Motivational Monday

I'm taking my test next week to become a Certified Personal Trainer. I've been studying since last December and am really excited to finally take this exam. The knowledge has accumulated in my brain and I'm ready to start sharing it with you, if that's okay.  

What is Motivational Monday? I want to motivate you to get up and do something. Move your body. Dance. Lift. Squat. Sit. No wait, don't sit unless it's a wall sit! I know you're sitting now reading this, but when you're done, try something with your body. 

Today's challenge is a:

 30 Second Low Plank

Looks easy enough right? 

Once you lift up, count 30 potatoes and rest by placing your knees down. Make sure to tighten your butt and pull your belly button towards your back (drawing in). If this is too easy, try raising one arm or one leg. Then try raising the opposite arm and leg at the same time! 

This exercise targets your local core stabilization muscles. These control posture and balance, along with the rest of your core. Best of all facts is that this exercise beats crunches. You are drawing in and tightening your whole body, challenging your balance, and activating 66% more muscle fibers. 

If you're truly motivated now, get up and go work out. Turn on some music and start moving your toosh. Have a great week! 

Vegan "Hershey's Cookies N' Cream" Bar

I've always loved white chocolate. I remember going to Trader Joe's as a kid and picking out these hunks of white chocolate amongst milk and dark. My favorite candy bar was the Hershey's Cookies N' Cream. It's white. It's creamy. It's oh-so-delicious. When I became lactose intolerant at 15, I could no longer have my precious ivory delight...until now! I came across this recipe on Pinterest and immediately ordered all the ingredients from amazon. After I made my first bar seen below, I knew I had to add oreos to make my childhood delight. The very next day I got a pack of Trader Joe O's and made this wonderful bar! And now I must restrain myself from making this all the time.  

This is the magic ingredient that makes this bar possible:

Cocoa Butter. 

Some use it as a moisturizer but it's the main ingredient in this candy! Of course this brand is certified food grade. Once you open the jar, you smell the sweet memorable smell of chocolate. 

I was surprised at how easy it was to make this! After gathering all the ingredients from Amazon and Mother's Market (the soy milk powder), I got to working. 

Here are the simple steps: 

(!Read all the way through before attempting!)

1. Use a fork or knife to break out 1/4 cup of cocoa butter. 
2. Microwave it in 45 second intervals until fully melted. Use a fork to stir it when you stop at each interval. It will take about 2-3 minutes to completely melt into a yellow oil. 
3. In the mean time, measure out all the ingredients like the picture you see above. (The vanilla bean paste, the milk powder, and the powdered sugar are all measured out.)
4. Once the oil is melted, use a sifter to quickly incorporate the powdered sugar into the oil, stirring the whole time and scraping down the sides. 
5. Add in the milk powder. 
6. The vanilla bean paste is cold so it will make the oil clump up. So make sure you VERY quickly stir it in LAST and then scrape the smooth mixture into the molds. The recipe only makes one bar, so double it if you want to fill your whole double-bar mold. 
7. For the Cookies N' Cream Version: Scrape the cream out of the middle of 2 oreo style cookies and place the sides in a ziploc bag. Crush the cookies into crumbs. Sprinkle some into the mold, place some of the white chocolate down, and then sprinkle some more. Don't stir it in because it will turn the bar brown. Use a butter knife or your finger to smooth the bottom of the bar.
8. Cover with parchment and foil and let sit in the fridge for two hours to firm up. 
9. Enjoy alone to get the best of the flavors, or use like you would any other white chocolate or candy bar!

Campfire S'mores Delight (Cocktail)

I had this amazingly tasty S'mores cocktail at the Chandelier bar in Las Vegas. Ever since that night, I've been wanting another one. After a week of searching for the ingredients, I recreated this drink!

It's not entirely vegan because of the marshmallows, but you can use Dandies in place. "_"

Ingredients for Two Drinks 
4 shots Van Gogh Dutch Chocolate Vodka
4 shots Fluffed Mashmallow Smirnoff Vodka
1 shot Creme de Cacao
1 Tbsp Nesquik Chocolate Syrup (I just drizzled mine in.)
Handful of Ice

Graham Crackers, smashed into crumbs on a plate
4 Marshamallows
Two Skewers, cut in half



Shaker
Shot Glass
Agave Syrup
Paper Towel

Do It This Way 
1. Put a dab of agave on a folded paper towel.
2. Rim the glasses with a 1/2 inch of sticky goodness.
3. Dip the glasses in the crumbs.
4. Put ice into shaker.
5. Put all alcohol and chocolate syrup into shaker.
6. Shake what your mama gave you for 2-3 minutes. HINT: You want the ice to melt because otherwise it will be STRONG (my mistake).
7. Pour your drinks.
8. Skewer two marshmallows on each stick.
9. Toast them on your stove.
10. Place them over the drinks.
11. Enjoy the Shiite out of those bad boys!

