Mi Vida Loca

We're almost to the end of week 3 of our 12 week LiveFit Trainer.....I'm actually on week 4, but I started over so that Jim could join in the fun.


 Some things that I've found to make life a little easier:


Meat muffins (which I made into meatballs and baked on a metal cooling rack so that what little grease there was, fell into the pan below..not soaked into my lunch!)

Ignore the horrible coloring of this picture..honest, they aren't burnt balls of charcoal!   Add in a couple stalks of celery, some chili pepper hummus, and an orange and you're all set :)


Spicy Meatballs


5lbs extra lean ground beef (or turkey or chicken...it's just we're northerners and don't do all that fluff...we like our red meat!)
1 onion, finely chopped
3 egg whites
2 cups rolled oats
1 tsp cumin
4 tsp dry yellow mustard
2 tsp black pepper
4 tsp Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipolte seasoning  *best stuff on earth!*
2 tsp salt
2 Tbs garlic powder
4 celery stalks, finely chopped


Mix all ingredients until combined.  Shape into balls about the size of a racquetball.  Place on metal cooling rack on top of a pan with sides (lined with AL foil to make for easy clean up).


Bake 350, for about 30 min (until done). 


This makes about 45 meatballs.  I freeze mine on the cooling rack and then put into a ziplock bag so that they're easy to grab and go.




Jamie Eason has a handful of really good and easy recipes.   While I ate my lunch above, I made the chocolate protein bars.   I know what you're thinking..gag, protein bars are funky `cardboard grossness.    These are actually really good and the carbs are lower so you don't have to feel bad!   They remind me a ton of chocolate malt o meal....you either love it or you hate it I guess (personally, I love it..practically lived off of it when I was in high school and decided to go vegetarian....)

 Chocolate Protein Bars (adapted from LiveFit recipes)


1 cup oatmeal, ground in coffee grinder
4 egg whites
2 scoops vanilla whey protein powder
about 1/8 cup of truvia
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
8 oz unsweetened apple sauce
3 Tbs unsweetened Cocoa
4 oz water


Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl.   In a small bowl, mix all of the wet ingredients.  Add wet to dry bowl and stir until combined.


Pour into a prepared 8x8 pyrex dish sprayed with pam.


Bake 20-30 min.  Cut into 16 squares, serving size is 2 squares.   Each serving has 96 cal, 1.4g fat, 12g carbs, and 10g protein....mmmm, mmm, good!


Last, but not least...a workout buddy makes everything better!  Someone to make sure that you make it to the gym, pushes you harder..just one more!  


I'm super lucky----Jim's on board with all of this (and I haven't stopped working with him even though he is seeing results faster hahaha)

Excuse the cruddy night time cell phone pic, post workout (thank God for the 20 min drive home..otherwise I'd be the ultimate definition of Hot Mess!)


Not only do I have Jim, but the Loverly Krystal B. is always a text away..and sometimes just a machine ;)


Both of them kick my butt and keep me motivated---not much weight loss the past 3 weeks, but I was able to fit into a pair of shorts that I wore the summer after we got married (couldn't breath, sitting down wasn't an option, but they were on and zipped so I'm calling it a win)


Have a great Friday--the weather's been amazing here and totally put me in a spring cleaning mood--lots of donation bags heading out our door!!!!!