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 #20 - Goal Accomplished!

I bet you're all wondering why this week's WIAW title has "goal accomplished!" in the title...
Well, that's because I accomplished my goal of changing up some of my meals! I even experimented a lot, which was also something I really wanted to do!

9/12/12 - Dinner: made breakfast for dinner for my family!    I made them chocolate chip pancakes with cheesy eggs, then made myself "brownie" batter protein pancakes topped with Biscoff spread & White Chocolate Wonderful, banana & strawberry slices, pumpkin flax granola, a drizzle of maple syrup & cinnamon, and an egg white (with some yolk)! Oh, and some DELICIOUS cinnamon apple spice tea with almond milk & extra cinnamon on the side!

This was incredible... I can't wait to make breakfast for dinner again this week! 

9/13/12 - Breakfast: used a full serving of oatmeal for breakfast again! Yay!

Chocolate protein egg white oats with pumpkin flax granola + a few Cinnamon Toast Crunch squares (as usual!) + banana slices + a spoonful or two of plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + Biscoff spread.

9/13/12 - Lunch: literally one of the best sandwiches I've had in my entire life.

I'm honestly really proud of myself for this quick and delicious lunch. I've been SO wanting and craving this sandwich, but the... calorie content... has stopped me from having it. But, I realize how dumb that is, and how I really need to recover from my old habits... So, I challenged myself and had exactly what I wanted!

Warm pumpkin spice bread with Biscoff spread & White Chocolate Wonderful, banana slices, cinnamon and plain Greek yogurt, with an odd side of exactly what I was craving -- some grilled chicken & apple slices!

If you've never purchased Pepperidge Farm's limited edition pumpkin spice bread... Go get it. Now.

9/14/12 - Breakfast: pumpkin spice protein egg white oatmeal (a full serving again! AND with lots of pumpkin! ☺) with pumpkin flax granola + Cinnamon Toast Crunch squares + banana slices + plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + Omega-3 creamy peanut butter & Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter.

9/15/12 - Breakfast: this was 'effin scrumptious.

Pumpkin spice & banana omelet with a mini "baked" sweet potato! All topped with banana slices + pumpkin flax granola + cinnamon & a dash of pumpkin pie spice + White Chocolate Wonderful & Biscoff spread + chocolate protein "sauce" + a few slivered almonds... Exactly what I wanted, full of nutrients & completely clean, filling, and a perfect rest day breakfast!

Another look at Saturday's morning beauty.

9/15/12 - Dinner: yep. This was dinner on Saturday!  Exactly what I've been wanting forever, too.

My McDonald's favorites -- chicken selects & grilled chicken and bacon ranch salad (with my own homemade plain Greek yogurt + ranch powder instead of their nasty greasy kind, haha).

'Eff you, disordered thoughts and habits! Moderation > deprivation... forever! 

9/16/12 - Breakfast: OVERFLOWIN’ OIAJ POST-WORKOUT? HECK YES!

Since I'm trying to stray away from my old habits (like you all know), I decided to use a normal serving of oats with pumpkin and egg whites mixed in... And it made so much that I couldn't fit it all in the jar. Haha. I ate some of the extra, but gave my dad some too (and he loved it!! Yay for getting him to eat healthy! Haha). I tried, though! I promise!! 

But, anyways, this is pumpkin spice protein egg white oatmeal with the best oatmeal raisin granola (180 calories per 1/2 cup... AND all natural? Yes please!!) & some pumpkin flax granola + banana slices + plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + some melted peanut buttahssss... All inside a nearly-empty and completely delicious Biscoff spread jar!

Freakin' perfect!

9/16/12 - Dinner:  (I couldn't quite finish every bit of this, but I got most of it down!)

Huuuuge salad (because the soup is SUPER low on calories) and lots of homemade chicken soup... In our old fall dishes! Hehe. The salad contained a fresh spinach, artisan lettuce and iceberg lettuce mixture, with corn, carrots, peas, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, chickpeas, some leftover baked chicken, yellow peppers, pickles, and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese with a dressing of (a drizzle of) hot sauce and salsa + plain Greek yogurt. Deeeeeeee-licious!

One of the best parts of fall & winter: momma's homemade chicken soup! She even made me my own pot since I didn't want too many macaronis.  She's so lovely!

9/17/12 - Breakfast: I had another post-workout breakfast of OIAJ! The best.

Chocolate almond protein egg white oatmeal with oatmeal raisin & pumpkin flax granola + banana slices + plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + a few slivered almonds + melted Biscoff spread inside a nearly-empty White Chocolate Wonderful jar.

 (OIAJ are such a common occurrence for me because I'm lucky enough to have a family that loves peanut butter as much as I do!)

9/17/12 - Lunch: this lunch was way too pretty too not take a picture of!

I also had a small bowl of corn and peas on the side... I'm veggie-obsessed.

Baked chicken (and some lean turkey slices), microwaved "baked" sweet potato with salsa & plain Greek yogurt, pickle slices, tomatoes & broccoli & carrots! Plain Greek yogurt mixed with ranch powder for dippin' on the side, of course.

9/17/12 - Snack: in honor of National Cupcake Week, I decided to get bakin'! Andddd I made (from scratch/my own recipe!) healthified pumpkin spice cupcakes! Without their (healthy) frosting, they’re about 45 calories each, and they’re about 60-80 each with. They came out delicious, and both of my parents LOVED them!

I love experimenting, I love food, and I love successful recipes!

(Recipe should be comin' soon!)