Warning: You may crave these for weeks after you make them...like I did. 

Creative Crescent Rolls

I couldn't decide what I wanted to do with them, so I did it all. 

Cinnamon Rolls
(Toffuti + Almond Milk + Powdered Sugar + Cinnamon) 

Veggie Cheese "Pig" in a Blankets 

(Tofu Dogs + Daiya Cheese + Spices)

Buffalo Chicken

(Franks Hot Sauce + Grilled Chicken) 

*For the B.F. but to make vegan use Gardein chik'n* 

Bacon and  Cheez

(Vegan Bacon Bits + Daiya Cheddar) 

Immaculate Baking Co. was on sale at Whole Foods and I couldn't resist. Vegan crescent rolls and cinnamon buns on sale? Hello Diet Breaker! We all gotta live sometimes. ;) 

I couldn't just make plain old crescent rolls so I spiced them up with all these fun things. 

Things I Used to Fill Them 

Yves Tofu Dogs

Daiya Cheddar 

Fakin Bacon Bits 

Grilled Chicken cooked in Franks Red Hot Sauce

Tofutti, Powdered sugar, and Cinnamon to make mini Cinnabons 

The rolls start off at 100 calories a piece. (Not so bad.) 

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

Ingredients

• 1 cup Organic Strawberries
• 2 tbsp Tofutti Non-hydrogenated
• 1 tbsp Agave Syrup
• 1 tsp Organic Vanilla Extract

Directions
1. Cut tops off 8 strawberries. 
2. Core all strawberries. 
3. Mix 2 Tbsp Tofutti, 1 Tbsp Agave nectar, and 1 tsp Vanilla together in small bowl until fully incorporated and creamy. 
4. Use the fork you mixed the cream cheese to fill the strawberries. 
5. Optional: Add graham cracker crumbs to the tops. 
6. Optional: Pipe the filling in the strawberries for a prettier effect. 
See Me On Pinterest and Livestrong

Vegas and Vega



Our awesome room 

Our awesome view

My photo skills

The Bellagio fountain exploding 

All dolled up for the show "O"

More photo skills

The best bar in Vegas: Chandelier at Cosmo

A Giant Woman's Steam-Punk Heel

The Wynn's entrance

The best Vegan Cake - Black Forest @ SW (Steve Wynn Steakhouse)

I had a blast! I drank lots (although probably not nearly enough for Vegas), partied sorta-kinda-hard, and had amazing food at the Wynn. Steve Wynn, the creator/owner of Wynn and Encore (and many other amazing things) is vegan so he has a vegan menu at all his nice restaurants. I was able to eat mushroom croquettes for an appetizer, an amazing veggie risotto, and even had my own vegan butter for my bread! AH! I wish I had one of these near my place :( even though my wallet would die if I did. 

We were so stuffed the first night that we couldn't eat dessert. So we came back another night just for it. Haha. Dessert may be $20 a plate at a steakhouse, but you know what? It was worth it. =] I was delighted, satisfied, and joyed by the food and atmosphere. 

Once we got home though, we realized we would have liked to see Fremont Street and old Vegas. Maybe another trip is in store for us. Though I must admit, by the last day there, I was thinking to myself,"Get me the hell out of this place!" That may have been because of the influx of the NASCAR crowd though.  

What do I miss? Besides being on a vacation and giving myself excuses to splurge on food and drinks, the Cosmopolitan's gym! Oh.My.Gymness, that gym was awe-some. So big. So fun. So nice. It even has a boxing ring. Downfall? $20 a day pass. 

Today: back home and back to my cleansing and exercising. My wonderful, amazing, open-minded boyfriend has decided to do the 3-day Vega journey with me! I'm stoked. We've been practicing making yummy salads to make these next 3 days go over easily. The following is a plan I've made for the cleanse, edited from a BeachBody Shakeology routine.

We are using "VegaOne Vanilla Chai" for the shakes, grilled chicken for his salads, and Gardein chick'n tenders for mine. I've filled the fridge and counter with fruits and veggies for snacking and am ready to tackle my last few inches! I'm really excited because I did this before leaving to Vegas, and I felt and saw the fast results. So now I'm  going to do it for 3 days (Wed-Fri) take St. Patty's off, workout on Sunday, and go back to it for Mon-Wed. So in a week, I'll  have done it for 6 days, hopefully breaking through this layer of stomach fat and breaking out my abdominals! If it happens, I might show you a before/after pic. We'll see.

