>Look for the smoothie butt

>Good morning afternoon. It’s the morning for me because I kinda sorta…just woke up. To my defense I worked until 11:45pm last night. And by the time I drove home, showered, had a snack, and unwound, it was past 2am. Eeeek. Gotta work on that. Although it’s late I have such a hard time showering and going right to bed. One would think I’d be exhausted after running around for an 8-12 hour hospital shift. Hmm…

Ideas on how to get this girl in bed earlier?

* * * 

Since we just returned from Myrtle Beach and I’ve been working a lot, I stillllll have yet to make to the grocery store. Therefore many of my meals have been boooorning. Still tasty, but lacking a little in the creativity department.

Enter breakfast #1 (yesterday)

1 scoop chocolate protein powder (SunWarrior brand)

handfull frozen strawberries

1/2 frozen banana

hand full fresh spinach

1 t SuperGreens

1 t flax seed oil (healthy fat, yo)

1 t xanthan gum (to thicken, optional)

stevia (1 serving, to sweeten)

H20

ice

How do you know when your smoothie is of the right consistency? 

Well when it get’s a Smoothie Butt, of course..

 Look for da butt. Works like a charm every time.

Breakfast #2 (today)

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (SunWarrior brand)

1/2 cup frozen raspberries

1/2 cup frozen mangoes

1/2 frozen banana

1 t chia seeds

~1 cup unsweetened almond milk

hand full fresh spinach

1 t SuperGreens

stevia (1 serving)

Ice

goblet wine glass (optional)

Lunch #1 (yesterday)

1 can Amy’s Organic Split Pea Soup

2 T nutritional yeast (cheesy flavor plus added protein and B vitamins)

1/4 cup egg whites (added protein, you won’t taste the difference)

cumin

chili powder

pinch cayenne pepper (for spiiiiice)

Snacks

apples

Think thin bars (almost tried every flavor so look for review soon!)

carrots n’ peanut butter

So there ya have it. My snoozefest assembly of recent meals. But in all honesty, it’s comforting to know I  always have a hand full of meals and snacks on hand when the fridge is nekkked. I always have a stash of the following items for times of desperation/laziness:

– Frozen veggies

– Frozen fruit

– veggie burgers

– oats

– protein powder

– organic canned soup

– magic soup/Indian food starters

– Organic Spaghetti O’s (Call me a 5-year-old if you want)

Some easy peasy meals:

Protein oats

Magic soup (on the fly)

Indian food (a la Trader Joe’s)

Amped-up Veggie Burgers

* * *

Completely random, but I’ve received a few emails/comments recently about how some of you want to try spaghetti or acorn squash but are too scared to cut into the darn thing. And rather than telling you to just try it, I think I’ll save a finger or two.

Simple cutting/cooking instructions (for any large squash)

1. Boil whole squash for ~25 mins. This will soften it up (at same time, preheat oven to 425F)

2. Cut open squash length wise

3.  Line baking sheet with tin foil and spray with olive oil

4. Place cut side down and bake for ~20 mins until soft throughout and browned

5. Spoon/fork out seeds

Ta-dah!

* * *

Have a great rest of your day! So jealous most of you only have a few hours of work left. I, on the other hand, am heading to work at 3pm!

Oh and guess what…I am officially registered for the Marine Corps Marathon (Oct 30th)!!!!

Don’t forget to enter my Giveaway! Giving away a great foodie gift package! 

What foods do you always have on hand? 

>On the fly

>Well, I can’t get enough of my crock pot. Specifically, those apple n’ cinnamon oats. If you’re going to wake up early on a cold winter morning, it might as well be to an home filled with the scent of apples and cinnamon and a belly full of warm deliciousness. Nothing makes my lazy self happier than breakfast prepared ahead of time. Evidence here and here.

Last night into the slow cooker went…

(Click here for the easy peasy recipe)

Stomach is happy. 

* * *

Whelp, tonight is my 3rd PM shift in a row before a [highly anticipated/needed] day off. My life has been like this:

– Wake around 10am
– Eat breakfast, have coffee, read news
– Workout
– Quick lunch
– Pack dinner
– Work 3pm – 12am
– Showered and in bed by ~2am

So needless to say, meals have had to be prepped quick!

A good quick lunch (especially post-workout) is a protein smoothie. Yesterday I made this filling and nutritious one..

Chocolate covered Raspberry

In the mix:

I.5 scoops chocolate SunWarrior protein

1/2 frozen banana

1/2 cup frozen raspberries

hand full fresh spinach

1 T almond butter

stevia (1 serving)

pinch sea salt (brings out sweetness)

almond milk

ice

raw cacao nibs to garnish (*optional)

*Note: SunWarrior protein is the same price as all other store-bought proteins. It costs ~ $46 per bag but has 47 servings. So cost per serving is the same (or even cheaper!)

An extremely quick dinner (but still so good!)…

Veggie burger taco salad 
(30g protein!)

2 Morningstar Black Bean burgers (microwaved then toasted)

iceberg lettuce 

diced tomatoes 

salsa

blob fat-free Greek yogurt (tastes like sour cream) 

cumin/chili powder sprinkled all ova

* * *

Alright, it’s about time to get my workout in. I planned on a Bikram yoga class but it’s naaasty outside. It’s looking like a Jillian Michaels kinda day.

*Do you have any suggestions for packed dinners? I’m getting sick of soups and salads..*

>In a pinch

>Thank you for your thorough and honest comments on yesterday’s post on animal research. I was anticipating a lot of negative comments so either 1) only scientists reading my blog 2) PETA is crazy or 3) you got the gist of what I was trying to say.

