Halllloooo Everybody!
How YOU doin'? I'm great. I am really feeling the love! Let me just say, in regards to my last post; thank you so very much for reading it, and for all of the overwhelming support on it. The comments were wonderful, but the extraordinary number of private emails I received about it were truly touching. Like they made me cry. Thank you for sharing your own stories- not all of them were identical to my own experience, but just went to show that we all seem to have our 'thing' that we've been through, or are working through, or that push us to be better and work harder. I was worried about making my readers feel icky about my backstory, and stressed about whether I should post it. Thank you for making me feel like it was a positive thing. You guys rock!
Ok so a lot of the blogs I frequent have been all about protein ball recipes. Little nuggets of yummy goodness that make a great pre or post workout snack or anytime really. So I am jumping on the bandwagon and have created....my own SHWEDDY BALL recipe. If you think I'm just being a weirdo, please go to YouTube and search for the Alec Baldwin SNL skit from years ago about his 'shweddy balls'. You'll get an ab workout laughing so hard.
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients:
-4 scoops protein powder of your choice (I use sprouted brown rice vanilla flavoured)
-2 TBS Almond Butter (or nut butter of your choice)
-2 TBS (heaping)Coconut Flour
-2 TBS Coconut Oil
-5 or 6 honey (or other) pitted dates
-splash of vanilla extract
-sploosh of agave, honey or maple syrup
-Chocolate chips to taste (I am a graduate of the 'don't measure chocolate chips school of thought'- like WHO would only add a TBS of chocolate chips?! Unless you don't care for chocolate, in which case I'll shut my trap now)
Directions:
In a food processor, buzz the dates till they're chopped up. Add in the protein, Almond butter, flour, oil, vanilla and process again. At this point it'll probably still be a little dry, so add in a bit of syrup. If it's STILL really dry, a splash of water to moisten it up a bit- you don't want it to be runny, but moist enough that you could form the dough into balls. At this point things are starting to get a little Shweddy. Stir in your chocolate chips, and form the dough into balls the size of golf balls. Store in the fridge. At my house, the 10 or so balls I made were gone within 12 hours. These taste like a firmer version of cookie dough, we really enjoyed them and they're bound to become a staple chez nous.
Let me know what you think! You could switch things up here; add in oats or ground flax or a combo instead of the coconut flour, or add in raisins or goji berries or something instead of chocolate chips- it's your call based on what you like. In a shweddy ball.
I'm working on a couple of other recipes that I am hoping to post too...but I need to do a little focus group testing tonight on Brad and the Bean before they're ready for primetime. Hopefully I'll have another post coming soon with said recipes!
I'm out for now, thanks for reading & for all your bloglove- the feeling is mutual!
xoMelissa
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
I Aimed For STRONG, Not Skinny....
Hey Everyone What's Shakin?
Let me first just say that this post may be the teensiest bit more heartfelt for me- my apologies if this is your first visit and you kinda wonder what you're reading. But fear not! I am usually WAAAAYYY more full of beans than this, so please do keep reading!
I feel like for some reason, I wanted to share with you all why excercise is so very very important in my life, a bit of a backstory. Maybe you'll feel like this post speaks to your own experience, or something that's going on in your life, even if our stories aren't identical- I hope it resonates with you on some level if you have stuff going on that is difficult.
So the truth is, my story isn't one about how I was once obese and worked hard to lose a lot of weight and overcome adversity (this of course notwithstanding the 65 pound weight gain I enjoyed while pregnant with the Bean, but I chalk that up to a strict Kraft Dinner & chocolate diet during my pregnancy. No comment ok?) I am inspired DAILY by people who this is true for. I think it's extraordinary and I am humbled by it. But that isn't me.