If you want to join me or do it yourself, please let me know! I'll offer all the advice and support I can. 

Tips:

• Use Trader Joes "Just Grilled Chicken" in the frozen aisle to make salads quick and easy.
• Buy all organic produce. If you can't afford it, use a little dish soap to clean regular produce.
• Get bottled green tea so its an easy access drink. (Trader Joe's has flavored 0 calorie ones!)
• You can buy Vega online through the link I provided and get free shipping, or if you have a local GNC or VitaminShoppe, it's the same price to pick up. 

Jump start fitness. Break a weight plateau. Shed pounds fast and effectively in a healthy manner. 

NO EXTRA SUGARS
NO DAIRY PRODUCTS (for maximum results, no almond, soy, or rice milk)
LOW FAT DRESSINGS (I suggest olive oil and rice vinegar, or hummus and rice vinegar)

BREAKFAST:
1 Shake (140 calories)
½ cup of fruit (60-90 calories) (optional)
1 cup of green tea or a Detox Tea

SNACK: (85 calories) (optional)
1 piece of fruit - Apple, pear, orange,
banana mango, etc.

LUNCH:
1 Shake(140 calories)
1 cup of green tea or a Detox Tea

SNACK: (you can have this either
before or after dinner)
1 Shake (140 calories)

DINNER:
Salad with grilled poultry, or vegan meat (Gardein or Tofu)
(roughly 340 calories)

**Remember working out should be done at a minimum, and you should consume an ounce of water per pound of body weight. Water will help flush out toxins. **

120lbs=15 cups

160lbs=20 cups

Slimming Down For A Vegas Birthday

You know what helps me lose weight and get fit? A goal event or destination. This time of the year it is Las Vegas to celebrate my birthday. I've been to Vegas as a child and teenager, but never a legal, able-to-gamble adult. I'm excited! 

I've never gambled before, and not looking to make it a habit, but think a few games will be fun.

And since it's just going to be me and the boyfriend, I won't be having a big cake this year...but this would have been awesome.  :)

The only pig I would eat...who can make me a vegan one?

Okay enough party stuff, let's talk fitness and health. As some of you may know, I'm studying to become a personal trainer. I've been training since after the holidays, trying to get fit as a fiddle (what ever that means). And after talking to another coach and doing some research, I've decided to do a 2 day cleanse period/weight loss jump start.

For the past couple of months my workouts have included P90x, Insanity, my own weight lifting sessions, and going to the gym. Most of my body has responded well, but my trouble spot is my stomach. That pooch refuses to leave! This jumpstart should help it go away and boost my confidence while I wear skimpy, shiny, dresses in Las Vegas.

What is it? Well it's definitely not one of those lemon juice-cayenne drinks that were popular a bit ago, or a starvation diet. It is however a VLCD (very low calorie diet) that includes 3 shakes a day, 3 pieces of fruit (optional), and a salad for dinner. Since I actually don't have lettuce right now, I'm just going to have a bowl of cereal for dinner, or a 300 calorie meal. You're supposed to cut out all sugars, fats, and dairy for 3 days. But since it's my birthday on Sunday, I'm doing it for two days. Also, you're not supposed to work out because you're taking in so few calories, but I did anyway because I'm trying to get this pooch gone!

I just wanted to share this journey because I know so many people out there need help with those last few pounds or inches. You body tries to hold onto those last few fat cells because it is so used to having them. And once you get them off, your body will try its hardest to get them back (which will most likely happen during my week of vegas, so I'll have to do it again when I get home.)

What shake am I drinking? This plan comes from BeachBody's Shakeology, but since its $120, I bought a shake called VegaOne for only $59. Half the price, less calories, and same or better ingredients.

The specs are pretty awesome as you can see: 

And best of all for me, its vegan! And best for you, if interested, it tastes great. You can get it on amazon by clicking on the first picture. Simply mix one scoop with water and you've got a meal.

I'm on my second shake, and still feeling great and energized. Hopefully I can make it to tomorrow night! 

What my diet looks like for today and tomorrow: 

Breakfast - Shake (136 kcal)

(workout or run errands) (-300kcal) 

Lunch - Shake (136 kcal)

Snack - Banana (90 kcal)

Dinner - 300 or less calorie meal (salad, cereal, etc) (300 kcal) OR a shake (136kcal)

Snack - Pear or Banana (90kcal)

Drinks - Lots of water and green tea  (0 kcal)

Total calories: 588(shake) or 752 (dinner) w/workout: 288 or 452

During this time my body will have no other choice but to eat the fat!! 

EDIT 3/4/12: I lost two pounds in two days! I'll be doing this again when I get home for as long as possible. :)