Upper Body Workout, and CHEESECAKE!

Happy Tuesday!!!

I hope that you all had a famous weekend!! So instead of doing my intense workout on Saturday, I did it on Sunday. This is also when I had my cheat meal. So this is how my day went on Sunday...

Workout:
1. Chest Press (5x10)
2. Bent Row (5x10)
3.Curl w/Kickback (4x12)
4. Cable Fly (3x15)
5. Straight Arm Pulldown (3x15)
6. Skullcrushers w/Barbell Curl
7. Hanging Leg Raise (or Roman Chair) (4x25)

Cheat Meal:
Turkey Cutlets, Brussel Sprouts, Ciabatta Cheese Bread and Chocolate Chip Coconut Cheesecake

....say what?!!? Yes we made Chocolate Chip Coconut Cheesecake. So here's the recipe:

Crust:
- 5 sheet of Graham Crackers
- 2 tbsp. of coconut oil (add a tad bit more if needed)

Filling:
- 1 8 ounce of REDUCED fat cream cheese (not fat free)
- 3/4 cup of plain Greek Yogurt
- 1/2 cup of stevia
- 1 tbs. of vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp. whole wheat flour
- 2 egg whites
- 3/4 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes
- 3/4 cup of chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degress
2a. Crush graham crackers, add oil. Mold mixture in a tin foil lined baked dish (8x8ish)
2b. Bake crust in oven for 8 minutes
2c. Allow crust to cool for 10-15 minutes
3. In a bowl mix: cream cheese, Greek yogurt, vanilla, flour, egg whites (one at a time). Mix until smooth.
4. Fold in coconut flakes
5. Add 1/2 of chocolate chips to the pie crust.
6. Pour liquid mixture over crust
7. Bake for 25 minutes
8. Let cool for 30 minutes at room temperature
9. Move to refrigerator and let set overnight.


 

Protein Confetti Cake

Soooo....

One of my biggest issues with staying on track is my LOVE of sweets. Seriously, I would marry a chocolate cake if I could. :-P I try to stay focused and on track but I frequently have a "treat dessert" in my week as well as a "treat meal". This is helpful, but I have been looking for a healthier dessert so that I can indulge without feeling guilty. So last night after a long time of searching Pinterest I found a good recipe!!

So with a little adaptation for a weightlifting queen like myself, here is the recipe! I call this Protein Confetti Cake.
- 3 tbsp of whole wheat flour
- 1 tbsp of protein powder
- 1 tbsp of stevia
- sprinkle of cinnamon
- 1/4 cup of milk
- 1 egg white
- splash of vanilla (or extract)

1. Mix all dry ingredient together.
2. In a separate bowl whisk together wet ingredients.
3. Spray another bowl with non-stick spray
4. Mix dry and wet ingredients.
5. Microwave for 50 seconds - 2 minutes (I set mine for 2 minutes and just watched. Everyone's microwave is a little different)

 

One of the great things is that this recipe allows for you to change and make it whatever you want. If you want chocolate cake, add unsweetened chocolate, or chocolate protein. Its simplicity is wonderful! And did I mention that it was delicious?!?!?!???!! Enjoy! 

FitCassie Workout and Nutrtion Plan

 Hey Guys!

Happy Monday. So I have been working on a workout and nutrition plan that I would like to share with you all. So before I start I want to say a couple things,

1. What works for one person might not work for you, always do your research and find out what methods work for you.
2. The workout is my split. I have things that I want to focus on, you may wish to focus on different things, therefore feel free to change things up!
3. I don't do calories. I try to stick to whole, natural, foods. I worry more about getting all my nutrients. I have also been doing this for good amount of time so I know about how many grams of each nutrient I need. I would also suggest doing research to figure out exactly how much you need.
4. If you do calories, do calories. I won't judge!
5. I put on the nutrition low carb, this doesn't mean no carb or really even low carb. It's a way to make me mindful on days that I don't work out.
6. Also I am doing a program called HIITMAX. In place of this I would suggest doing another HIIT workout. I have some on here that I have posted that you could look at, or you could do sprints!



