I'm Back! And, it's WIAW!!

I’m back and it’s already Wednesday. There is a lot to catch up on (like a recap of the show (and post-show treats), a quick trip to Vegas, the countdown to the next show, and potential plans for another show), but for now, it’s WIAW :)

With so much going on and little time to prep and prepare, my meal plan this week has been pretty simple, but really delicious! Here it is in pictures:

 

 

A description of each from left to right, top to bottom:

M1: Buckwheat and barley crockpot porridge topped with coconut butter

 

M2: Yam, oats and spinach baked with egg whites and topped with coconut butter

 

M3: Spinach salad with tilapia, yams, veggies and hemp hearts

 

M4: Broccoli slaw salad with avocado and sriracha sauce

 

M5: Chicken and brown rice with Greek salad and lemon dill yogurt sauce and Udo’s oil

 

M6: Greek yogurt mixed with chocolate casein and topped with raspberries and a “chocolate sauce” made of (pasteurized) egg whites and cocoa powder

 

The only thing not pictured are my pre-work out chocolate muffins which I eat out of my purse, on the bus, with my dirty bus fingers :(, on my way to the gym in between meals 4 and 5. Fine dining at it’s best.

 

Even though the overall components are quite basic, I tried to vary the proteins, carbs and healthy fats across the day while also balancing each macro within each meal (although some meals are more carb heavy while others are more protein heavy). What I eat and when is really dictated by my training schedule and needs. As I have only 18 more days before the next show (!!), and want to build and fill out my muscles, I am really focusing on getting the right amount of protein and carbs throughout the day, especially pre- and post-workout. I need these babies to grow!

And just because it is sooooo amazing, and raspberries are so delicious right now, here’s the recipe for the yogurt and raspberry snack:

 

Chocolate Covered Raspberries and Yogurt

 

Ingredients (for 1 serving):

• 15g (half a scoop) chocolate casein protein powder
• 1 TBSP cocoa powder
• 2 TBSP pasteurized egg whites 
• ½ cup non-fat Greek yogurt
• Raspberries (or any other fruit or nut topping)

Directions:

1. Combine the protein powder with the cocoa powder.
2. To make the chocolate sauce, mix 1 tablespoon of the protein powder and cocoa powder with the egg whites in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. In a serving bowl, combine the remaining protein powder and cocoa powder with the yogurt.
4. Top yogurt mixture with the raspberries and drizzle chocolate sauce on top. Note: If the chocolate sauce gets too thick, add a little bit of water to thin out.
5. Enjoy :)

 XOXO

J

This. Is. It. Peak Week, Show Prep and Post-Show Treats

This is it. Peak week has flown by— fast! I can’t believe that it’s only one more sleep away. While there were some modifications with my training and diet, they probably weren’t what you’d expect (I was surprised!) and they weren’t that bad. Training wise, the only changes were no more cardio after Tuesday (whoo hoo!) and reordering the days of my workouts, all of which resulted in a final legs and abs workout Friday morning. Easy peasy. Knowing it was the final workout, I curled, squatted, and pressed the $#!% out of my legs- and it felt good.

Food plan wise, there were very minimal changes to my diet. The biggest difference was the INCREASE in my calories consumed (mainly carbs and fats). An increase!! And, not just once, but twice. Of course, this wasn’t a dramatic addition, and pretty much amounted to an extra wedge of yam, but still, more is more and I’ll take it. The only other alterations I have made have been keeping food choices simple (think yams, tilapia, and asparagus), balancing every meal (with carbs, fats and protein) and making a real effort to eat every 2 hours (to keep that metabolism up). I have also been super diligent about keeping hydrated.

While I am keeping my food choices simple (which mainly just helps me plan, buy and prep what I need), I am also trying to be creative where I can and using the healthy fats to switch things up. Here’s what I have been able to come up with so far:

For my Friday workout:

Pre-workout: Oats, protein powder and egg white pancake

Post-workout: Oat, yam, egg, spinach and protein powder pancake topped with coconut oil (this, was delicious!)

Other meals throughout the day:

 

Yam and egg white pancake with green beans and chili flakes topped with avocado (again, delicious!)