After the Bean was born, we really wanted to make a sibling for her. Or two, to be exact. Apparently, the Universe had other plans for me. To make a long story short(ish), I had no problem conceiving, I just couldn't seem to stay that way. This happened more than a couple of times, and every time it happened, it really took a dangerous toll on me physically and more significantly, emotionally. It got to a point a couple of years ago, where I was really angry & dissapointed with myself- my own body, to be truthful. I felt, physically, like a failure; like my body failed me. I LOATHED by body. I wasn't clinically depressed, but there were times when I didn't want to get out of bed; I was so profoundly sad and I wondered if I could ever possibly feel better about my situation and myself. I felt like my body was sabotaging my plans and it was all my fault. I felt weak, trapped in a body that wasn't doing what I wanted it to. I could barely stand myself, and I know it was hard for the people around me too. I am fortunate to have such an amazing support system of family & friends though, they held me up on so many levels.
But what happened was, in the midst of all this overwhelming sadness, an idea came into my head. When I was at my absolute lowest, this voice in my head said: "If I can just get to the gym. If I can just get there, and start getting physically strong, everything will be ok." I know it's hokey, but it's the truth. So as soon as my doc gave me the go-ahead, I was there. I started at 2, 3, and then 4 days a week. I hired a trainer. I was shy about being in a place where there were so many strong, beautiful bodies, where I didn't 'belong' with my sad face, soft, half-pregnant looking physique. But I sweated my a*s off, started doing pushups and lifting weights. The more often I went, the stronger I felt & looked, and the better I felt about myself. I was transformed.
So even though I DON'T necessarily know what it feels like to feel trapped in a body that is bigger than I would like, I know what it feels like to hate your body and feel like a prisoner in it or like you're not the one calling the shots. And although some people may turn to their Faith, or support groups, or booze or medications or whatever to heal what ails them, I turned to fitness. And it saved me. Becoming STRONG saved me. Yes, I am on the 'leaner' side, I won't lie- but that was a side effect of working hard and making changes to the way I eat so I would FEEL stronger & more energized. These days, working out is as much a part of my life as breathing, eating healthfully (at least 90% of the time), drinking wheatgrass and well, you know, enjoying a little vino when I feel like I want to. I'm not obsessed with excercising to burn calories or be skinny or anything- it's about feeling strong. Because I've lived through the alternative and have no desire to go back there.
Becoming a personal trainer & fitness instructor was the next step for me. As cheesy as it might sound, I wanted to help other people- particularly women- feel as good about themselves as I managed too, by incorporating physical activity into their lives.
Let me be clear: I am certainly not a doctor and I'm not advising anyone to go off medication and hit the elliptical to cure themselves. All I'm saying is that in my particular case, improving my fitness & strength helped heal my body, my mind and improved my self esteem, mkay? Just sayin.
This isn't a pity party I'm trying to start here. I'm just trying to give my own example of how aiming to get strong, rather than just skinny, lifted me out of the worst time of my life. Maybe the same will be true for you.
OOOFFF! That's heavy, yo! I'm done! Have a great day, and rest assured my next post will be full of the regular shenanigans and a healthy yumptious recipe a'ight?
Later!
xoMelissa
Let me first just say that this post may be the teensiest bit more heartfelt for me- my apologies if this is your first visit and you kinda wonder what you're reading. But fear not! I am usually WAAAAYYY more full of beans than this, so please do keep reading!
I feel like for some reason, I wanted to share with you all why excercise is so very very important in my life, a bit of a backstory. Maybe you'll feel like this post speaks to your own experience, or something that's going on in your life, even if our stories aren't identical- I hope it resonates with you on some level if you have stuff going on that is difficult.
So the truth is, my story isn't one about how I was once obese and worked hard to lose a lot of weight and overcome adversity (this of course notwithstanding the 65 pound weight gain I enjoyed while pregnant with the Bean, but I chalk that up to a strict Kraft Dinner & chocolate diet during my pregnancy. No comment ok?) I am inspired DAILY by people who this is true for. I think it's extraordinary and I am humbled by it. But that isn't me.
