What I Ate Wednesday #28

Can you believe TOMORROW is THANKSGIVING already?! I CAN'T! Christmas is being seen everywhere... and I love it!

Then again, I see a little bit of Christmas everyday!

My grandma always believed you should leave a little bit of Christmas out throughout the entire year. I thoroughly agree, and that's exactly what I do! I leave my little tree up and my Rudolphs out all year long. To me, Christmas is the equivalent to happiness. I cannot WAIT to decorate on Friday!!!! 

Speaking of seeing Christmas, me and my mom recently went to Target...

... And it's safe to say we should not be allowed in Target, with money, around any type of holiday. Especially their $1 section. 

Oh, and one more thing before I get into this week's eats!

Say hello to my family's new/first adopted kitten, Landon! I'm in love with him. He's the sweetest cat ever and I'm so happy and grateful to have him now. Him and my pup are literally the most perfect pets!

Okay, okay, enough rambling! Onto some recent food adventures...

As always, thank you to Jenn for hosting WIAW! As a young foodie, I thoroughly love and appreciate it (and you, Jenn)! 

11/14/12 - Snack: fudgy black bean brownies with peanut butter. Sound disgusting, taste incredible!

I’m pretty sure these should be called ‘magic brownies’ because of their macros. We were given a few cans of black beans for free, and none of us really eat them and I wanted to put them to use. I’ve heard of using them in baking, but haven’t been courageous enough to try it... until this day! (And I'm so glad I did!)

I found a recipe and modified it a bit, to make some of the moistest and healthiest/cleanest brownies EVER. You would NEVER even consider the fact this was made FLOUR-LESS from BEANS! Without my added powdered sugar (hehe... I didn’t add quite enough sweetener and my momma LOVES powdered sugar), and with a bit of 100% natural peanut butter inside, they’re 57 calories with 3.25g protein & 2.25g completely healthy fats! Unbelievable. (Without PB, they’re 49 calories.) This batch made a bunch, too! Around 16-20 generously sized brownies.

11/14/12 - Snack: popcorn out of my new hot air popper! LOVE IT!!

11/15/12 - Breakfast: OIAJ never fail to make my day!

Pumpkin egg white oatmeal with chocolate granola + some cereal + banana slices + plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + some of a leftover black bean brownie + an extra splash of unsweetened Almond Milk, all inside a nearly-empty 100% natural peanut butter jar!

11/15/12 - Dessert/Snack: banana nut mug cake/muffin on top of a big sliced apple (plus a few banana slices) + chocolate granola + Kix cereal + a bit of a broken up black bean brownie and homemade almond milk cinnamon roll protein ice cream (with some sprinkles!), then all topped with peanut butter, cinnamon roll protein cream, and healthy chocolate sauce.

11/16/12 - Breakfast: can you say best healthy breakfast evahhhh?!

SUPER thick and fluffy banana cream pie egg white (+ some cinnamon roll protein) oatmeal with a “crust” made of 100% whole grain cereals + natural granolas + banana slices + plain Greek yogurt + some crumbs and broken up black bean brownie pieces, topped with peanut butters + banana slices + prepared vanilla pudding + a mini dollop of plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + a sprinkle of shredded coconut! Oh, and an extra splash of unsweetened Almond Breeze, as always!

Adding two egg whites to your #oats makes them magically 10x bigger and fluffier.

11/17/12 - Breakfast: I really love pancake Saturday.

Gingerbread (tea-infused) cheesecake protein pancakes layered with Biscoff + prepared cheesecake pudding mix + warm cinnamon apple slices + a bit of chocolate granola & cereal, topped with light maple syrup & 100% clean and healthy protein chocolate sauce.

11/17/12 - Dessert/Snack: microwave chocolate (with some peanut butter...) cake topped with peanut butters, cinnamon roll protein cream, and gingerbread sauce on top of a chopped apple + pumpkin flax granola +some cereal + hot chocolate flavored Goldfish (only a few... TOO ADDICTIVE!) + homemade vanilla coconut almond milk ice cream.

11/18/12 - Breakfast: SUPER fluffy and thick gingerbread “cream” egg white/protein oatmeal/OIAJ with granola + cereal + banana slices + plain Greek yogurt + prepared vanilla pudding, all inside a nearly-empty Biscoff jar!

God, I love Biscoff spread so much.

11/19/12 - Breakfast: fluffy pumpkin egg white/protein oatmeal with 100% whole grains cereals + a bit of chocolate granola + banana slices + plain Greek yogurt + Dark Chocolate Dreams & White Chocolate Wonderful + clean chocolate sauce + a splash of unsweetened Almond Breeze, all inside a nearly-empty Marshmallow Fluff jar!

Oats in a Marshmallow Fluff jar are equally as delicious as in a peanut butter jar. I promise you now.