Spinach and cucumber salad with tilapia and hemp hearts and Udo’s oil dressing

Egg whites with asparagus and yams, topped with coconut butter (which is seriously amazing)

 Pretty much, everything since then has been some sort of combination of the core foods: yams, tilapia and asparagus with different healthy fats (I have many to choose from- avocado, almonds, hemp hearts, Udo’s oil, coconut butter… the list just keeps on going and each can be used to add such a different twist to the dish).

Today was the NPAA Athletes meeting. 

 

It’s an opportunity for all the athletes competing in the show to check-in (I’m #9!), get more detailed information about the show and pick up some cool swag. For me, it was also an opportunity to meet up with the other girls on the team competing in the show.

I’m so excited to be sharing this experience with these amazing ladies. Seriously, to be standing on stage next to each of them is such an honour. I can’t wait.

At the meeting today, I also learned more about the NPAA (Natural Physiques and Athletics Association). What a great organization! I am so happy I decided to compete in this show. Not only did they create an association with an all-natural and holistic approach to competing and healthy living, but Kevin and Wendy are very just endearing individuals. You could tell they really care about the athletes and creating an enjoyable experience for everyone. I am really looking forward to the show tomorrow, and am even excited for my husband and sister who will be watching as it seems there are even some special treats in store for the audience! NPAA has really created such a positive and warm environment to compete in.      

After the meeting, we had some extra time, so the Mr. and I headed over the Steveston for some lunch and just to spend some time together. What a beautiful day down at the water and what a great opportunity to sit back and enjoy some quality time together. Things have been pretty intense and busy lately, so having this break was nice J

Then it was on to tanning. After going through all of this (the training, the sweating, the check in pictures, and now the tanning) I have no modesty left. Hahaha. I can assure you that every square inch, every square inch, of my body was sprayed (my coach even had to left up my bum cheeks to get under there!). The colour is ridiculous (too ridiculous for pictures), but does look good and does make the muscles pop just that much more. I also know that once on stage and under all the lights it won’t look as crazy. In person though, it’s crazy. I’ve already smudged my chest a bit (stupid seat belt) and sleeping tonight should be interesting. Hahaha. These are the things that make me step back and laugh. Never, in a million years did I think this is something I would be a part of, not that there is anything wrong with it, just not something I’d be doing. These are also the things that make me realize how far I have come and how much I love what I am doing.

I know tomorrow will be a blur. Early morning wakeup call (hair starts at 5:00 am!) and show starts at 9:00am. Once the show starts everything will move quickly… and then it’ll be done… and then it will be time for a treat J Ah, yes, the post-show treat. This is the carrot at the end of the stick that keeps you on track when you wanna fall off. Clearly, for those that know me well, my treat will be chocolate. The last show I had a box of Purdy’s chocolate, and they were delightful!

 

For this show, I have a little stockpile of chocolate I have collected since Christmas and will definitely be breaking into that stash. And for dinner, I have made reservations at one of my all-time favorite White Rock restaurants, Cielos, and will be eating like a queen. Another round of bruschetta, anyone?

It’s been interesting this time around. I can honestly say that throughout my whole prep I was never really tempted by anything and never had any strong cravings. I had my eye on the prize and was able to shut out everything else. Sure, there were times it was tricky to stick to it (like family gatherings or birthday dinners) but mostly because of the social awkwardness of it, not because of the the temptation. The only time I found myself wistfully staring at something was at Easter dinner. My mom puts together an amazing spread with all the dishes and her stuffing is the best, hands down, the best. That was the only moment I really felt like I was missing out on something, but she promised to make me a full dinner post-show J Problem solved. Now, however, so close to the end, is when it gets a little bit tougher. Those post show treats are so close, I can taste it… and it makes me want more. LOL. See, that’s my problem. I won’t be able to have just one. Like last time, it’ll be the whole box. Hahaha. But each piece will be deliciously deserved. I’ll be sure to post pics.

XOXO

Jen

WIAW and Final Prep Push

It’s What IAte Wednesday! Yay! Well, actually, yesterday was Wednesday. Today is Thursday.I just didn’t have the time to post this sooner. Yesterday was also May 1,which, was also my 3^rd wedding anniversary. Here’s one of my favoritepictures from 3 years ago:  

 

I ammarried to one of the most supportive and understanding partners. I am truly blessedto have such an amazing person in my corner, cheering me on as I go. Love youBryan!

