Surviving holiday weekends/wedding season!

Hello all! Hope you had a great 3 day weekend!
I headed to Palm Coast, Florida for a beach wedding and was VERY excited...HOWEVER: I was very disappointed in myself last time I went to Florida (for spring break) because I went totally off my clean eating plan.
SOOOOO here's what I changed this time around to make sure I don't regret this amazing trip!

1. New mindset.
Frankly, when I went on spring break, I was new to this clean eating, weight lifting lifestyle, and felt weak when it came to control over food, drinking, and working out. I would do so well for about 5 days or a week, and then if I caved and had a bad "binge" day, I would feel so defeated...leading to a chain of bad decisions. In short, what I was missing was CONSISTENCY.
I have gained so much confidence in myself over the past two months, and I can't imagine giving up on my goals. I think this is due in large part to positive self-talk, my uber-supportive boyfriend, and literally checking things off my list as I did them. Keeping a detailed record of what I eat and how many Calories I burn during each workout has been crucial for me to learn what works best for my body. I'm looking forward to the day that I can better "eyeball" portions instead of grabbing a measuring cup, but without the initial steps I've been taking none of that would be possible! Remember: everyone is different. We have different goals, bodies, personalities, tastes...there is not one solitary workout/meal plan that can be applied to everyone. That's part of what I've grown to love about this journey-it's personal.

2. New meal plan.
I have substituted some less nutrient-dense foods for those with higher micro/macro nutrient content. An example would be: Eating quinoa or brown rice instead of white rice. Although they are both "carbs"...white rice has less of the nutrients that your body needs than the other carb options. Now I know to order sweet potato as a substitute for regular potato products. Even if they are in FRIES form ...its a better trade...especially if you're sitting poolside and your options are extremely limited.

3. Upgraded body.
Being able to SEE progress instead of just trust that it is happening is definitely a way to get rid of the little voice in your head telling you to "go ahead and eat the donut". Unfortunately, there is no way to get to this point without HARD WORK and lots of dedication. There is no magic pill. There is only you! I was able to look in the mirror every morning and say DAMN that's a bikini body to be proud of, instead of thinking 'well, I guess I can spare a couple more bad days because I still have a long ways to go'.

4. Cheat MEALS not cheat DAYS.
My meals were actually pretty on point! I was kind of proud of how well I did with keeping on track. The first night I had grilled salmon on a bed of kale and almonds. The second, baked chicken, roasted veggies and a side salad. Hello healthy! The area I ended up cheating in was definitely carbs from alcohol. Disclaimer: I don't drink on a daily basis, or even a weekly basis. But this is because I choose to use those macros for food instead of alcohol...not because I don't like a glass of wine or a beer now and then! If you're not a drinker...treat yourself with a wedding cake cheat! YUM.

The weather here was hard to come back to...we're under a tornado watch all night! And I'm at work in a big glass office building...YIKES lol.
Have a great week! And if you cheated on your plan this weekend...give yourself a break. It's not the end of the world, and shit happens. Today is as great of a day to start over as any!

♥MK

I'll have my bacon with a side of bacon.

If you're like most people (and dogs) in the world...you LOVE you some bacon. John is no different. He would have bacon at every meal if he could. But alas, since I cook for him most of the time, he does not get bacon at every meal. I will however make him bacon-wrapped goodies sometimes...so here ya go!
Bacon wrapped egg muffins:

Spray muffin pans with non-stick spray, wrap bacon strips around the edge of each muffin slot...

 Crack eggs inside of the bacon...

 Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes...and BOOM!

Look how YUMMY these look! Gah I wanted to eat them all, but I made myself some plain egg white muffins as a substitute :(

These could be easily made with turkey bacon instead of pork, which is what I plan to do next time so that I can get my bacon fix too!

Each muffin (with whole egg and bacon) is about 150 Calories (12 g Fat, 0 g Carb, 10 g Protein), but this will vary depending on your egg size and bacon thickness/smoke flavor.

