I had a request to start letting you in on some of my meals and meal plans.  Well, this post has been a long time coming. I wanted to add some better pictures to this post but haven’t taken the time to do that, so I figure better now than waiting another 6 months!

This is what I ate every morning during the last 6 weeks of contest prep…and have ever since!  This was a fantastic creation from my wonderful trainer, Lisa Marie Bickels. I’ll do a blog post on her later! She rocks and is an inspiration in so many ways!

During the entire contest prep I ate the same breakfast every morning, but I added different seasonings and made different concoctions all the time!  It was always 6 egg whites and 1/4, 1/3 or 1/2 cup oatmeal.  Sometimes, when I worked with Erik of Lean Bodies, he took out the oatmeal and added in a yolk and/or cheese.  But, every other trainer and all the other diets had the same egg white and oatmeal. I still look forward to this breakfast every morning!

Lisa was brilliant in coming up with this recipe for a PANCAKE or a MUFFIN!!!!  I EAT THIS PANCAKE EVERY MORNING!  And, when I travel, I take the muffins with me. I’ll blog those later when I have a great picture to go with them. I don’t make them until I travel because they take 6 egg whites per muffin tin [times] 6 muffin tins = 3 dozen eggs!!!  And, to be honest, they’re not as good as the pancake.  The pancake comes out more moist. BUT, if you travel, make these muffins and you will have a guaranteed healthy way to start your day!

yummy. topped with honey & almond butter

Pancake Recipe

Mix together eggs/whites and oats.  Add other ingredients. Mix up thoroughly.  Heat skillet over medium heat.  Spray with olive oil.  Pour “batter” and let cook halfway through. Flip.  Serve on plate. Add toppings.

Muffin Recipe

Make each muffin individually in a bowl.  Mix together eggs/whites and oats.  Add other ingredients.  Mix up thoroughly.  Pour into large muffin tin (should hold 6 giant muffins per tin).  Mix all 6 muffins separately and add to sprayed muffin tin.  Bake on 350 for 30 minutes.  Make sure they cook all the way through on the top if you’re traveling with them without a microwave – uncooked egg whites are yucky!  If you can add more oats for travel that helps the recipe to cook through better!

Suggestions to add to mixture

• I always add cinnamon & I add a LOT.  It acts like flour and makes it fluffy.
• Pumpkin puree (pretty low cal and adds great flavor, moisture and fluff)
• Pick your favorite extracts and add for flavor
• Experiment with natural sugars and sweeteners or just add a bit of sugar or stevia
• Try protein powder in place of some of the egg whites.  It will add protein and some sweeteners and flavors plus will act like flour and make it fluffy!
• Try to sweeten with fruit!  Blueberries make a great start to the day!

Suggestions for toppings

• nut butters (my favorite is almond butter)
• local honey
• butter or butter alternative
• sugar or sugar alternative
• syrup or sugar free syrups
• greek yogurt
• blueberries or other fruit
• natural, organic fruit spreads

My Favorite (post-contest) Recipe

• mixture. 5 egg whites.  1 whole egg.  1/4 cup oats.  TONS of cinnamon. couple scoops of pumpkin puree.  vanilla & maple extract.
• toppings. honey. almond butter.

Competition Variety

• mixture. 6 egg whites. 1/4 cup old fashioned oatmeal.  TONS of cinnamon.  extracts.  flaxseed. 1 stevia packet.
• toppings. 1 stevia packet. cinnamon. molly mcbutter.

What a cool idea!!!

You can design your own energy/protein bars, shakes, cookies, trail mixes, cereals and mixes including all of the natural ingredients you like, without all of the preservatives and additives!

If you don’t like your custom creation, you can return the entire box and they will replace that box with a free box of something else!

Now THAT’S customer service!!!

They are quite pricey, BUT what a great gift idea for someone…like me     (Just kidding really…please don’t get me this for a gift!)

Check it out here……

http://youbars.com/

A few of my friends on Facebook have asked what books I’m reading to learn how to use my new camera.  The “Understanding Exposure” book was recommended by many photographers.  The Dummies series was my idea – I love the Dummies series and have already learned SO much and I’m on chapter 3 of ONE of those books !   The Photoshop Elements 8 book was recommended by my BFF who is a photographer.

I’ll also write back and let you know what I think of them after reading them if I don’t like any of them but SO FAR they all look GREAT!

I’ll be taking these with me and reading them on the beach soon!  My tote bag (as shown in another post today) is full of these books! And one text book for my Masters Class.

Keep watching as my photos get better and better!!!!!

