My Newest Obsession

After hearing some bloggie pals obsess over the stuff, I decided I had to have some, and sent Joe on a mission to stop at TJ's before his rehearsal and bring me some. 

Which was quite kind of him in this weather...

I'm. So. Happy.

I couldn't decide what to do with it first. Peanut butter hot chocolate won out. 

 YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

The nutrition in this stuff is pretty impressive... 2 tablespoons of the flour (which can be mixed with water to make a paste, or with other things fore exponential varieties of deliciousness) contain 55 calories, 2g fat, 575 mg potassium (17% DV), 2g fiber, 1g sugar and 8g protein. Nice, right?

Yummytown Microwave Banana Oat Cakes AND...

I'm a busy girl, so it follows logically that I like fast things. Fast trains. Fast workouts. Fast food (of my own creation). So everytime I come across a recipe like this, I'm THRILLED, to say the very least. 

Something else you should know about me: I absolutely loath ripe bananas. If there's more yellow than green, I'm not really interested... And OVERRIPE bananas? I gag just from smelling someone eating one. The only thing I hate more than overripe bananas is throwing away produce, especially if it's still salvageable in some capacity. It literally, physically hurts me to waste food. So when a bunch of bananas have lost their lustrous green hue and morphed into a sallow and angry yellow, I begin to panic. "How will I use them?" "What can I make that won't totally derail my diet?" "WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?"

Which is why I'm so grateful to Averie of Love, Veggies and Yoga for this FAST, SIMPLE, CLEAN, NUTRITIOUS and DELICIOUS way for me to get rid of my culinary arch-enemies. A plus? They're legal for all my vegan/ GF friends!

I doubled her recipe (making 2 cakes) and didn't use any add-ins aside from cinnamon, though she lists some yummy options. I topped with a bit of RF Peanut Butter, and was a happy, happy girl. 

I used: 

1 banana on the verge of death

6 tbs oats

1 plop of cinnamon (if you're new to the blog, I'm not so great w/ measurements)

Mix it. Mash it. Divide in 1/2 and microwave each portion in a bowl for 90 seconds on high. Enjoy on your prettiest plate.

(Forgive the crappy picture quality- I had to take it with my phone because the fiance took the camera to work)

I later enjoyed a lemon lime seltzer and blueberry pomegranate spritzer, because I'm a non-alcoholic lush.

Dinner was extra lean ground beef cooked with taco seasoning and apple cider vinegar served with chopped tomatillos, avocado and salsa. Joe added a tortilla to his, but I went au naturale...

So. Friggin. Yummy.

Serious distractions... A BUSY WEEK.

Outside of the gym, I've got a few things going on, including 3 teaching jobs, applications/ auditions for MFA programs, a few volunteer gigs, planning my (rapidly) upcoming wedding and a dancing, acting and writing career. The last one has been the real kicker lately, as this week has been dress/tech/load-in week for my upcoming one-woman show, A WOMAN IN PROGRESS at La MaMa E.T.C's Club. Rehearsals have been grueling, but with the love and support of my colleagues and friends at Mind the Art Entertainment, it's been an enjoyable process. It has, however, been seriously damaging to my training schedule/ diet for the past 2 weeks. In a major, major way. I leave in the morning before the gym opens, and I return home after it's closed, and by that point, I'm inclined to simply crawl into bed and savor the precious few hours before I have to be back at the theatre. 

I was planning on competing in bikini on March 26th, which puts me at 9.5 weeks out. There's another show on April 9th which puts me 11.5 weeks out, but it's the Saturday before I get married.... 

What would you do?

More food porn...

I. Love. Food. 

Contest prep diet is going ok... not perfect, but not terrible...

Holy nooks and crannies... I <3 breakfast. It's a proatcake (protein and oatmeal pancake... obvi)!

Plus a little PB

Oy- I look rough here... Don't judge... I just got done teaching dance and busted my knee on the way home (damn you NYC snow)... So Joe made me pork tenderloin and blue potatoes with caramelized onions! Whatta guy! 

Recap of Week 1 and Bring on Week 2

Contest Prep Week 1 went pretty well- got 5 good days of working out in... Scheduling is getting tight because my show is opening in 2 weeks (oy) but I'm determined to not let that derail my prep too much (diet was OK for the most part, with one shameful instance of convenient pizza sneaking in)...

Here's what week 2 will look like (I'm hoping)

Day 1
Cardio- 1 hr (30 TM, 30 elliptical)
Biceps, Triceps, Shoulders, Chest, Core

Day 2
Cardio (20-TM, 40 Elliptical)
Quads, Glutes, Calves, Hammies, Core

Day 3
Biceps, Triceps, Shoulders, Chest, Core

Day 4
Cardio
Biceps, Triceps, Shoulders, Core, Back

Day 5
Cardio
Quads, Glutes, Calves, Hammies, Core

.... Diet so far, so good...

Day 1
-Egg White Spinach Omelet w/ Sprinkle of Parmesean
-Iced Coffee w/ Soy

Food Porn.

I. Love. Food. And I love taking pictures of food! I hope you like looking at pictures of food, because I'm posting a bunch! Enjoy my culinary adventures of the past few days!

Homemade Hummus. So easy, so healthy, so delicious.

Baked Salsa Chicken. Ole!

Avec Haricot Verts! Tres bien!

My super beast salad. The photo doesn't do the size of the bowl justice. 

Days 1 and 2 of Contest Prep!

Yesterday's post mysteriously vanished. :(

A recap:

YESTERDAY- Day 1

40 Mins of Cardio
Triceps
Biceps
Chest

Meal 1: 9:30a
Egg White Mug Scramble w/ Turkey Sausage
Iced Coffee with Soymilk and 0 cal sweetener

Meal 2: 11:30
1 Scoop Warrior Whey Chocolate

Meal 3: 1:30
Oatmeal w/ Vanilla Protein, Peanut Butter and Cinnamon
Iced Coffee (Soymilk and 0 cal sweetener)

Meal 4: 3:30
Cucumber Pineapple Salad
Tea

Meal 5: 5:30p
1 Scoop Warrior Whey
Handful of Almonds

Meal 6: 8p
2 deviled eggs (4 halves) with 1/2 yolk mixed with homemade hummus

Today: DAY 2

40 Mins of Cardio
Calves, Quads, Glutes and Hammies!

Meal 1: 10:10a
Oatmeal, Peanut Butter, Warrior Whey Chocolate
Iced Coffee w/ Light Soymilk and 0 Cal Sweetener

Meal 2: 12:10p
Guacamole with Stone Ground Whole Wheat Crackers
1 deviled egg with hummus mixture

Meal 3: 2:30p
1 scoop Warrior Whey in Water
Iced Coffee

Meal 4: 3:30p
Light Vanilla Yogurt Cup with Almonds

Meal 5: 6:30p
Super Yummy Salad! Green leaf lettuce, carrots, avocado, grilled chicken breast, tomatoes, a sprinkling of craisins, lemon and lime juice and a drizzle of low sodium terikyaki and blueberry balsamic vinegar

HAPPY SWEATING!

P.S. Check out Run To The Finish's Sunfood Giveaway!