11/19/12 - Dessert/Snack: microwave cinnamon apple protein mug cake topped with lots of peanut butter + peppermint protein frosting (WAY too strong of a minty flavor... I’ll add less flavoring next time for sure), on top of sliced apples (+ few banana slices) + some cereals + homemade vanilla coconut almond milk ice  cream, alllll topped with clean chocolate sauce + shredded coconut.

11/20/12 - Breakfast: gingerbread cheesecake protein egg white oatmeal with a bit of chocolate granola + cereals + plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + a few slivered almonds + prepared fat-free/sugar-free cheesecake pudding (that came a bit too liquid-y... Oopsies!) + an extra dash of unsweetened Almond Breeze + White Chocolate Wonderful & Biscoff spread (more added after the picture!)

11/21/12 - Breakfast: delicious sweet potato pie protein egg white oatmeal with a mashed mini sweet potato + pumpkin flax granola + whole grain cereal + some Krave cereal for fun + banana slices + plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + #clean #chocolate sauce + shredded coconut + slivered almonds + White Chocolate Wonderful + a few mini marshmallows + an extra dash of unsweetened almond milk!

This was SO good! Let me know if you want the recipe!

Workouts of the Week:

all of my workouts can, as always, be found here or on my Instagram!

Here's two recent WODs:

The first one is featuring the ugliest and cheesiest smile because I had a good day that day. No shame.

The second one is featuring my new compression shorts I found in the little girl's clearance section at Target. They remind me of lemonade and I love them.

What I Ate Wednesday #23

Hiya and happy hump day, lovelies! 
I've been changing up my meals more and more, and I could not be happier about that!

10/3/12 - Dessert/Snack: microwaved low calorie, high nutrient protein brownie! This time, it was an “Almond Joy” flavored brownie, topped with more homemade pumpkin spice almond milk "ice cream" (and lots of other things)!

10/4/12 - Breakfast: OIAJ two days in a row?! Hey, I was NOT complaining! Hehe. My mom finished off the majority of this jar the night before, and I could NOT let the remainder go to waste!

Strawberry banana protein egg white oatmeal with granola + some Cinnamon Toast Crunch + banana slices + a bit of plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + shredded coconut + a little bit of Cinnamon Raisin Swirl peanut butter, all inside a nearly-empty White Chocolate Wonderful jar!

10/4/12 - Dessert/Snack: I know my protein brownie dessert/nighttime snack posts may be getting old and annoying, but this one came out INCREDIBLY good and I HAD to photograph it!   I made my microwaved “Almond Joy” protein brownie, and topped it with homemade mint chocolate almond milk “ice cream” (and obviously lots of other things, including a slather of 4 different peanut butters!! Hehe), and it was AMAZING!! I just added a sprinkle of both unsweetened natural cocoa powder & mint chocolate flavored Duncan Hines Frosting Creations to my almond milk ice cream recipe. I never liked mint chocolate before tonight! 

10/5/12 - Breakfast: one of my weirdest, yet most delicious oatmeal concoctions to date~

Pumpkin pie egg white oats with different granolas + cinnamon cereals + banana slices + plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + defrosted frozen blueberries + shredded coconut + a nice spoonful of Cinnamon Raisin Swirl peanut butter.

10/5/12 - Dinner: guess who treated herself to EXACTLY WHAT SHE WANTED for dinner on her REST DAY!? That’s right, MEEEE!  I was CRAVING Chinese food for SO long, but I kept convincing my mom not to get it... Until Friday!!  I’m SO proud of myself, and I'm incredibly glad I ordered what I wanted! It WAS a lot of food, but nobody said I had to eat it all! I ate almost all of it... I had some leftovers (barely any, hehe) for the next day, but it doesn’t matter anyway because I don’t do things like this everyday!

The biggest dish is my favorite steamed veggies & shrimp, and the smaller dish is chicken & broccoli with a few spare rib tips! Oh, and I had an egg roll too because I wanted it quite bad, and I was NOT letting myself deprive myself any longer.

I love little victories like this.

10/5/12 - Snack/Dessert: another day, another sinfully healthy and INCREDIBLY delicious clean dessert/nighttime snack! I couldn’t decide between a pumpkin muffin or protein brownie, so I created a super clean pumpkin and banana microwave brownie/cake, with a few mini marshmallows for fun! I topped it with my homemade mint chocolate almond milk "ice cream", and lots of other things, of course. One of my favorite easy recipes yet!

{Recipe coming soon!}

10/6/12 - Breakfast: I woke up wanting this, and I am very glad I "allowed" myself to have it with absolutely no regrets. (This is a big step for me, haha.)

