Now that's Bananas... Addicted to Your Workouts?

When I was younger I absolutely hated bananas.

Really, up until this past year.  I used to eat them occasionally because I was told they calmed nerves before a big test or performance, but I never really enjoyed them by themselves. 

I could eat a PB & Banana sandwich, or a Strawberry Banana shake... but plain banana made me sick.

Now I have bananas all the time!

There are so many uses for them!! Adding them to your Protein Shake to make it uuuber creamy,

or even using them to make the most delicious pancakes!

Recipe completely inspired by Julie @ PB Fingers

Banana Bread Protein Pancakes

Serves one

Ingredients:

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 banana, mashed

1/4 cup cottage cheese I didn't have cottage cheese so I used 5oz honey greek yogurt

1 egg  I substituted egg white beaters for the egg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

I've made protein pancakes before but I think the biggest difference this time was that Julie's directions said to "Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and blend with an immersion blender until batter is relatively smooth and all ingredients are fully mixed"

Blending up the oats with all the ingredients made for a much friendlier batter!!!

This Photo - Compliments of PB Fingers

 These were my favorite pancakes to date -- and Mike agreed!  Just topped with some Sugar Free Syrup and berries on the side!!!

The recipe makes about 3 pancakes, which is a perfect sized breakfast and keeps you fueled through an intense weekend workout. 

Monday Mayhem

**STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING RIGHT NOW!!!**

unless it's reading this post... in that case, continue.

Best quick instant "pick-me-up" I have just discovered...

Formula at the top, complements of my genius math major brain. 

{Deliriously sleepy girl + coffee = crazed hyperactive happy ier girl}

This weekend Mike & I went shopping at Costco.

I love walking into Costco with Mike because he gets to flash his "Executive Member" card and it makes me feel fancy and elite.



While there we picked up a HUGE box of Kellogg's FiberPlus Antioxidant Bars in Caramel Coconut Fudge.

It's always a risk buying a new flavor of anything at Costco, because if you don't like it you still have 7 bazillion left to eat... however that flavor just sounded TOO delicious not to try!!

and it was.

Delicious, that is.  Seriously... keep up people, it's only Monday.

Anywho --> the best quick instant "pick-me-up" is a 2-fer combo:  Hot Coffee + Caramel Coconut Fudge Bar.

Heaven.

{source}

Which is good because this morning seemed especially difficult to get out of bed.

I later found out that's because my crazy roommate thought it was a good idea to set our AC to 70 degrees... freezing. {thankyouNicole}

I am not sure what it is about feeling cold but I cannot leave the comfort of my sheets when I think it's cold outside - it takes every ounce of willpower I have in me to do so.

Deal of the Day - BCBG MaxAzria on Rue La La!

One of my *all time*  favorite brands!

Deal of the Day is their Satin Locking Clutch in Pewter/Beige

Orig. $178 SALE $89.90

Featured at Rue La La

I actually own this exact purse in black leather and it's my favorite handbag!

It's dressy, chic, and holds the necessities when you go out at night - phone, camera, lipgloss, credit cards. 

The *best* part about the purse though is its super unique locking mechanism... the 'petal'-like BCBG symbol on the front rotates 45 degrees to 'unlock' the purse.

I originally saw this design over a year ago at a BCBG Outlet store and the purse was still well over $150 and I swore to wait for a sale!  Just a few months ago I was able to pick up the black leather & gold version of the bag and use it all the time. 

{My Bag}

BCBG as a brand is known for their chic designs and their timeless quality. 

Rue La La also has some cute BCBG Dresses that would transition well from Summer to Fall.  I wear a lot of their dresses to work and get tons of complements!

In fact, I'm wearing a BCBG Dress to work today:

Shoes: a Look for Less.  Resemble these BCBG heels  but I wanted them in a black color with a wedge, so I flipped when I found these shoes here.