Either way, I hope that I was able to show you another [positive] side of animal research.

* * *

Well, I finally have a few days off. It comes at a good time because my family decided to surprise us with a visit. Made my MONTH!

But I’m starting to come down with a cold 😦

So a get-better-vitamin-packed-protein-smoothie it is!

 In the mix:

1 scoop vanilla SunWarrior protein

banana

frozen strawberries

frozen blueberries

frozen mangoes

hand full fresh spinach

1 T almond butter (to promote absorption of fat soluble vitamins)

H20

stevia

pinch sea salt (brings out sweetness)

And lots of tea…

I will rock my holiday mug as long as I can

* * *

Since I’ve been working quite a bit, quick and easy meals have been on demand…

Maple Peanut Butter Protein Cupcake

So. good. I promise you.

 Recipe here

 And lots of Amy’s soup. The low-fat black bean is my current favorite..

I spice it up with:

2 tbsp nutritional yeast (for added protein)

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

pinch cayenne

pinch sea salt

* * *

What are your favorite meals when crunched for time?

>Easy peasy breakfasts and whole foods giveaway winner

>Good morning afternoon. Today is my day off so it’s morning for me 🙂

Lately I have been working a lot, and leaving for work very early (we’re talking 6:30am). I’m a huge advocate for nutritious, filling, and quick breakfasts on-the-go. The most important factor for me is limited cooking time in the morning. Therefore, I spend a few mins prepping them the night before and happily enjoy a scrumptious breakfast early in the morning.

Here are some favorites:

1. Creative Oats

Night before: Combine 1/3 oats, 1/4 egg whites, 3/4 cup almond milk, 1 t chia seeds, 1/2 t flax seeds, stevia, apple pie spice, pinch sea salt. Stir and throw in fridge overnight.

Morning of: Microwave ~2.5 mins, add 1/2 cup protein powder. Drizzle with organic maple syrup.

2. Protein Smoothies

Night before: Combine 1 scoop protein powder, 1 t xanthan gum (optional, to thicken), stevia, maca powder (optional, for energy/high in vitamin C), pinch sea salt

Morning of: Add frozen fruit, ice, almond milk & blend

For more smoothie recipes, click here!

3. Protein Cupcakes

Night before, combine and mix: 1 scoop protein powder, 1 T egg whites, 1/4 t baking powder, stevia, dash sea salt (optional: nuts, 1/2 banana). Spray mug with cooking spray and spoon in mixture. Store in fridge over night. Frosting: 1/4 cup Green yogurt, 1 T peanut flour, stevia.

Morning of: Microwave ~1min, 30 seconds & frost cupcake.

4. Breakfast cookies (source)

Night before, mix: 1/3 cup oats, 1/2 cup vanilla protein powder, 1/8 cup almond milk, 1 T PB/almond butter, cinnamon, raisins, stevia, dash sea salt. Spoon onto small plate.

Morning: Eat!

—————–

*I’ve said it before, but I highly recommend you trying out SunWarrior protein. It’s all-natural, raw, gluten-free and has some pretty amazing nutrition stats. It’s the best for baking and amazing in smoothies. It costs about $46 for 47 servings (less than $1 per scoop)!

————–

And now for the $30 Whole Foods Gift Certificate winner announcement!

By random number generator the winner is Lisa from 110 Pounds and Counting! Lisa, send me your mailing address (to Biochemista@gmail.com) and I’ll mail your gift certificate!

——————-

Question: What’s your favorite breakfast on the run??

>Shake what yo mama gave you

>Hi all,

Thanks to those if you that provided insight into yesterday’s article on cigarette smoking. It’s still shocking to me. Maybe it’s because I’m living in DC, a very active city – but nonetheless, I still see smokers way more than I’d like.

Yesterday was a wonderful day. I woke to a cuddly pup, made coffee and enjoyed a smoothie on the deck in the beautiful sunshine, because look what just arrived!

Alas!

Raspberry-Vanilla- Almond Smoothie:

1 scoop vanilla SunWarrior protein, 1/3 cup frozen raspberries, 1/2 frozen banana, heaping hand full fresh spinach, 1 T almond butter (promotes absorption of fat soluble vitamins), 1 tsp SuperGreens, pinch xanthan gum (to thicken), dash sea salt (to bring out sweetness), stevia, 1/2 cup coconut kefir, ice, H20

After digesting, I headed to the the gym for a little cardio + weights. I ran 20 mins, 2.5% incline, 7.7mph (7:47 mile/min) then did 50 mins of a BodyPump-inspired total body weights session. And today, my arms and booty are sore!

Post-gym I ran errands, did some reading, then refueled with leftover herb dijon salmon over spinach, cherry tomatoes, cukes, and light balsamic vinaigrette. Hit the spot.

[Insert more reading + snacking]

Dark chocolate + Coffee w/ steamed almond milk ❤

And then a night of dancing with the girls! I haven’t danced that long in a looong time.

Only pic I managed to snap the whole night. Plus I was a sweaty beast by the end 🙂

——

This morning I woke craving Pancakes!

Raspberry Vanilla Pancakes: Mix: 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, 1/3 cup egg whites, 1/2 banana, 1/4 cup raspberries, 1 tsp flax seeds, cinnamon, apple pie spice, stevia, dash sea salt, pinch baking powder, almond milk to moisten

Mix makes 2 of these guys (or 1 ginormous one)

Love.

——

The rest of the day includes:

Reading

Walk with Alyson (?)

Call it an early night

——

Have a great Saturday! 

What are you most looking forward to this weekend???

Laur