Protein Pancakes

These are some of my favorite pancakes!  They're super healthy and really simple. 

All you need is 3 ingredients. 

1/3 C Oatmeal
1/3 C Lowfat Cottage Cheese
1/3 C Egg Whites

Put all ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth.  Pour even amounts onto a heated pan, wait about 1 - 2 minutes, or until gold brown, then flip and repeat.  I use a cooking spray or paint the pan with peanut of coconut oil. 

Why are these pancakes so awesome?  For the following reasons:

Cottage cheese- low in fat, high in protein, high in calcium
Egg whites- high in protein, low in cholesterol and fat. Contain riboflavin and selenium along with essential vitamins such as folate, B12, niacin betaine and choline
Oats- high in fiber, cancer fighting phyto-chemicals, blood glucose and insulin regulating properties, and lower bad cholesterol.

I usually use 1/3 cup of each, but you could easily multiply that amount and get A LOT of pancakes. Just make sure that it will fit in your blender.  Trying to put too much in the blender results in a lumpy mess that won't blend well.  It's often easier to make multiple batches. I double the batch and freeze the rest for a quick and healthy breakfast option on those days I'm running late, which is most days. 

These are great post workout, pre workout, or as the first meal of the day.  Why else would I make them in mass quantity?  My kids even like them.  They don't know they're healthy. 

You can top these with fresh fruit, peanut butter, almond butter, or honey.  I personally like to put down a layer of almond butter and wrap the almond butter coated pancake around half a banana.  It's tasty and portable!

Enjoy!

When one door closes

....another door opens.

Or I hope it does.

My family has decided to move back to Florida.  So, I left my "best job ever" as a personal fitness trainer.  HOWEVER, I've decided to go off on my own as a private personal fitness trainer.  Wish me luck. I'm gonna need it.

The move was for family, mostly.  But I feel there are opportunities here for growth within my passion.  I love what I do and I want to take it to the next level.  Life is all about stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new things.

I also plan on getting this blog up and running again.  So, what I want are suggestions!  What would YOU like to read about?   Please, keep it health and fitness related.  :P

Portion Control Tips!

So, with the holidays fast approaching I've decided to whip up a little advice for portion control. This is probably the time of year when portion control matters most, what with buckets full of mashed potatoes at every table.

1. Kid Plates - Don't look at me like that. I'm serious! I eat off of little kid plates, sectional plates, bread and butter plates all the time. You're basically playing an optical illusion on yourself. When we eat off of large dinner plates, we WANT to fill them. But doing that means over eating. By using a small plate, we fill it and it's still an appropriate amount of food.

2. Measuring Cups and Spoons - But you're not baking! I know. I used them to serve my food rather than using serving spoons. That way I'm not eye balling the portion and possibly over estimating the amount. I KNOW I'm eating what I SHOULD be eating.

3. Drink Water - Water is good for hydration, yes. But if you drink a glass before each meal, you'll feel fuller faster. You are far less likely to over eat!

4. Eat More Often - By eating every 3 - 4 hours hours you don't get hungry, your body is always in burn mode, you have more energy and you don't go a-hogging every morsel in sight.

5. DO NOT Skip Meals - Ever. EVER! If you skip meals to conserve calories you're actually having the opposite effect. After about 4 hours your body goes into starvation mode and starts to store all the fat. That's counterproductive. Plus, when you skip a meal, you're starving by your next one and are more likely to over eat and make bad food choices because you're so hungry.

6. Split Meals - This is for when you're dining out. Restaurants always serve huge portions so if you eat out, split a meal with your dining partner, eat half and take half home, or eat off the kids menu if you can.

7. DO NOT Eat Out Of The Container - Don't eat food directly out of it's container (cereal, popcorn, pretzels, etc.). Get the portion size out and put the rest away. OR when you bring it home from the grocery store, pre-portion your snacks into little snack bags and THEN store them. Either way, don't eat from the box, bag, carton, etc. If you do you're probably going to eat more than you should.

8. Eat SLO-O-OWLY - I know this sounds ridiculous but it seriously helps. Eat food more slowly and your body has time to realize it's full.

Best advice is to combine and use these tips each and every time you eat. Portion control is a HUGE factor in successful weight loss. If you have other suggestions, feel free to post them! Good luck!

A Day in My Diet

Hello!

I wanted to post up a quick example of how I eat in a typical day. Keep in mind I'm pretty active. On less active days I eat fewer calories (around 1300-1400). On more active days I eat more. Makes sense, right? ;)

Here's today's menu:

7:30 - 1 cup shredded wheat bran with 1/2 cup 1% milk, 2 cups coffee

10:30 - 1/2 cup oatmeal with a handful of almonds (roughly 8 - 10) and a few dried cherries

1:30 - A mixed greens salad with 1/2 a tomato diced, 1 carrot, 2 slices of turkey with lemon juice and pepper.

4:00 - 1/2 c yogurt with a handful of walnuts (about 8)

7:00 - Turkey burgers on whole wheat buns, 1 leaf lettuce, 1 slice of tomato, dill pickle, mayo (made with olive oil) and yellow mustard

I'll have a bunch of water in there and possibly some tea.

This whole day is just under 1600 calories. I have weight lifting and some intense cardio scheduled for today's workouts in addition to my regular daily activity (cleaning house, errands, playing with kids, etc). I'll burn 2500 - 2600 calories. My calorie deficit will be some where around 1000 calories for the day. That's a pretty good deficit if you're looking to lose 1-2 pounds per week. I have a few pounds left so that's good for me. I try to keep my deficit in the 500 - 1000 calories range. When I'm maintaining I won't have that deficit.

If you notice, I'm eating every 2 - 3 hours. My meals aren't very big but they come often. I'm never hungry. I never feel too full, either. This is the best way to maintain energy throughout the day as well as keeping your body in a "fuel burning"mode. Your body is less likely to store fat if it's getting just as much food as it needs often.

I also eat a variety of foods including fruits, vegetables, lean meats, healthy fats, and whole grains. This way I'm getting everything my body needs and I'm not bored with my meals. I believe in "food as fuel" but I also like to enjoy what I'm eating.

I use caloriecount.about.com to track my meals and activities. Keep in mind it's an estimate but it's a good idea to keep track anyway. Most people underestimate their calorie intake and over estimate their calorie burn. So, keeping track helps eliminate that. In addition, keeping track of your food means you're less likely to "cheat" and eats foods you probably shouldn't, or you're more mindful and can augment your entire daily diet to make up for it, or you can work out a little more.

Remember, healthy living is part exercise, but mostly diet. You need both to see results.

Good luck! :)