9/17/12 - Snack: aside from my pumpkin muffin, this was my evening/nighttime snack, instead of  a gigantic bowl of popcorn and Chex Mix! As much as I love that combination, I've had it nearly every. single. night for months, and I definitely feel like I've been eating WAY too much of it. It's hindering some progress for sure, and I know for a fact I rely on it too much. (I also know it's a big reason to why I eat less throughout the day (to mentally "save calories" for nighttime). So, I decided to only have it a few days a week, or at least every other day! (... Yay for changing things up even more! )

This snack consists of a ginger gold apple, sliced with melted Biscoff spread and White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter, and a pear sliced, with some steamed fresh broccoli and carrots with butter spray and seasoned & garlic salt!

9/18/12 - Breakfast: this... was freakin' Heaven. PERFECT start to my school week!

Out of a basically empty Marshmallow Fluff/Creme jar: pumpkin spice protein egg white oatmeal with oatmeal raisin & pumpkin flax granolas + banana slices + plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + one of my pumpkin cupcakes + melted Biscoff spread.

9/19/12 - Breakfast: first time doing tea-infused oatmeal... DEFINITELY doing again soon!

Chocolate peppermint protein egg white oatmeal with pumpkin flax granola + banana slices + plain Greek yogurt + melted White Chocolate Wonderful + a leftover healthy pumpkin cupcake + a sprinkle of cinnamon & Stevia! (Oh, and a sprinkle of a broken peppermint just for looks and to represent the peppermint in the oatmeal. Hehe.) All inside my new mason jar!

Click here for my weekly workoutz!

P.S. Sorry for going MIA for the week! I haven't worked (apparently Aeropostale doesn't get much business off-season...), but I've still been quite busy with workouts, school and homework, and just life in general! Not too much has happened, but I did go driving with my favorite teacher/my driving teacher again on Thursday! I did really good (well, he said I did, at least!), and I'm proud of myself because I've been too "scared" to drive lately, and I did it for almost two hours! It felt great. 

What I Ate Wednesday #19

This will be my first full week of senior year... STILL SO WEIRD!

But, anyways! It's Wednesday again, which means it's time for another weekly eats post!

It's been feeling A LOT like fall lately. I freakin' LOVE it!

9/6/12 - Breakfast: chocolate almond protein egg white oatmeal with pumpkin flax granola + a few pieces of chocolate cereal + banana slices + a bit of plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + some slivered almonds + a dollop of Biscoff cookie spread & White Chocolate Wonderful!

9/7/12 - Breakfast: this oatmeal is probably my new current favorite.

Pumpkin cookie protein egg white oatmeal with pumpkin flax granola + a few Cinnamon Toast Crunch squares + some banana slices + a bit of plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + some Biscoff spread & Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter... 

9/7/12 - Snack(?): I don't even like coffee, but after school, I made my mom take me to WaWa to get their pumpkin spice coffee... Haha. I didn't drink much of it (I TRIED to like it... I added my usual tea sweetening things, but I couldn't drink it...)

9/8/12 - Breakfast: delicious sweet omelet!

Pumpkin banana omelet with some pumpkin flax granola + a few Cinnamon Toast Crunch squares + banana slices + melted Biscoff spread inside, and a 100% whole wheat sandwich thin half with Cinnamon Raisin Swirl peanut butter + pumpkin flax granola + cinnamon, and half with Biscoff spread + banana slices + cinnamon.

9/8/12 - Lunch: ALDI GOT SWEET POTATOES AGAIN! I missed my savory stuffed sweet potatoes!!

Loads and loads of vegetables (with plain Greek yogurt + ranch powder to dip) and a savory stuffed sweet potato.

9/9/12 - Breakfast: the best  post-workout healthy power breakfast ever!

Pumpkin protein cookie egg white oatmeal with pumpkin flax granola + cereals + baby banana slices! + a bit of plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + melted Biscoff spread... All inside a nearly empty Cinnamon Raisin Swirl jar! With pumpkin spice protein green tea on the side. Mmmmm.

9/10/12 - Breakfast: I finally got some all natural unsweetened cocoa powder this past weekend! Yay! 

Chocolate covered strawberry & banana protein egg white oatmeal with pumpkin flax granola + some cereals + banana slices & strawberries + a bit of plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + Biscoff spread.

9/11/12 - Breakfast: Pumpkin & apple pie/cookie protein egg white oatmeal with pumpkin flax granola + a few squares of Cinnamon Toast Crunch + apple slices + plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + Biscoff spread & a dollop of Dark Chocolate Dreams.

9/12/12 - Breakfast: long story short, I've been struggling a lot lately, and I've unfortunately been falling back into some old habits... But, this morning, I decided today was a day to try harder.

This is the first time I used a full serving of oatmeal in SO long... I've been using 1/4 cup more/less for awhile now, but that's not the serving size. 1/2 cup is. So, that's what I used.

I'm really proud of myself for this, despite the anxiety I got... But, it was DELICIOUS and FILLING, nonetheless! Vanilla pudding egg white oats with pumpkin flax granola + a few Cinnamon Toast Crunch squares + banana & strawberry slices + a bit of plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + White Chocolate Wonderful!

Where are my workouts, you ask? Never fear... Here they are! 

My goal for the next few weeks is to change up my meals some more! As you can tell, the only meal I really ever change up, is breakfast... Making for pretty dang boring and repetitive WIAW posts! This will be my motivation to get experimental and get cookin'! I guess this means it's time to lurk some WIAWs for more inspiration...