Ok so here it all is!

 Ok below are the workouts and nutrition broken down a little more. I like to be able to write the weight that I am using during workouts. For nutrition, to keep myself on track I am giving myself a percentage of how I did at each meal. This will help me be more accountable to getting all my meals in and staying on track!

Below I have a link to the PDF file of the above workout and nutrition. This is my first time inserting a PDF into a blog, so please let me know if you can't get it. Or something went wrong. I am not super amazing at getting all this in, so I'm praying this works!!


FitCassie Workout and Nutrition      (<----this is the link for the PDF) :-)

Breakfast Burrito

Ok, so I know that I post a lot of workouts. But one of my favorite things to do (besides lift obviously!) is to cook. I find it so exciting to put together new recipes that are delicious and nutritious! So this week I thought I would share my "Breakfast Burrito" recipe with you.

I stumbled onto these a couple weeks ago when I was trying to find a healthy breakfast option. I LOVE BREAKFAST! Like most breakfast dishes you can customize this recipe however you want...you want extra protein, more veggies, sweet, savory, this burrito can do it all! So the recipe I did is a little plain but delicious nonetheless. I have put the macros at the end for those of you who want to fit this is your macros!

Breakfast Burrito

-15 eggs (5 whole eggs, 10 egg whites)
-5 turkey sausage patties
-1/4 cup of habenaro jack cheese
-Mission "Carb Balance" Burritos
-Picante Salsa

Other things that I have seen are sweet potatoes, onions, bell pepper, turkey bacon, etc. For the salsa I put a a tablespoon in a Tupperware and put that on as you eat this glorious entree!

Here are the macros from my burrito. Now don't be alarmed...this burrito is stocked full of healthy carbs, fats, and proteins. I try not to worry to much about calories, more about the content. I used burritos that had higher carbs (note the dietary fibers = good carbds), but if you are trying to do lower carbs you can get a different type of burrito!!


Happy Eating :-)

Monday Post

Good Morning!!!

So today I wanted to share my workout schedule and some goals for this week. In my last post I talked about being prepared so I hope this will be helpful for you guys, and you can modify to your life!

Goals:
1. Get to work on time every day (seriously I get to work at 8:02 - I need to be here earlier!)
2. Focus on getting appropriate rest.
3. Put 130% into every workout.

Workout Schedule:
Monday - off
Tuesday - Legs (Squats) and HIIT
Wednesday -  Upper Body (Back Focus)
Thursday - HIIT and Abs
Friday - Rest
Saturday - Legs
Sunday - Upper Body (Shoulder Focus) and HIIT

So I will try to post as much info about workouts and meals as I can (but let's be real, I probably won't do it as often as I should :-P). So below is my tentative meal plan for the week and my workout from yesterday.

Meal Plan:
- Breakfast - Protein Shake
- Snack 1 - Chocolate Chip and Banana Muffin
- Lunch - Chicken Noodle Soup (under the weather today)
- Snack 2 - Greek Yogurt and carrots
- Dinner - varied?!?!? (today it's kabobs!)


Shoulder Workout: 500 rep WOD
1. Shoulder Press (smith machine/barbell) (10x10)
with bicep curl (3x10)
2. Upright Row (barbell) (5x10)
3. Lateral Raise (5x10)
with triceps extension (3x10)
4. Front Raise (5x10)
5. Arnold Press (10x10)
with dips (3x10)
6. Rear Delt Raise (5x10)
7. Shoulder Circles (10x10)


--I incorporated other upper body exercises to give the delt muscle some rest. I tried to do the whole workout in 1 hour (it took like 10-15 more minutes than that). What you want to go for is minimal rest but effective reps. Remember to do a weight that is appropriate yet challenging.


I hope you all have a great Monday!! :-)

March Food Calendar

So I am unsure about what to write sometimes on here...so I try workouts, random motivational thoughts, and food.

