cannot be contained! But seriously, peanut butter isn't bad. Moderation is key! Fast forward 1 year and 6 months, I've competed in 4 bikini competitions, 3 that were NPC sanctioned. I've done decently although I've also been dead last. That's okay to me though. I've gotten better each and every time. When I step on stage next time, I'll be even better. This is a journey to me. A long time coming. I've only discovered a truly healthy relationship with food in the last 4-5 years. 

More on that later! 

Beginner's food list for clean eating: 

Whole wheat bread

Whole wheat tortillas

Whole wheat wraps 

Ezekiel Bread

Steel cut Oats or old fashioned oats 

Brown rice 

Quinoa

Rice Cakes - original size, not mini

Boneless skinless chicken 

99% lean ground chicken

99% lean ground turkey 

Very lean red meat

Grass fed beef

Tilapia

Cod

Salmon

Greek yogurt

High fiber veggies (Easy to determine, take the carbs in a veggie and compare to the fiber. If the fiber is half or more than half, it is high fiber)

Spinach 

Broccoli 

Green Romaine

Kale

Cilantro

Olive oil

Coconut oil 

Avocado

Strawberries

Blueberries

Blackberries 

Apples

Bananas

Edamame 

Black beans

Navy beans

Garbanzo beans 

Almonds

Pistachios 

Almond butter

Egg whites 

A minimum of one gallon of water a day 

I'm sure I've left some items off. I'll add them in once I go through my notes. 

Happy clean eating! 

This is me.. Today.. As I begin this journey..

Competition prep... Again..

Here I am again.. At the beginning of competition prep. This is the longest I've ever given myself to prep. 14 weeks. I'm hoping that since I'm tapering off a little slower this time with caloric intake and have been doing HIIT and fasted morning cardio that this will be a much more successful prep than I've experienced before. I have spent the last 2.5 months gaining weight and lifting heavy in an attempt to put on lean muscle mass. My hope is that as I lean out the improvements I have made will be clearly evident. So, for now I am excited and energized as I am halfway through my first day of prep for the Fall competition season. We shall see what the future weeks hold. 

XO

Nic