Okay,enough with the mushy crap, let’s eat! Here’s what was on the menu for meyesterday:

 

Here is asdescription of each (from left to right, top to bottom):

• M1: Oatmealand flax seed with eggs and strawberry chia “jam” topped with melted coconutoil
• M2: Yam andoat “pancake” (it kinda fell apart in the pan so I just stuffed it all into acontainer) with egg whites and broccoli.
• M3: Spinachsalad topped with tilapia and veggies with an Udo’s oil dressing
• M4: Broccolisalad with tilapia, avocado and almonds
• M5:Chicken, yams (sautéed in coconut oil- yummy!), broccoli and asparagus
• M6: Frozenstrawberries blended with chocolate casein- like ice cream!

*I also had2 of my pre-workout muffins on the way to the gym (which falls between Meals 4and 5).  

In my lastpost, I mentioned that my food options will slowly be limited up until theshow. This does not mean I am eating less (as you can see). In fact, yesterdayI was told to INCREASE what I was eating. I actually had to add MORE calories(in the form of carbs) to my meals. That was a pleasant surprise, but makessense. The idea is for me to look healthy with full, strong muscles on Sunday.Not skinny and depleted. I know there are many theories/ methods/ plans/approaches people follow in their final week of prep (or even for their wholecompetition prep- like only eating broccoli and fish for 12 weeks, which by theway, just blows my mind- who could do that? Why would you want to?) and I amfortunate to have a coach that believes in eating and proper nutrition. Yes, ifyou saw me eating just one of my meals you may think it’s just a small servingor not enough to fill me up, but I am also eating 7 times through out the day (roughlyevery 2 hours). This is key to increasing your metabolism and feeding yourmuscles. You will also notice that pretty much each meal contains some protein,carbs and healthy fats. Again, balance and nutrients from various sources arekey to nourishing your body. Plus, they all taste delicious J (Seriously, if you have never triedcoconut oil or butter, try it- it tastes amazing and I am not even a bigcoconut fan).

The rest ofmy prep is also going well. Three more sleeps to go (actually, it’s more like2.5 since I will be getting up sooooo early on Sunday)! Only 2 more workoutsleft (one upper body and one lower body), no more cardio (whoo hoo!), allappointments are booked, and the weekend schedule is set.  Cray, cray!

I alsowanted to give a shout out to my coach, Fatima Leite Kusch, who has beennominated for the Coach of the Year Award to be presented at the NPAA show onSunday.

Signing upto train with Fatima has impacted my life in both predictable and unintendedways. With her coaching, I have taken my body and my mind waaaay past what I everthought was possible. I know that this would not have been possible without heror without the amazing team of ladies she has built. In both big and littleways Fatima and every girl on Team Blessed Bodies has helped me achieve my goalof competing- a goal that I was nervous even saying out loud before. I havechanged. I have become more confident, more passionate and more energetic inevery area of my life. I am so proud to be a part of Fatima’s team and can onlyaspire to give back everything that I have received from her and the team. Iknow my future is full of amazing opportunities and possibilities because ofher. As an athlete competing in the show on Sunday, I get my chance to shine onstage (and I can assure you that on Sunday, all the ladies from our team shine!).Fatima deserves that recognition too. She has undoubtedly worked tirelessly forand has earned, at least in my heart, the Coach of the Year Award. Seeing herwork acknowledge on Sunday by receiving the Award would feel like a win for theteam. My fingers are crossed for her!!

Here’s apic of me and Fati at the Bust A Move fundraiser (yeah, she's that awesome):

XOXO
Jen

 

Good (ugh) Morning and Breakfast Recipe Review

I hate mornings. I hate, hate, HATE mornings. Getting up in the mornings has to be one of the lowest points of my day (on the flip side, getting into bed at night is usually one of the best parts of my day :)).  This morning was no exception. When my alarm went off at 5:40 am is was still dark out and I could hear the rain… if I can hear the rain, I know it’s bad. I live on the third floor of a four story building. If I can hear the rain, it’s coming down hard. Never the less, I know I have to get up, and pressing snooze to get those extra few minutes only prolongs the pain (I figured that out after years of trial and error and complaints from a husband who doesn’t have to get up as early J). Once I am up, I’m usually good (things can only go up from there). Today I was up, dressed and ready to go by 6:10 which was awesome, because I  knew I’d make it to work earlier than usual which would allow me to get more stuff done before the work day started at 8.