If you make them with bacon and egg WHITES, the macros look more like: 95 Calories (6 g Fat, 1 g Carb, 8 g Protein). I usually use whites instead of eggs when I make eggs for myself to reduce fat content, but occasionally I'll indulge :)

Whatever variation you choose, these are delicious and a satisfying treat if you're craving something savory in the morning! They also keep really well, so I made about 20 and they kept for a week or so :)

Hope you have a great day!

♥MK

Start of summer= sweet potato fries!

IT'S OFFICIALLY SUMMER! For this college student at least :p
I am finished with final exams and feeling GREAT about continuing this new lifestyle into the summer months. Who says you can't have a "summer body" year round?! Not this girl!

I have been experimenting a little more lately, as I started getting bored with my rotation of 3 lean meats and 3 kinds of roasted veggies. Don't get me wrong, keeping it simple makes it SO much easier to stay on track and know that you're meeting your Macro goals, especially when you're new to this like I was. But every once and awhile it's nice to find something that fits that is fun, too!

My latest creation was a batch (or two) of sweet potato fries (baked of course).
A couple of tips that I learned the hard way through my less-than-successful first batch:
Make sure the slices are THIN! Otherwise they may not cook enough in the center and will be too hard/raw. Mine cooked a tiny bit unevenly the first time, so I reduced the size for the second batch and they were perfect!
Sea salt is your best friend when it comes to sweet potato fries. A couple of fries happened to get missed when I put my sea salt on, so I was able to compare and WOAH was I glad the vast majority were salted. (I always use sea salt when salting something, as compared to regular table salt)

Directions for baking:
Peel as many sweet potatoes as you'd like to use.

 Chop/slice them into "fries".
Lay a sheet of parchment paper onto a baking sheet. Spread the raw fries onto the sheet, trying to keep space between them (at least make sure they don't overlap if they are touching).
Mine looked like this:

 

 

Sprinkle with sea salt and extra virgin olive oil (don't need much of the EVOO).

Pop them in the oven for 20 minutes at 450! They should be turned once or twice to ensure even browning! Let them sit for about 5 minutes before eating, and wala!

^This picture really doesn't do them justice, but it was midnight when I was taking them, so forgive me haha.

I hope you try these and ENJOY! I love love LOVED them, and guess what?! John did too! And he hates sweet potatoes! It was a miracle.
More recipes to come soon! I HAVE SO MUCH MORE TIME TO MAKE FOOD MUAHAHA :p

♥MK



Quin-whaaa?

Like many people, I was confused when quinoa started to make a serious surge in the past couple of years...mainly as to what it really WAS. It didn't look like rice, pasta, beans...what the heck is this stuff?! But branching out and trying some quinoa recipes has made me a quinoa believer.

Here are some (organic) quinoa facts:

gluten free

cholesterol free

whole grain

and it is packed full of protein which is a double bonus! 

Here's an awesome recipe that is simple, healthy, and tasty!

 Ingredients you'll need:
veggies! You can really use any that you like, as long as they will sautee well! I used tomato, asparagus, and bell peppers. If you'd like to include animal protein, I would suggest shrimp to go along with the stir fry theme.

 Heat a non-stick skillet to medium heat, add about a tablespoon and a half of olive oil, and add your chopped veggies! If you're using tomato, I would suggest waiting a couple of minutes before adding it to the rest of the mix because it cooks much faster. I cooked everything for about 10 minutes, but just watch and see when the textures look right for your taste!
Then simply add the cooked veggies (and shrimp if you have it) to a cup of quinoa, and BOOM! You have a healthy, yummy meal in about 15 minutes!

I used organic "ready-to-eat" quinoa (pre-cooked), but if you buy it raw, it cooks just like rice!

I have also heard that you can cook it using broth instead of water to give it a little more flavor, but since I didn't cook mine, I can't attest to how well this works!

I hope you try it if you haven't before, and please let me know how you like it! I love discovering a new food that I've never tried before :) 

♥MK