Protein Waffles!!

What's better than waffles on a Saturday morning?? Just about nothing. Even though I can't eat these right now due to my competition prep, I still wanted to share them with you all, they are seriously soooo delicious and healthy too! They are also super easy to make! Here's how:

In a blender mix:
1/2 cup oats
2Tbs Greek yogurt
2Tbs almond milk
5 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
Sprinkles of cinnamon
1/2 mashed banana (optional) scoop of protein powder (optional)

It will be really runny so I usually make them as waffles.. But if you make them as pancakes you have to pour a little bit at a time so they keep their shape. If you're trying to get more vegetables in your diet throw a cup of spinach in the blender with everything. I've done it before and I promise you won't even tell a difference.. Besides the green colored waffles that is :)
I top mine with fruit and sugar free syrup!

'Skinny Legs' and Costco Runs

Hello my lovely followers! I've been a slacker and haven't been blogging as much as I have wanted to. My sister and I went to Boise this weekend to visit our Aunt Tracey, we had a blast!! I had today off of work so I decided to do a Costco run since we had no food at home due to my husband being home alone from Wednesday to Sunday.. you know how that goes. Anyways, I am a frequent Costco shopper, I find myself there at least once a week. As I am on my competition diet my choices are limited, but none the less they still have just about EVERYTHING that I need. Here are some of my staples (and until mid October, about the only things) that I get from Costco. 

1. Canned Green Beans 2. Celery 3. Asparagus 4. Organic Spinach 5. Eggs (5 dozen) 6. Raspberries 7. Blueberries 8. Chicken Breast 9. Avocados 10. Tilapia 11. C4 (Pre-workout)
      So I posted a picture on instagram earlier today and kept getting skinny leg comments,It must just be a really great angle because ironically my legs are probably the biggest and bulkiest they have been in a while! They are also the strongest they have ever been. I've gained a lot of lean muscle mass during this competition prep which is awesome! I just can't wait for them to shred a little more so you can actually see the muscles I've been working my butt off for! One of my friends asked me to post about how I got my 'skinny legs' so I'm going to share one of my leg workouts! I did this leg workout once a week for two weeks at the beginning of my prep and it really helped build a lot of muscle. Granted I also worked my glutes and hamstrings a lot as well but that's for another day! (Ps when an exercise says 'superset' that means you alternate between that one and the other one that says superset. If you don't know what some of these exercises are google them, they are super easy to find!)
Quads

• Leg Extensions 3x15
• Smith Machine Squats 4x20 (superset)
• Body Weight Squats 4x20 (superset)
• Step-ups 3x12
• Single leg squats 3x12

Good Luck!! 

The Clean Eating Scoop According to Sarah

Okay guys trust me, you do not have to be a great cook to eat healthy. It seems like a lot of people use this as an excuse to go eat out multiple times a week or to just go the easy route and have a microwavable meal. You don't have to be a good cook, but you do however have to cook (obviously). A while back, a lot of my instagram and facebook followers asked me to either start a blog with some tips and recipes and or to email them those tips. At the time I had not yet started my blog, so I put together a quick email with some of my tips and a few recipes. So here I will recreate that email I sent out to many of my friends and share it with all of you! I honestly just try and put as many healthy things together and hope that it tastes good! Luckily most all of my meals have been pretty decent thus far. I currently am on a very strict diet because of my bikini competition prep but this is just until mid October and as soon as it is over I plan on going back to this lifestyle to maintain my body after the competition. Any-who, here is my two sense on eating clean and making a habit out of it.

Rules I try to live by:

1.        Eat as many vegetables as you can, especially green ones (spinach, kale, asparagus, brussel sprouts, broccoli, etc.)

2.       Stay away from sugar. This is a BIG key in seeing results. No candy, desserts, pastries, muffins, etc. ( no one is perfect, so allow yourself a cheat day every once in a while). It’s really hard for the first few days but by the end of one week without it, you really stop craving it.

3.       PROTEIN, PROTEIN, PROTEIN, I can’t stress this enough; most people don’t get the amount of protein they need to maintain their muscle let alone build more muscle (which in and of itself increases your metabolism).

4.       Drink TONS of water throughout the day, I try drinking a gallon a day.

5.        I use coconut oil and olive oil to cook/sauté everything in… mostly coconut oil though.

6.        Sweet potatoes are a staple in my diet. They are one of the best complex carbs which gives you lots of energy, plus I love them!

7.        I rarely eat dairy, but when I do, I use plain Greek yogurt, fat free cottage cheese, feta cheese, and goat cheese.

8.        I only eat red meat about once a week if that, it's yummy in moderation, but chicken is better for you.

9.        Eat at least every four hours, it seems like a ton but if you get the portions right, you will boost your metabolism like crazy!

10.   Meal preparation has been a big key to my success.

 Here is what a typical day of food looks like for me:

Breakfast:

4 egg whites

1/2 cup oats w small protein scoop for sweetener and almond milk

Almond slivers

1/4 cup of fruit (strawberries, blueberries, bananas)

Snack #1:

dried fruit (pineapple)

a few almonds

Lunch:

Whole wheat pasta or spaghetti squash w/ marinara and sautéed spinach or kale

4-6 oz of grilled chicken

Snack #2:

protein drink (from Costco)

 piece of fruit (banana)

Dinner:

Tilapia (Costco)

Baked sweet potato

Asparagus