I recently put together a food calendar for my family and I was so impressed with my work that I decided to use it at my house! hahahah. It is so easy to get caught in the same old routine because my boyfriend and I both work and both spend a fair amount of time in the gym. For this reason it is nice to have a schedule of what we are doing.

So over the next couple months I am going to work on taking better pics of the food and the process. I am going to be a pro. But we all start somewhere so here are the first set of meals from March. I'll try to update as I go along!

-One little side note. 1.) I try to be as healthy as possible, but I'm not perfect. I like putting cheese on my tacos, I like having a piece of bread at dinner sometimes. I try to watch portions and get the healthiest possible options available. Its not about being perfect, its about being healthier. 2.) Most of these things can be swapped out for other similar things that you like. (for example I eat ground turkey like its going out of style! But you can use lean ground chicken or beef/ If you don't like shellfish ((HELLO I LIVE IN LOUISIANA I LIVE ON SEAFOOD!!!))/ any veggie you can swap out). 3.) Its about being healthy, not crazy. You want to use quality ingredients and eat things you like. I love tacos, so I get shells that are healthy and yummy! I like cheese so I buy quality cheese. I use food as fuel, and I treat myself like a Ferrari! You should too!


Chicken Enchiladas: Healthy Style

-3-4 chicken breast

-1 can of red enchiladas sauce

-2 bell peppers, 1 onion

-1 low sodium taco seasoning

-whole wheat small soft taco shells

-Mexican cheese – low fat

1.) Cook chicken, whatever way is easiest.

2.) Saute bell pepper, onion, and ½ taco packet

3.) Mix pepper mix, chicken, and rest of taco packet together

4.) Stuff mixture into taco shells, put small amount of cheese and picante sauce inside taco, roll up and place in pan.

**Enjoy**

 


Baked Fish with Cabbage and Garlic Knot
-6 Fillets of fish (pictured tilapia)
-1 head of cabbage
-New York Garlic Knots
1. Wash fillets, dry, season with Mrs. Dash ( I used Garlic and Herb)
2. Cut cabbage, sprinkle with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.
3. Garlic Knots - cook as directed.
(I like garlic knots, I plan for garlic knots to be in my day so I set up my macros accordingly. You could replace with a piece of whole wheat toast with garlic/garlic powder)
**Enjoy**

Here is the calendar that I made. The recipes above are the exact same ones that I use. Being healthy is about balance. It's about finding things that you like and making them healthier. I always look at cooking as a journey to take and try to challenge myself to make new and exciting food.

Meal Preppin' :-)

It's that time again people...meal prep time!! WooHOOOOOO!!!!!!

So when I meal prep I typically make breakfast, lunch, and snacks. So on the meal for this week:
     1. Egg Muffins w/Whole Wheat Toast
     2. CrockPot Chicken w/BBQ Sauce (Sugar Free)
     3. Chia Wrap w/Cajun Style Turkey
Everyday I have a variety of veggies (cucumbers, sweet peppers, tomatoes, celery, etc.) and a green apple. I like to have whole natural snacks during the day...and fruits and veggies are the best options!!!

-Egg Muffins: I previously posted about these...seriously the easiest things to make...pick your toppings and go!

-CrockPot Chicken - I recently started using the crockpot to make all my chicken. It keeps it tender and makes it super yummy. I add a onions, bell peppers, and some celery in there for seasoning. After it is cooked I can use it for anything. I use some of it for lunches (this week with BBQ sauce) but I love using it in soups for din din!
     **along with the chicken I made mashed cauliflower and green beans. I know you're jealous...because seriously it is delish!

-Chia Wrap w/Cajun Style Turkey - I found these wonderful chia wraps in the grocery that are only 12 grams of carbs!! Woohoo!! I find a low salt, low fat turkey deli meat. I wrap it up with some avocado and lettuce...seriously, DELISH! I usually add the mixed veggies for this meal. This is the meal I usually eat around 3-3:30 as my pre-workout meal.

