Dairy and Sugar Free Pancakes

I was craving something sweet and I love breakfast for dinner, so I decided to make pancakes! I'm not a fan of store bought mixes because of all of the unnecessary processed ingredients so here was my first attempt at home-made pancakes, and I have to say that they were pretty good!

What you will need:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 scoop Jay Robb Vanilla Whey protein
• 3/4 cup almond or coconut milk (I used vanilla flavored)
  
• 2 egg whites
• * 1 tsp Vanilla extract (if you are using unsweetened almond or coconut milk)

add 1 cup whole wheat flour to a mixing bowl.  (I used a locally made flour from a farmers market, but you can find whole wheat flour in the baking section or in bulk in stores like Whole Foods)

 

Add 1 teaspoon baking flour to the bowl and mix with flour.

 

 

Incorporate 1/2 scoop of Jay Robb Vanilla Whey Protein to the flour and baking powder mix.

Stir in 3/4 cup almond or coconut milk, making sure it is mixed in completely.

Add 2 egg whites and whisk together until everything is combined (add vanilla here if needed)

Cook on a skillet over medium heat, spray with natural cooking spray if needed.

Enjoy with Agave Nectar, or maple syrup. If you buy syrup, make sure that it is non-processed, and is pure maple syrup with no sugar or added ingredients.

Enjoy!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, I hope you are having a great day with your friends and family celebrating the risen Christ. Make sure that you treat yourself today, but don't over indulge! I can't lie, my favorite candy is a Cadbury egg and I only get them once a year, so I think I'll have one today ;) other than that I need to make sure that I don't stray too far off the beaten path!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Quick lunchtime snack

Well I'm a fan of peanut butter, but... I love the flavor of almond butter. My snack today was extremely simple and it was around 210 calories. 6 crackers with 1 Tablespoon of almond butter. I use MaraNatha organic raw almond butter. You can find the brand almost anywhere including some Walmart stores! Try this out next time you want a change from peanut butter.

http://www.worldpantry.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce/ExecMacro/nspired/maranatha/home.d2w/report
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Milkshake (minus the milk)

This was so good, and I drank it way too fast!

• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 small banana
• 4 large frozen strawberries
• 1 scoop Jay Robb Vanilla protein

Nutrition Calculators

If you're curious to the amount of calories in your sub or burrito, check out these two websites. They let you customize your order so you know the exact nutrition facts of what you're eating!  This is really helpful because you can plan on what you are going to get before you go in so you know exactly how much you will be consuming.

http://www.chipotlefan.com/index.php?id=nutrition_calculator

http://www.nutritionix.com/subway/nutrition-calculator

(The Nutritionix website has a lot of major fast food chains, while the chipotlefan website only has Chipotle food)

Today's Simple Smoothie

Here's my simple smoothie that I made post-run today, hope you enjoy it too!

• 8 oz. Unsweetened almond milk (I use Pacific Natural Foods Brand)
• 1 cup frozen peaches (365 Whole Foods Brand)
• 1 Scoop Vanilla Protein (I prefer Jay Robb Vanilla Whey)
• Blend until creamy smooth

Sugar on The Week

Sugar has made its way into the news two days in a row in a not-so-sweet way. Yesterday in The New York Time, and today in The Week. Check it out here.
http://mobile.theweek.com/article/slideshow/214352/is-sugar-a-cancerous-poison

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Sugar synonymous with Poison?

Check out this article from the New York Times about sugar and its toxic effects.
http://ow.ly/4CMrN
Ads on tv explain that sugar is OK in moderation, but are we really eating it in moderation? I believe that people think they are eating it in moderation, but they don't realize how many of the products they are consuming actually contain sugar (which includes high fructose corn syrup). It is clear that our country has an epidemic of obesity, and the main cause is food.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Weekend Victories

How was your weekend? Hopefully there were a lot of victories! I was very pleased with my eating habits this weekend.  It is very hard for me to stay on track during the weekends because I work at a catering company.  I have learned to bring my own salad dressing and take advantage of the good fruits and vegetables available to make a hearty salad.  I am surrounded by fried, buttered, oiled, and fried again foods, it is so difficult to keep away from it all.  I have to remember that while it looks appetizing now, it is going to give me extra calories and push me further away from my goals.  Keep at it, and remember that today is a new day and you get to start fresh.  Make the right choices and choose healthy treats.  Protein shakes are great because you can make them with all different kinds of ingredients.  I love having a protein shake for dessert because I know that it is helping to shape a better me.