(Which, as a side note, this in my new MO- getting to work a half hour earlier than needed to have some quiet, dedicated time to organize my life. This includes scheduling my workouts for the week, planning the weekend, looking up new recipes, paying bills, etc. Anything that I can just get done and out of the way to help me stay on track and focus throughout the rest of the day. #keystosuccess).

Anyway, I was up and out and on the bus by 6:18. By 6:19, while passing the next stop, I realized I had forgotten my whole lunch bag (full of meals 1-4) at home. [Insert look of shock and horror here]. By 6:20 panic had struck (“OMG, what am I going to do??”), by 6:21 I flirted with the idea to not go get it (“Could I go a day without my pre-planned, prepped meals? The answer to that was a quick and firm “NO”), and by 6:22 I was frantically ringing the bell to get off the bus so I could walk all the way back, in the rain, (uphill and in bare feet- just kidding!) home to pick up my lunch- which was just sitting out on the counter all packed up and ready to go. How could I have forgotten it? (The coffee distracted me).

Once I had my lunch in hand, and order was restored to my world, I trudged back up to the bus stop (still in the pouring rain, but it was getting a little lighter out) and caught the 6:45 bus- so much for my earlier morning. As soon as I was settled on the bus, it was back to business as usual and I had my morning favs: coffee, music, news and celebrity gossip... I love me some Celebitchy!

These things make morning life much more tolerable. As does a stop at Starbucks for a second cup of coffee :)

So, finally at work, I was able to dig into my breakfast, which, I have really been enjoying this week. Made up of grains and grain-like seeds and cinnamon, this warm and yummy breakfast is full of some delicious starchy carbs that leave me feeling satiated for hours. The full recipe I used (adapted from here) and the nutritional information can be found here and on my Recipes page under Wheat and Bran Crockpot Porridge.

Wheat and Bran Crockpot Porridge

Ingredients (for 10 servings):

• ½ cup wheat bran
• 1 ½ cup (310g) barley
• ½ cup oat bran
• ½ cup (95g) buckwheat
• ¼ (45g) bulgar
• 6 ½ cups water
• 15 prunes
• 3 TBSP cinnamon (this may have been a little too much)
• 5 TBSP melted coconut oil
• 40g walnuts

Instructions:

1. Pour all ingredients into the crockpot. Mix together well to combine.
2. Place cover on crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours or until liquid absorbed and grains are tender.

Per serving: 300 calories; 11.25g fat; 47g carb; 8g protein

Easy peasy! I have been enjoying this every morning heated up with a 1/3 cup apple sauce stirred in to naturally sweeten, cut the excess of cinnamon and add a little creaminess to the mixture.

And, while it turned out great, I have a couple tweaks in mind for next time:

1. I don’t really smell or taste the added coconut oil. Next time, I think that I will omit that from the recipe and add in ½ - 1 tablespoon of coconut oil or butter when I heat up the individual serving.

2. I might omit the walnuts and top the individual servings with some other type of nut butter, like almond butter or hazelnut butter, to switch it up.

3. To boost the protein, I am also thinking of stirring in a ¼ - ½ scoop of vanilla protein powder after I warm it up.

4. I also may try to add the apple sauce to the crockpot to see if it turns out more moist.

5. And, in the vein of zucchini cake, I want to try adding some shredded zucchini and cocoa powder.

So many options! Let me know if you try it out! Send me your pics.

My other “new” meal this week was the quinoa pudding recipe I found on Chelle Stratford’s Recipe for Fitness blog. Here’s what I made with the nutritional information.

Chocolate Quinoa Protein Pudding

Ingredients (for 5 servings):

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 scoops (60g) chocolate whey protein powder
• 1 ¼ cup almond milk
• 3 TBSP cocoa

Instructions:

1. Cook quinoa as normal.
2. Once quinoa is done and still warm, stir in the almond milk, protein powder and cocoa.

Per serving: 190 calories; 3.3g fat; 24g carb; 15.5g protein

This turned out great! A delicious chocolaty delight! On days that I weight train I use it as my pre-workout snack (consumed on the bus- much more convenient and less smelly than tuna or eggs :)) and on non-weight training days I eat it in the morning as my Meal 2 with an added tablespoon of almond butter. I even tried it heated up this morning. Just as yummy. Like a hot chocolate soup.