After the Bean was born, we really wanted to make a sibling for her. Or two, to be exact. Apparently, the Universe had other plans for me. To make a long story short(ish), I had no problem conceiving, I just couldn't seem to stay that way. This happened more than a couple of times, and every time it happened, it really took a dangerous toll on me physically and more significantly, emotionally. It got to a point a couple of years ago, where I was really angry & dissapointed with myself- my own body, to be truthful. I felt, physically, like a failure; like my body failed me. I LOATHED by body. I wasn't clinically depressed, but there were times when I didn't want to get out of bed; I was so profoundly sad and I wondered if I could ever possibly feel better about my situation and myself. I felt like my body was sabotaging my plans and it was all my fault. I felt weak, trapped in a body that wasn't doing what I wanted it to. I could barely stand myself, and I know it was hard for the people around me too. I am fortunate to have such an amazing support system of family & friends though, they held me up on so many levels.
But what happened was, in the midst of all this overwhelming sadness, an idea came into my head. When I was at my absolute lowest, this voice in my head said: "If I can just get to the gym. If I can just get there, and start getting physically strong, everything will be ok." I know it's hokey, but it's the truth. So as soon as my doc gave me the go-ahead, I was there. I started at 2, 3, and then 4 days a week. I hired a trainer. I was shy about being in a place where there were so many strong, beautiful bodies, where I didn't 'belong' with my sad face, soft, half-pregnant looking physique. But I sweated my a*s off, started doing pushups and lifting weights. The more often I went, the stronger I felt & looked, and the better I felt about myself. I was transformed.
So even though I DON'T necessarily know what it feels like to feel trapped in a body that is bigger than I would like, I know what it feels like to hate your body and feel like a prisoner in it or like you're not the one calling the shots. And although some people may turn to their Faith, or support groups, or booze or medications or whatever to heal what ails them, I turned to fitness. And it saved me. Becoming STRONG saved me. Yes, I am on the 'leaner' side, I won't lie- but that was a side effect of working hard and making changes to the way I eat so I would FEEL stronger & more energized. These days, working out is as much a part of my life as breathing, eating healthfully (at least 90% of the time), drinking wheatgrass and well, you know, enjoying a little vino when I feel like I want to. I'm not obsessed with excercising to burn calories or be skinny or anything- it's about feeling strong. Because I've lived through the alternative and have no desire to go back there.
Becoming a personal trainer & fitness instructor was the next step for me. As cheesy as it might sound, I wanted to help other people- particularly women- feel as good about themselves as I managed too, by incorporating physical activity into their lives.
Let me be clear: I am certainly not a doctor and I'm not advising anyone to go off medication and hit the elliptical to cure themselves. All I'm saying is that in my particular case, improving my fitness & strength helped heal my body, my mind and improved my self esteem, mkay? Just sayin.
This isn't a pity party I'm trying to start here. I'm just trying to give my own example of how aiming to get strong, rather than just skinny, lifted me out of the worst time of my life. Maybe the same will be true for you.
OOOFFF! That's heavy, yo! I'm done! Have a great day, and rest assured my next post will be full of the regular shenanigans and a healthy yumptious recipe a'ight?
Later!
xoMelissa
Friday, January 14, 2011
You Know What They Say About A Girl With Big Feet....
Hey Everyone, how goes your Friday? Sorry it's been a while since I had anything to talk at ya about, but things were a bit hectic as I settled into my new routine. I've started teaching aerobics classes, and have been taking on new personal training clients, while still doing the everyday Mommy/life stuff and my own excercise regime, so it's taking a bit of adjustment, in a good way. Today I decided to take the day off, especially from excercise, as it's been a pretty large physical activity week for me. A rest day never hurt anyone, right? By tomorrow I'll be chomping at the bit I'm sure!
So speaking of excercise, I've been in the market for a new pair of sneaks. Whatever, right? Get down to Sportcheck or Foot Locker just and buy some, right? Yeah not so much. Because some of us don't just have feet. We have pontoons. Those of you who know me personally know it- I'm like a frickin' sasquatch, and you can see my feet coming around a corner before you see the rest of me. It's brutal. You also know that one of the highest compliments you can give me is: "Wow, those shoes/boots/pedicure/etc make your feet look so SMALL!".
This is nothing new. I was fitting into my Mom's dainty size 8s in the 6th grade. Uncles used to encourage me to really get into barefoot waterskiing before I even hit my teens. I think I was supposed to be taller, but oh well. I could go on and on with anecdotes like this, but I think you're probably starting to get the point.