Low in Sugar S'mores Bar

This looks so good, I have to check Whole Foods next time I'm there.  How can you pass it up? It's dairy free, vegan, and its low in sugar! As soon as I find it, I will try it and let you all know how it tastes! 

 http://theprobar.com/products/halo/smores/

P.S. This is part of a new line of bars from ProBar named HALO, check out the other three flavors on their website!

Dairy Free "Ice Cream"

My yummy snack for today! I love ice cream, unfortunately I'm lactose intolerant but Turtle Mountain has found a fantastic solution. Their coconut "ice cream" is so good you won't want to go back to traditional ice cream. Check out all of their products at http://turtlemountain.com
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Simple Low Calorie Lunch Smoothie

Today my lunch was a smoothie, and I didn't have a lot of time so I whipped this up. I hope you like it too!

• 1 cup Pacific Natural Foods Unsweetened Organic Low Fat Almond milk
• 1 cup Whole Foods frozen blueberries
• 1 scoop Jay Robb Vanilla Whey Protein
• Blend until smooth

pacificfoods.com
http://www.jayrobb.com/
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/

Fruit-Flush 3-Day Detox from Jay Robb (Day 1)

Last night I was on the Jay Robb website checking out "The Jay Robb Plan" which contains 3 steps: Shape Your Thinking, Shape Your Eating, Shape Your Body.  Under the eating portion of the program, I came across a detox developed by Jay Robb.  I've been frustrated lately because I have had intense cravings for sweets and carbs, and this detox claimed to help with these kinds of issues along with many others.  The Fruit Flush 3-Day Detox book only costs $5, and you get the book instantly with the download, I figured what do I have to lose?!  I bought the book, and was really excited to start the program.

Today I started the detox, and I have to say that it's not bad at all! I've tried other detoxes before and they were less than pleasant, but this one I might actually enjoy!  The plan has you eating often, to keep you from being hungry, which was my biggest concern because I hate feeling hungry!  So far, everything seems to be working well.

Check out the Jay Robb website for more information jayrobb.com.

Counting Your Calories

ACE has an awesome calorie calculator, use this to figure out how many calories your burned during your workout! http://bit.ly/hSwDpo
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Don't Set Yourself Up For Failure!

I once heard someone say, " I only run when I'm chased by someone or something", and for a long time I adopted that philosophy as my own.  I'm sure there are many of you out there probably have the same feeling, and most of you probably have the same reason.  Most people believe that they can't run, they look at "runners", compare themselves to them, and then set them selves up for failure because they expect to be like "them".  I've always wanted to be a "runner" because they always made running look easy.  I would lace up my shoes, stretch, and set my mind on running 3 miles.  Right there I set myself up for failure because I'm expected to just be able to do something without working at it.  Running takes practice!  I would always start running, and even before I hit 10 minutes I would stop and walk because I felt like my lungs were going to collapse (I know I know I'm a whimp right?).  The best thing to do, and I learned this from a professor, is to keep going*! Everyone has the initial pain and burn in their lungs, but that is because your body hasn't adapted to the stress placed on it, it needs time to adjust to the increase of oxygen your body needs to keep going.  I now have worked my way up to running 2 miles without feeling like I'm going to die!  Keep at it, work at a pace that's good for you, even if you are alternating between walking and running.

*Ask your doctor before starting any kind of exercise program, and if you are feeling severe pain or dizziness stop and call your doctor.  It is important that you understand your limitations.