A fallen apart pumpkin & banana “omelet” stuffed with granola + banana slices + some Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter + shredded coconut, and the best parts — one slice of PUMPKIN SWIRL bread topped with Biscoff spread + banana + granola + cinnamon, and one slice of 100% whole wheat cinnamon raisin bread topped with White Chocolate Wonderful + banana + granola + cinnamon. 

SO. DELICIOUS.

10/5/12 - Lunch: such a beautiful colorful and healthy lunch!

Veggie & spicy mustard sandwich on light soft wheat bread, leftover steamed shrimp & baked chicken, and lots and lots of vegetables with plain Greek yogurt + ranch powder.

10/5/12 - Dinner: after having loads of yummy Chinese food the night before, I decided to treat my family to a lovely homemade healthy dinner tonight (Saturday)!

Baked chicken seasoned & wrapped in bacon, mashed garlic & onion cauliflower “mashed potatoes”, and lots of corn & peas! I also had a mini “baked” sweet potato with salsa & plain Greek yogurt and a few pickle slices myself. Oh, and I put my chicken over fresh baby spinach!

I was SO happy with the result of all of this!! My mom, who's a cauliflower hater, LOVED the cauliflower “mashed potatoes”! YAY! Success!

10/6/12 - Breakfast: the best and fluffiest "pumpkin pie" egg white oatmeal with plain & PEANUT BUTTER (aka the freaking greatest, completely natural) granola + a few squares of Cinnamon Toast Crunch + banana slices + maple protein “frosting” + shredded coconut + Cinnamon Raisin Swirl & Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter + cinnamon + a drizzle of maple syrup... Inside a fall-themed dish!

This was probably the best bowl of oatmeal I've ever had. And I've had a lot of oatmeal. (Let me know if you want the recipe!)

10/7/12 - Breakfast: overflowing OIAJ for my post-workout breakfast on Sunday!

"Almond Joy" protein egg white oatmeal with plain & peanut butter granola + a sprinkle of my two favorite cereals (Cinnamon Toast Crunch & peanut butter Cheerios!) + banana slices + plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + slivered almonds + shredded coconut, all inside a nearly-empty delicious Biscoff spread jar!

Tip: stir in egg whites (or a whole egg) and a spoonful of pure pumpkin purée to your oats VERY well when cooking — it plumps them up without added flavor!

10/7/12 - "Snack": homemade healthy protein hot chocolate for a nice afternoon pick-me-up on this lovely cold evening! With some not-so-healthy, but still good for the soul, mini marshmallows! 

I actually NEVER liked hot chocolate until this moment... Homemade over packaged any day!!

(Plus, mine had added protein & nutrients... Totes a win-win! Hehe.)

P.S. Caloric drinks, including protein shakes, were kind of a “fear food/drink” for me... But psh, effff that!

10/8/12 - Breakfast: not to toot my own horn or anything, but I've seriously been making the best and fluffiest oats lately! I don't know what I've done so differently, but I LIKE IT!

~Banana bread egg white oatmeal with granola (plain & peanut butter) + my favorite cereals + banana slices + plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + defrosted frozen blueberries + White Chocolate Wonderful (I only put a little because I always add more as I eat... Hehe.)

10/9/12 - Dessert/Snack: I'm becoming a pro at my quick, easy, and 100% clean & healthy dessert/nighttime snack!

This came out looking odd because I mixed in the baking powder last minute, and because I didn't fully mix in the little bit of banana, but it literally tasted JUST like a#sugar cookie... EXCEPT IT WAS MICROWAVED! And HEALTHY! Hehe. I topped it with some healthy... and some not-so-healthy (hehe)... ice creamz, and lots of other things! I always have my nighttime dessert/snack with a side of either just sliced apples, or a sliced apple and slice pear.

{Recipe coming soon!}

10/10/12 - Breakfast: before anyone tells me how "unhealthy" Marshmallow Fluff is... I don’t currrrr!! Hehe.

Perfect pumpkin egg white oatmeal with plain & peanut butter granola + Cinnamon Toast Crunch squares + banana slices + some plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + shredded coconut + Cinnamon Raisin Swirl PB (which I'm almost out of... You know what that means!), in a nearly-empty fat-free Marshmallow Fluff jar! 90% clean and that is 100% okay with me!

My workout diary, including awkward pictures of me flexing, can be found here!

So, aside from the delicious food I've been eating recently, life has been pretty good overall. Of course it still has its ups and downs, but when will it not, ya know? It's all about staying positive at this point! Oh, and I didn't mention that I WON 'MOST CHANGED' FOR MY CLASS' SENIOR SUPERLATIVES!  Seeing I had lost 60-70 lbs since sophomore year, it made me feel really proud and happy that so many other people acknowledged that and voted me for 'most changed'. I know that winning a school senior superlative doesn't seem like an actual accomplishment, but it feels like one and I'm so happy about it. It's a really lovely memory to look back on.