You know what they say about a girl with big feet...we need big shoes. And that can be a tricky proposition when you're rockin' a set of size 10-11 feet. So for that reason, shoe shopping- particularly running shoe shopping- ranks somewhere lower on the list than Bikini Shopping and Bra Shopping. Too much info. Sorry. Just sayin'. Lady readers, that might resonate with ya's.
So wish me luck in my search eh. And if you have any tips for where us particularly Pediendowed folks can get a pair of quality sneaks that don't make us look like Ronald McDonald.
Meantime, how about a recipe for something super easy that sounds fancy? Behold: Miso Glazed Baked Salmon. Great anytime, takes just a few minutes to make, can even be served for a dinner party. If you don't have Miso in your life yet, give it a go. It will satisfy your 'Salt Tooth' in a healthy way. Miso is a fermented soy bean paste (please, don't stop reading, it really is good!) that's got B12 vitamins,and trace minerals zinc, manganese & copper. Plus it's high in protein. Here's the recipe:
Ingredients:
1 TBS grapeseed or vegetable/canola oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice Powder
1/2 cup red miso paste
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 TBS brown rice vinegar
hot pepper sesame oil to taste (or sesame oil & dried red pepper flakes if you can't find it)
Directions:
Heat oil in a small saucepan over med heat. Add garlic and 5 spice powder and cook for about 30 seconds or til it becomes fragrant. Whisk in the remaining ingredients (except sesame oil & pepper flakes),bring to a boil and cook, whisking constantly for about 3-4 minutes or until slightly thickened. Season to taste with hot pepper sesame oil. Let the sauce cool & thicken further before using.
I like to drizzle this sauce over baked or barbecued salmon portions. But if you're not feeling the fish love then drizzle over steamed/roasted veggies or protein of your choice. It's delish.
Alrighty, hope your weekend gets off to a good start! Mine is bound to; I'm training a client first thing tomorrow morning then getting ready for a bootcamp with Tommy Europe from the television shows 'The Last 10 lbs Bootcamp' and 'Bulging Brides'. I hope he doesn't make me cry. We'll see. So if it's cool I'll post after the weekend with those shenanigans.
Have a great one, thanks for reading!
xoMelissa
So speaking of excercise, I've been in the market for a new pair of sneaks. Whatever, right? Get down to Sportcheck or Foot Locker just and buy some, right? Yeah not so much. Because some of us don't just have feet. We have pontoons. Those of you who know me personally know it- I'm like a frickin' sasquatch, and you can see my feet coming around a corner before you see the rest of me. It's brutal. You also know that one of the highest compliments you can give me is: "Wow, those shoes/boots/pedicure/etc make your feet look so SMALL!".
This is nothing new. I was fitting into my Mom's dainty size 8s in the 6th grade. Uncles used to encourage me to really get into barefoot waterskiing before I even hit my teens. I think I was supposed to be taller, but oh well. I could go on and on with anecdotes like this, but I think you're probably starting to get the point.
You know what they say about a girl with big feet...we need big shoes. And that can be a tricky proposition when you're rockin' a set of size 10-11 feet. So for that reason, shoe shopping- particularly running shoe shopping- ranks somewhere lower on the list than Bikini Shopping and Bra Shopping. Too much info. Sorry. Just sayin'. Lady readers, that might resonate with ya's.
So wish me luck in my search eh. And if you have any tips for where us particularly Pediendowed folks can get a pair of quality sneaks that don't make us look like Ronald McDonald.
Meantime, how about a recipe for something super easy that sounds fancy? Behold: Miso Glazed Baked Salmon. Great anytime, takes just a few minutes to make, can even be served for a dinner party. If you don't have Miso in your life yet, give it a go. It will satisfy your 'Salt Tooth' in a healthy way. Miso is a fermented soy bean paste (please, don't stop reading, it really is good!) that's got B12 vitamins,and trace minerals zinc, manganese & copper. Plus it's high in protein. Here's the recipe:
Ingredients:
1 TBS grapeseed or vegetable/canola oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice Powder
1/2 cup red miso paste
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 TBS brown rice vinegar
hot pepper sesame oil to taste (or sesame oil & dried red pepper flakes if you can't find it)
Directions:
Heat oil in a small saucepan over med heat. Add garlic and 5 spice powder and cook for about 30 seconds or til it becomes fragrant. Whisk in the remaining ingredients (except sesame oil & pepper flakes),bring to a boil and cook, whisking constantly for about 3-4 minutes or until slightly thickened. Season to taste with hot pepper sesame oil. Let the sauce cool & thicken further before using.