So today I started meal prepping at 5:30pm and ended at about 8:30. Took a little bit longer because I had to make some egg muffins for the man friend :-P But It generally very easy and very fast. I use cooking and trying new things as a stress reliever. I like to find recipes that I can make healthy.

Eating healthy is NOT boring, it is NOT bland, it is NOT time consuming....seriously get it together people and do your meal prepping! Find a day and time that suits you and make it an appointment with yourself. I use Sunday evenings as my meal prep time. I have worked Sundays, I have babysat on Sundays, I have been sick on Sundays...but I STILL MEAL PREP. If you want to achieve your goals you have to put in the effort!!

-I'll post the workouts for the week later. Have a great start to the week guys!!!!

Yummy Egg Muffins :-)

Happy Monday!!!

I know I may be in the minority but I LOVE Mondays. I try to view Monday's as a brand new start. It's a chance to start fresh and try again. I don't always stick to my diet or workout like I should but Monday is a brand new day to try it all again. Some people dread Monday's because its the beginning of the week...but why would you want to start your week off with negativity?!?! I choose to be positive and I believe that helps me throughout the week.

Today I started my week with meditation and some yoga stretching. It's a pretty big pain to wake up 30 minutes early and get moving...but it is so rewarding. I feel more energized and positive throughout my day. I highly suggest that you guys do something that helps you get up and at em' in the morning! It could be doing crossword and drinking coffee, eating breakfast at home, meditating outside, etc.

So last night I made some egg muffins just to have something new for the mornings. It also was helpful because I didn't have to make my normal egg white scramble. It was super quick and tasted delish!

Southwest Egg Muffins

-10 egg whites
-5 whole eggs
-1 jalapeno
-1/2 white onion
-4 strips Canadian bacon (can sub with turkey bacon)
-fiesta cheese - optional

1. Cut up onion and jalapeno, set aside
2. Crack eggs and beat until yolks have been broken.
3. Spoon egg mixture into muffin tin (if needed spray with Pam before). Fill up only 10 muffins.
4. Add onion/jalapeno/Canadian bacon mix with egg.
5. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Sides of muffin should be lightly browned.
6. Add cheese if desired for 2 minutes while in oven.

-Let egg muffins cool for 5 minutes and then remove from the pan.

***Enjoy***

Oatmeal: From Flab to Fab

Have you ever gotten bored with your food? Ever think that you are literally eating the same thing over and over again? One of the major problems that people have with eating healthy is that they think it has to be “bland” food that takes like cardboard! Well I am here to squash that myth! One of my favorite things to do is to look for new and exciting ways to make food. I love looking up recipes and trying new things! One of the things that I had a hard time with in the past was oatmeal.

Oatmeal is a great complex carb that keeps you full and satisfied, but it can be very “boring”. When I first stated prepping I would make my 1/3 cup every morning and force myself to eat it! My coach then told me about oatmeal pancakes…talk about heaven! The only problem was that making them every morning was a chore so I decided to improvise!! I wanted a way that I could get my oatmeal in every morning but make it fast. I was on Pinterest and I see that they put everything in muffin tins, what a great idea! So I decided that I was going to make oatmeal “muffins”. I eat two every morning with some sugar free maple syrup, yummmm! So here is the recipe, I hope you all enjoy!

 

Ingredients:

2 cups of rolled oats

1 2/3 cup of water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Blend oats until they are a “semi-flour” consistency

Mix oats in bowl with water

(can put pam in muffin tin, or line with cupcake wrappers)

Fill each slot up about half way with the mixture

Yields – 12 ½ muffins

 

I eat two in the morning because that is about 1/3 cup of oats. You can add other ingredients to make it fancy as well. I usually like to add cinnamon (helps aid a faster metabolism) or puree pumpkin is something that I have always wants to try. Basically you can add anything in them that you would add in your regular oatmeal.

Picture of breakfast, they look boring but they are totally delish!!! :-)