Next time, I may add in a little less liquid so it’s not as runny, but again, overall, good as is. A definite repeat. And, it could be made with any flavor of protein powder and mix-ins (like nuts, fresh fruit, chia seeds, etc).

In any case, the week of mornings are now over, which means some weekend sleep ins! Yay! And know what else weekend mornings mean?? Protein pancakes! Mmmm…

XOXO
J

New Month, New Week, New Food, New Blog!

Welcome to my blog! Since I intended to start posting months ago, let me catch you up…

I am currently just under 5 weeks (5!) out from my first fitness competition of the season. I competed for the first time in November 2012 at the BCABBA Sandra Wickham Fall Classic in BC in the Bikini division. It was an amazing experience. So amazing, that I wanted to do it again- and I am!

This time, I am aiming for Fitness Model. My training program has changed, my food plan has tightened up and body is getting stronger. I look forward to every opportunity, every day, to push it further and do my best. This blog to share this experience with you J (more on that later).

It’s the start of a new month and a new week (sorta, since Monday was a holiday). For me, that means a new meal plan. I spent the majority of my long weekend planning, prepping and piecing together my menu for the week, balancing my nutritional needs across the day to ensure my body gets what it needs when it needs it. Sunday (in this case Monday) food prep helps me stay on track and saves me so much time throughout the week. Once everything is made and put together, I don’t have to think about it again (until the following weekend at least). Everything is just grab and go. No excuses. #keytosuccess

Everything prepped, cooked, and portion for a week of clean meals.

While I usually stick to fairly simple and similar meal plans week to week, this week I started changing things up to accommodate some of my new food plan requirements (such as eating starchy carbs earlier in the day and pre- and post- workout) and to add more variety to my protein, carb and fat sources. This week, I’ll be sharing what my meal plan looks like and how all turns out. I have either tweaked existing recipes or just fully developed my own recipes to fit my nutritional requirements. And, since I am on a fairly specific everything-is-measured-and-weighed diet, little, if any, taste testing gets done while I cook. So, this week may be full of surprises- good and/or bad. Either way, I’ll be sticking to it though :)

A couple restrictions I have to work with while planning and preparing my meals:

1. I work full time and commute 2.5 hours to and from work. That is a lot of time away from home which means my meals must be mobile. Pretty much Meals 1-4 (1-5 on weight days) must be portable. I need to make food that can be stored in tupperware containers, last in the fridge (or freezer) at least 5 days and can be easily assembled and warmed up.

2. While I do eat chicken breast and some (limited) seafood, I do not eat any other meat (it’s not a moral/ ethical thing- I just don’t like it). I also don’t like ground chicken or the taste of chicken reheated. Sometimes, if the chicken is in a soup, I can tolerate it, but it is hit and miss. This forces me to be creative with varying the sources of my protein to ensure I get enough.

3. Everything must taste good. When preparing my meals, taste/ enjoyability always comes first. I am not going to eat something that I don’t like- no matter how good it is for me. There are soooo many delicious options out there, why eat something you don’t enjoy?? Makes no sense to me. I love food and I love finding ways to put things together so that they not only meet my nutritional needs, but also taste delicious.

So, considering all of the above, this is my #mealplan for the week:

Meal	On the Menu	Just So You Know...
M1: Breakfast	Barley and buckwheat porridge	Adapted from Tosca Reno’s Eat Clean Diet Crockpot Porridge
M2: Snack	Tuna baked with oats and flax on a salad of avocado, spinach and broccoli	Spiced up with a hit of siracha sauce and squeeze of lemon
M3: Lunch	Yam and chickpea chicken curry	Made this concoction up… should be interesting
M4: Snack	Egg whites with steamed veggies and hemp hearts	Too easy to be this good
M5: Pre-workout	Chocolate quinoa pudding	Found this on Chelle Stratford’s Recipe for Fitness blog (which I love by the way)
M6: Post-workout/ dinner	Turkey with rice and beets, served over a salad with Udo’s oil	Easter leftovers (thanks mom and mother-in-law!)
M7: Snack (optional)	Greek yogurt mixed with a half a scoop of vanilla casein and strawberries	My ultimate fav! #cleantreat #favouritething

Can you spot all the proteins, healthy fats and complex carbs? I think I did a good job of mixing things up and fitting it all together, but the week shall tell. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Jen