I like to drizzle this sauce over baked or barbecued salmon portions. But if you're not feeling the fish love then drizzle over steamed/roasted veggies or protein of your choice. It's delish.
Alrighty, hope your weekend gets off to a good start! Mine is bound to; I'm training a client first thing tomorrow morning then getting ready for a bootcamp with Tommy Europe from the television shows 'The Last 10 lbs Bootcamp' and 'Bulging Brides'. I hope he doesn't make me cry. We'll see. So if it's cool I'll post after the weekend with those shenanigans.
Have a great one, thanks for reading!
xoMelissa
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Am I Losing My Touch?! And a Taco Salad Recipe
Hey Everyone! How's it going? Is January getting started on the right foot for you? It is for me, fo sho! After a magical but low key Christmas & New Years will my little family of 3, we're back in the swing of things. Bean's back at school, I am back at the gym with a vengeance & an eye to achieving some fresh goals (one of which involves a bicep curl & a 35 lb dumbbell, we'll see how that goes, ahem), new personal training clients signing up AND...my aerobics classes starting on Monday out in my little village. I am nervous & excited, can't wait for people to show up and hopefully feel like they're getting something out of it!
What are your goals as far as fitness for this year? Any changes on the horizon?
So the gym is hopping, as I'm sure you can imagine. Lots of newbies, great to see them working hard to change something in their lives. I love it. What I don't love? One of the 'oldies' whose still kicking around the place. He's this guy, a real pain the butt, lurks around the place making googly eyes at all the ladies, innapropriate comments, touchy-feely, very icky. I've complained to management about him, and said a few things to him to head him off, and it works....for a little while. But then he's right back at it within a few weeks, drives me nuts. At my gym I'm usually one of the only girls in the weight room, which can sometimes be intimidating enough- do I really need this douchebag there to make it uncomfortable?
And the worst part is, I think I might be losing my touch. My touch with the Look of Death (aka Beotch Face) that is. I mean, this look has been known to fell a man at 20 paces- just ask Brad (don't worry, he's ok now). They wither as soon as I bust it out, sometimes even curl into fetal position on the floor, it's never failed me. So I tried it on Mr Douchey yesterday and it appears he is my Kryptonite. Didn't even phase him. Googly eyes just got bigger and inane comments presented....haallllp! What do I do? Any thoughts? Advice?
Alright, enough yakking. How about a recipe? Taco Salad is a real standbye in this house. The Bean absolutely ADORES it, and so do we. It makes a huge amount of food, which is great for leftovers. And it is superb for entertaining too because the platter is pretty impressive looking. I think it's pretty healthy, especially if you use extra lean ground beef or even better, ground turkey or chicken. This was our New Year's Supper, a nice fresh, clean way to start the New Year. Here it is:
Ingredients:
1 pound extra lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 onion, minced
2 TBS minced garlic
1 tablespoon chili powder, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, or to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 can EACH of black beans,kidney beans, & corn niblets, drained and rinsed
1 head Romaine lettuce, torn into small pieces
1 - 2 tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces (or halved cherry tomatoes)
1 cuke, chopped
1 sweet bell pepper (colour of your choice), chopped into chunks
1/2 cup sliced green onions
Chopped cilantro to taste (optional)
1/2 cup sliced black olives (optional)
1 or 2 avocados, sliced or guacamole
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
Salsa, Sour Cream, Tabasco
Directions:
On a LARGE platter, arrange the lettuce as a base, like a bed. Spread kidney beans over lettuce, then black beans, then corn. Scatter chopped peppers, cukes & tomatoes around the perimeter of the salad base (so the platter doesn't turn into a mountain). When you're almost ready to serve, fry ground beef or turkey with chopped onion & garlic, add chili powder, cumin, salt & pepper and fry together till meat is cooked through and fragrant from the spices. Top salad platter with meat, then green onions, olives, then cheese & cilantro. You can either buy a vinnaigrette of your choice to go with it, or make one with Olive Oil, Lime Juice, Salt, pepper, agave/honey, garlic. To be honest, there are so many flavours going on here that lately we haven't even been using a dressing. Serve with salsa, sour cream, tabasco (I put that s%$t on everything!) and guac. I also like to make nachos (with baked chips instead of fried) OR quesadillas made with Ezekiel wraps....Enjoy!