It’s the little things in life. I am SOO excited that my carry on bags for my upcoming trip all match.  I am just thrilled. And, I totally didn’t plan it! My laptop bag, my camera bag and my tote bag for my books, magazines and food are all in white, navy and a form of Robins Egg Blue.  Yay!  Even my little Jill-e cleaning wipe is matching…it’s just insane!

I blurred out my monogram….trying to keep this blog private from my name, though I’m not sure if I’ve been successful with that….I may change my mind, but for now…..

And no, I am not matching my outfit w/ the bags!  I am dressing a bit nicely on the plane though – jeans, flats, graphic t and a blazer.  Can’t wait!

* Thursday, September 24, 2009 *
Yes, my hair is straight-ish! Thought I’d change it up a bit w/ the Chi ceramic flat iron!

Progress is going to my brother’s wedding, with all of my family there, eating out every meal and sticking to my pre-cooked meals and workouts!!!! I am really proud of myself for sticking to it and doing so well! Everytime throughout this process that I have done something I never thought I could do, it has been great! I’m learning so much about what I’m capable of and it’s awesome!

I also felt awesome at the wedding. I didn’t feel bloated or controlled by food. I didn’t feel pissed that my clothes wouldn’t fit. I didn’t have to dress around the possibility that I might eat carbs and get so bloated that I’d have to cover up. I felt great. I didn’t have to wear Spanx to the wedding and I felt comfortable in my own skin at the alter and in all of the pictures. It was a great experience AND I know that I only have further to go in my leaning out and will only feel BETTER in the coming months. What a cool place to be??!!!

I did discover that when I’m tired, it’s like being drunk and I lose my ability or ease to control what I eat! I was drunk dialing Domino’s when I got home! I’m trying not to beat myself up but good grief it was like an out of body experience and when I woke up the next day I couldn’t believe what I’d done. Moving on…..

The only pic I have so far of the wedding week – at the rehearsal dinner with my brother!

I am so excited about this lunch tote/cooler bag I found in the latest Crate and Barrel catalog! I just ordered mine and I can’t wait. Now, i won’t stand out quite as much when I’m always carrying my cooler around!! Genius!!! I never leave the house without food and I always take an extra meal beyond what I think I’ll need and I usually need it!!

I might have to get a second one. I got the teal to go with my blue Coach bag, though I maybe should have gotten the black….but I thought it might be a wee bit boring! Trying to add a little color to my life!

Order yours here

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UPDATE
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I asked Shawna of styleberryPHOTO to take this photo for me to show how small this bag is. It works for a lunch, or a few meals but not much more than that. It’s pretty small. We both thought that this was a shoulder bag almost, but it’s pretty small. The bag I take now has room for food, 2 cooler packs and a huge water bottle. This is still more stylish for around town, or one errand, but I’ll stick to my huge backpack for all day road trips. Just thought I’d update you after I received my purchase!!!

I am here to tell you that I totally understand how tough it is to travel and stick with a workout and nutrition routine. I just got to my hotel that I will be staying for the whole week. I checked out the fitness center and almost cried…2 treadmills, an elliptical and a bike!!! Ugh! Not even a cheap set of weights! Not even a cheap BowFlex imitation!

Also, thought there was a microwave…there is only a mini-fridge in my room. So, the front desk staff will be burdened by warming up my yams, oatmeal, and greens this week. Sorry
I chose this hotel because when I stayed in the one in Phoenix it had a micro/fridge in the room and a complimentary membership to a local fitness center. Evidently all over the country, they are not all the same. I guess I have a little more research to do on this city to find another hotel with a better fitness center or a membership with a local gym. Mind you, I am staying at a $200/night hotel and it still has a sad fitness center and no microwave!

BUT, people, don’t settle!!! I think that should be my motto for life.
I tend to find a way around and toward anything that I want….determination! I am still here for the week and I am not going back to the drawing board for this trip. I will do that for the next one. For now, I am here and I need to lift for the week….SO I called the fitness center I saw down the street and asked about a “free trial membership.” I got 3 days for free at a REAL FITNESS CENTER! There are many ways to do this in another area. It’s a GREAT way to get to use a real gym. If you’re like me, you need the “clanking” of the plates in order to get “in the zone.”

The picture at the top is of Jamie Eason…..she now has a contract with Bodybuilding.com. I think she has one of the best bodies on the planet. The last picture is of my favorite (and everyone else’s) fiture pro…Monica Brant. I also included a picture that is pretty close to the look of hte gym at this hotel! Yuck!