{Close up view of dress for pattern detail}

Lunch today was a *win*.  Leftovers from last night... which means my dinner last night turned out well!

I took my second attempt at Quinoa last night.  I used my handy dandy rice cooker pot and combined 1 cup dried quinoa with 1 cup dry brown rice and the appropriate amount of water according to each bag.  I then added 1/2 a cube of Vegetable Chicken Broth for flavoring, some minced garlic, and pepper.  On the top steaming tray I added sliced mushrooms, chopped onions and chopped bell peppers to the rim.  Then clicked the 'Brown Rice' cook button and went out for a bike ride with the BF.  I love when dinner cooks itself :)

Finished Product:

Yummy!!!!!!!

I ended up adding some salt because I was in one of those moods but it was really delicious.  With my Quinoa I enjoyed a sliced red bell pepper which I love to eat raw as a snack, and since I've been starving all day after our hour long bike ride last night + my one extra mile that I ran (I wanted to go the extra mile lol!) I also have enjoyed an 80 calorie Nature Valley Dark Chocolate Granola Thin.

It's like a cookie - only it offers nutritional value haha.

The #1 Ingredient is Whole Grain Rolled Oats.  (Sure the next one is sugar, but you knew that when you saw the words 'dark chocolate' on the outside of the box!)

**EDIT**  Similar Bags found for $111.12 at 6pm.com!!!

Both BCBG on Sale from $278

 

Question of the Day:

What is the dress code at your job?  What do you wear to work?

I work at a pretty relaxed, corporate engineering office.  Some people wear polos and jeans but I'm not really a big fan of jeans unless it's cold outside and they always say "Dress for the job you want, not the job you have" so I try to keep it a bit more professional.  Unfortunately things are pretty conservative here so the only time I get to have 'fun' with fashion is on the weekends!  What about you?

Breakfast Shakes - An Update

Rude.

But, if you show up in my yard with a milkshake, that's a whole other story...

Speaking of, my mornings as of lately have been started with a Protein Shake 99.9% of the time.  Okay I guess that's a lie, because that would mean out of the past 1000 days I only skipped the protein shake once... and 1000 days ago I hadn't even discovered the delicious secret incredient to making the best protein shakes ever.  But who's counting?  What are you -- a math major like me???

So to recap, important take away from My First Shake Post:

The secret ingredient to the perfect morning protein shake?  ICE CREAM!!!!!

Unfamilliar with my first post on the *basis* of making a delicious protein shake?  Read it now.

{Final Product}

So here are a few things I've learned about ways to mix up/make shakes:

1. Guar Gum is a thickener/emulsifier that you can add to make your shakes extra creamy.

2.  Frozen Bananas are a natural sweetener to your shake and also pair well with chocolate & peanut butter (even if you aren't a huge banana lover, like me)

**Tip: Just make sure to cut the banana into 1 inch slices and put into a tupperware container before you freeze them.  The first time I froze a banana I just stuck in the whole thing -- trust me, it's impossible to peel if you do it that way haha

3.  Cake is a delicious flavor.  Use vanilla and coconut oil or coconut milk to help achieve this effect.  Inspiration here. 

{Compliments ChocolateCoveredKatie}

4.  If you're adding PB into your shake, add a spoonful of Wheat Germ as well to pump up your folic acid, fiber, and protein!

{I'm practically a super food!!}

5. All shakes are even better when delivered to you by your adoring BF.

He's a very smart man.  I'm not much of a morning person but he's learned that handing me a deliciously cool creamy shake in the morning puts a smile back on my face and a pep in my step. 

So I have to ask, what do you add to your shakes?  Any tips/tricks/favorite recipes??

 

Twait.. They Tweeted Twat?!