Hard work always pays off, no matter what. The key is to never give up.

P.S. I got my mom addicted to everything pumpkin.

I have no regrets.

What I Ate Wednesday #18 - First Day of Senior Year?

So, today was my first day of senior year...
So bittersweet... Can't believe it... AAAAAAAHHH!

... Okay, anyways! Let's get onto WIAW now, shall we?

LOVE the new WIAW theme! Thanks, Jenn!

8/30/12 - Breakfast: chocolate almond protein egg white oatmeal with pumpkin flax granola + cerealz + banana slices + a bit of plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + melted Biscoff spread… All inside a nearly empty White Chocolate Wonderful jar!

8/30/12 - Dinner & Dessert: made my mommy a semi-healthy birthday dinner and dessert just like she wished!

Baked chicken & spinach rollatini alla parmigiana (inspired by Skinny Taste), ricotta & tomato bowtie pasta, and baked chicken tenders (we LOVE chicken, haha) for dinner (I had a chicken rollatini over a rainbow salad with tenders! SO delicious!), and a HUGE fruit salad for dessert... Just like last year!

She was really, really happy with everything, and that’s when I know it was all a success. Some things unfortunately happened today that really got us all down, but seeing her happy made MY day better! 

8/31/12 - Breakfast: vanilla egg white oatmeal with pumpkin flax granola + some of my favorite cereals + banana slices + a bit of plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + melted Biscoff spread & a mini dollop of Cinnamon Raisin Swirl peanut butter.

9/1/12 - Breakfast: 1 egg + 1 egg white banana ~omelet~ (that broke a bit...) stuffed with banana, apple, blueberries & strawberries + pumpkin flax granola + melted Biscoff spread, along with a 100% whole wheat sandwich thin that’s half topped with Cinnamon Raisin Swirl peanut butter + pumpkin flax granola, and Biscoff spread + banana + cinnamon!

9/1/12 - Snack: one of the BEST combinations EVER!

Mini Ginger gold apple with Cinnamon Raisin Swirl peanut butter!

9/2/12 - Breakfast: one of my favorite OIAJs yet!

I pretended it’s autumn by lighting my amazing pumpkin cupcake candle while I ate my post-workout oats, consisting of pumpkin & apple pie egg white oatmeal with pumpkin flax granola + cinnamon cereals + apple slices + a bit of plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon (a bit too much... I genuinely suck at "dashes"!) + melted Biscoff spread... All inside a nearly empty gigantic Marshmallow Fluff container!

Semi-healthy and completely earned! No regrets. 

P.S. Pumpkin + melted marshmallow = fab-tastic combination! Try it sometime!

9/3/12 - Breakfast: I. LOVE. OIAJ! And thankfully my family loves all types of peanut butter enough to let me have it at least 1-2 times every 1-2 weeks!  The best post-workout breakfast ever~

Banana bread egg white oatmeal with pumpkin flax granola + a few squares of Cinnamon Toast Crunch for fun + banana slices + fresh blueberries + a bit of plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + some Cinnamon Raisin Swirl peanut butter... All inside a nearly empty Biscoff creamy spread jar.

Literally Heaven in my mouth. L.i.t.e.r.a.l.l.y.

9/3/12 - Dinner: I finally got to see my best friend today, for the first time since school, and she brought me over a black bean burger (since we were making hamburgers for dinner and she's a vegetarian)! It was SO delicious, omg. I want more!!

{Black bean burgers and rainbow salads... Can't get much better!}

9/4/12 - Breakfast: my last early morning post-workout breakfast of the summer!

This all came out INCREDIBLY delicious!

Pumpkin pie protein pancakes topped with some Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter, a mini banana, pumpkin flax granola, cinnamon, and a drizzle of light maple syrup.

On the side, I have 1 egg white + added egg substitute with salsa, onion, tomato, spinach, mushrooms, lean turkey & ham, and hot sauce on top of lettuce for some crunch!

TIP: Add a spoonful or two of plain Greek yogurt to your eggs prior to cooking, and make sure to stir thoroughly. It makes them creamier, thicker, AND bigger, with no added flavor! (It looks like I have way more than just 2 egg whites, right?!)

9/5/12 -Breakfast: last-first-day-of-school breakfast!

Banana cinnamon raisin protein egg white oatmeal with pumpkin flax granola + some Cinnamon Toast Crunch squares + banana slices + a bit of plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + a dollop of Cinnamon Raisin Swirl peanut butter!

This was delicious, and it kept me full for HOURS!

All my workouts can be found here, as usual, or just on my Instagram... which I am obsessed with!

P.S. Be on the lookout for my new theme coming soon!  Possibly autumn-themed? 

P.P.S. My first day of senior year post will be up asap!