Alright guys I gotta scoot so bye for now. Thank you for reading. I appreciate it immensely and look forward to your feedback. For reals....
xoMelissa
What are your goals as far as fitness for this year? Any changes on the horizon?
So the gym is hopping, as I'm sure you can imagine. Lots of newbies, great to see them working hard to change something in their lives. I love it. What I don't love? One of the 'oldies' whose still kicking around the place. He's this guy, a real pain the butt, lurks around the place making googly eyes at all the ladies, innapropriate comments, touchy-feely, very icky. I've complained to management about him, and said a few things to him to head him off, and it works....for a little while. But then he's right back at it within a few weeks, drives me nuts. At my gym I'm usually one of the only girls in the weight room, which can sometimes be intimidating enough- do I really need this douchebag there to make it uncomfortable?
And the worst part is, I think I might be losing my touch. My touch with the Look of Death (aka Beotch Face) that is. I mean, this look has been known to fell a man at 20 paces- just ask Brad (don't worry, he's ok now). They wither as soon as I bust it out, sometimes even curl into fetal position on the floor, it's never failed me. So I tried it on Mr Douchey yesterday and it appears he is my Kryptonite. Didn't even phase him. Googly eyes just got bigger and inane comments presented....haallllp! What do I do? Any thoughts? Advice?
Alright, enough yakking. How about a recipe? Taco Salad is a real standbye in this house. The Bean absolutely ADORES it, and so do we. It makes a huge amount of food, which is great for leftovers. And it is superb for entertaining too because the platter is pretty impressive looking. I think it's pretty healthy, especially if you use extra lean ground beef or even better, ground turkey or chicken. This was our New Year's Supper, a nice fresh, clean way to start the New Year. Here it is:
Ingredients:
1 pound extra lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 onion, minced
2 TBS minced garlic
1 tablespoon chili powder, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, or to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 can EACH of black beans,kidney beans, & corn niblets, drained and rinsed
1 head Romaine lettuce, torn into small pieces
1 - 2 tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces (or halved cherry tomatoes)
1 cuke, chopped
1 sweet bell pepper (colour of your choice), chopped into chunks
1/2 cup sliced green onions
Chopped cilantro to taste (optional)
1/2 cup sliced black olives (optional)
1 or 2 avocados, sliced or guacamole
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
Salsa, Sour Cream, Tabasco
Directions:
On a LARGE platter, arrange the lettuce as a base, like a bed. Spread kidney beans over lettuce, then black beans, then corn. Scatter chopped peppers, cukes & tomatoes around the perimeter of the salad base (so the platter doesn't turn into a mountain). When you're almost ready to serve, fry ground beef or turkey with chopped onion & garlic, add chili powder, cumin, salt & pepper and fry together till meat is cooked through and fragrant from the spices. Top salad platter with meat, then green onions, olives, then cheese & cilantro. You can either buy a vinnaigrette of your choice to go with it, or make one with Olive Oil, Lime Juice, Salt, pepper, agave/honey, garlic. To be honest, there are so many flavours going on here that lately we haven't even been using a dressing. Serve with salsa, sour cream, tabasco (I put that s%$t on everything!) and guac. I also like to make nachos (with baked chips instead of fried) OR quesadillas made with Ezekiel wraps....Enjoy!
Alright guys I gotta scoot so bye for now. Thank you for reading. I appreciate it immensely and look forward to your feedback. For reals....
xoMelissa
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