Ever since discovering Twitter {only a few months ago, but if you have one you should follow me!  Here} I have been amazed at the random spattering of information I have learned.  I have learned useful things such as how many calories are lurking in my favorite meals (Thank you EatThisNotThat! I can no longer look at The Cheesecake Factory with anything but disgust - how dare your Herb Crusted Salmon be worth more calories than a chilli cheese dog and large fries from Dairy Queen?? RUDE), that people practice Naked Yoga and in fact post such pictures online, and now, add useless but interesting Tweets from Celebrities to the list :)

Thought I'd share my favorites...

Apparently, it's "Out With The Old, And In With The New!"

Sorry PLANKING, but your short time in the spot light is up... the *newest* fad is definitely owling .

 {read a brief history on wtf those are here if you have no clue}

Hilary Duff Tweets: "Didn't wanna hit carmageddon so I'm just owling all weekend!"

Think Owling is cool? You can let it know so by Liking It On Facebook.

While some may prefer to do the "stanky leg", Katy Perry prefers to chow down on a huge turkey leg.

Thank you Katy Perry for continuing to amuse/disgust/delight me with your strange ways.

{Click Continue to See More Weird/Random Celebrity TwitterTwats}

Fitness Foodie Review - Best B'fast Shake ta' Make!

The secret ingredient to the perfect morning protein shake?  ICE CREAM!!!!!

Hold on, I did title this 'Fitness' Foodie Review, right?  So am I out of my mind saying that you should add ice cream to your morning shake?  nope.  I discovered the absolute BEST ice cream by Arctic Zero, the nutrition label reads just like a low carb protein powder and they use the natural sweetness found in monk fruit to give the ice cream such a delicious flavor. 

• 150 calories per pint & all natural
• Fat free & gluten free
• Lactose intolerant friendly
• Contains 8 grams of fiber
• 16 grams of whey protein concentrate

So, you can add a half pint of this baby to your morning shake (1 cup) for only 75 calories which is less than a cup of 2% milk.  I really love this option because it gives the shake a more consistant consistancy (LOL), unlike ice cubes which no matter how long you leave the blender on always seem to leave it a bit chunky. 

With that, the recipe for one DELICIOUS Chocolate Protein Smoothie!

If you want a healthier version trade out the chocolate syrup for frozen strawberries - also delicious!  OR I enjoy a Mocha Madness Protein Shake as well.. just add some iced coffee!  Really, the possibilities are endless. 

Fitness Foodie Review - Tone It Up Protein Pancakes!

Let me begin by saying that I'm *very* excited to post this review! 

When it comes to things we must 'swear off' when trying to tighten and tone our bodies, many favored and delicious breakfast pastries are at the top of the list.  Most breakfast pastries contain high amounts of sugar with very little fiber giving you a high carb count that's just going to cause your energy to crash a few hours later.  At the same time, breakfast food is simply delicious and every now and then you're going to have a serious hankering (sorry, that's the Texan in me!) for something sweet!  Stay away from the glazed donut and the nutella croissant and instead serve up your typical morning protein smoothie in the form of a delicious pancake! 

At this point you're probably thinking... a protein shake, in a pancake.. yeah right! BUT the Tone It Up girls Karena and Katrina have perfected the recipe for exactly that: their Tone It Up Protein Pancakes.  (Click on the link to find their recipe) Wanting a true breakdown of exactly what nutritional benefits I'd get from cooking up a batch of these (using what I had in my pantry/fridge) I went to CalorieCount.com and analyzed the following:

Well - you can't beat that!  So I whipped some protein pancake batter right up and came out with this...

3 Medium sized pancakes topped off with freshly sliced strawberries!  I was surprised at how many pancakes I got to eat for under 300 calories - and they were so filling!  My only complaint would be that I wished they were a bit lighter or fluffier so for my next batch I might add a bit of baking powder.  Also you should note that the blue berries are the BEST part - the more the better!  I also plan on whipping up a batch of these with dark chocolate chips (17 large chips for only 80cals) next time I have a serious chocolate craving.

If you've tried these Tone It Up Protein Pancakes - or a similar recipe - let me know what you thought!