VLOG?

Hello everyone! How is everyone enjoying their Labor Day weekend? Mine has been pretty relaxing. Got some good workouts in, yummy food in my belly and some studying done. I've been thinking about doing a video blog, a "vlog," what do you guys think about that? I've been getting a lot of questions pertaining to my diet, workouts, daily routine, etc, and thought it would be easier to go into detail about those things via "vlog." I did try to make a video the other day on my computer, and when I played it back, there was no sound (lol). So I guess I have to figure out what the problem was before I go forward with any vlogging...but keep your eyes open for a vlog entry in the near future. Would you guys like that more? I think it would be a bit more personal and you guys could connect with me on a greater level :)

My first week back at school was pretty stressful...I'm taking seven classes as well as working directly after my classes mon-fri until 6:30 and then getting my gym time in. I've been trying to figure out a set schedule for me to follow that would be the least stressful for me to follow on a daily basis. It's been hard sticking to my diet while sitting through back-to-back classes. I've been doing meal preps, where I cook meals for the entire week, which helps me in the morning getting food together, and I do really recommend meal prepping on say, a Sunday night, to get all of your meals put together for the week ahead of you. The only downside to meal prep is that is incredibly time consuming. When I do meal prep for the week, it takes about 3 or 4 hours to cook everything as well as another 45 minutes cleaning up afterwards. Even though it is time consuming, it definitely makes my mornings a lot easier when getting food together. It cuts out from decision making and running around trying to put a healthy lunch together.

I've recieved a bunch of questions from people asking what I take for lunch with me to keep up with my meals during the day, so I wanted to give you guys some examples of things I've been making that keep me full and satisfied until my next meal.

One example of something that I make during my meal prep is tuna. 

This is so simple and fast to make and keeps fresh for the entire week. 

I separate the tuna into containers and grab one in the morning for my lunch box, 

pair it with an unsalted rice cake, and there you go - one meal ! 

I make my tuna using canned tuna in water.

I mix in Mrs. Dash garlic/onion seasoning (sodium free), 2 egg whites, and chopped up cherry tomato 

This meal I usually pair with a handful of almonds 

Another recipe that I've recently come to love is overnight oats. 

This meal I eat for breakfast because it's a little bit higher in carbs and I like to get the majority of my carbs in with breakfast. 

Mix together:

1 cup water

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

3/4 cups oats

10 almonds

1/4 cup protein powder of your choice

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbs flaxseed

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

4 egg whites

Refrigerate overnight and heat up (2 minutes) in the morning and enjoy! 

This recipe is so easy to prep the night before and takes literally 2 minutes to heat up in the morning and enjoy! The oats get almost like a pudding consistency overnight and taste delicious the next day! This meal is incredibly filling and packed with nutrients - I love it! 

I don't want to make this entry too long with recipes, so I'll stop there and add some more recipes on my next post. I have a delicious new protein pancake recipe that I've been using. I'll put the picture up on today's post to keep you guys wanting more :) 

....YUM!!!

I also wanted to add my most recent posing pictures for you guys..I got my shoes in the mail the other day and now posing practice is in full swing :) I'm getting super excited for my competition - you guys have no idea! 

 (sorry, Derek got in the top picture haha)

Most competitors take up posing classes to learn how to pose and what the judges are looking for, but I'm trying to do everything myself. I've been doing a lot of research and video watching and have been working really hard to get my own personalized pose. It's all about posing in ways that best reflect the symmetry and best assets of your figure. I think so far I've been doing pretty good working on my stage presence and poses. I really need to concentrate most on posture, however..that's what's been getting me. 

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy the rest of your Labor Day and have a great week back to school / work! 

Keep an eye out for my protein pancake recipe and even a vlog in the next post!!!!

xxxo

Fitness Felicia 

UPDATE!!!

Hi hi hi hi everyone! I know I said I was back, and I promise I am..as always, I've been busy as a bee working full time and hittin the gym and enjoying the last few weeks of my summer. But I'm still here! Tonight is my VERY LAST NIGHT of summer and I cannot believe how fast it went :( 4 more semesters of college and I am officially done. So excited. Training for my competition has made me more motivated than ever to share my knowledge as well as learn from others, and has made me super excited to begin my career and see where it takes me!

I am currently 8 weeks out for my competition and am feeling pretty good. I've been getting to the gym 5 days a week, doing weights mixed with cardio 4 days a week and an hour of cardio on the 5th day. I've been focusing on doing high reps and light weights to really burn fat and tone up. Yesterday I started my new supplements for my competition and I should be seeing and feeling some new results within the next few weeks!

Derek and I went to our first NPC competition last night and I LOVED it. All the competitors looked really great and it made me more excited than ever to get my butt on stage. October 20th couldn't come any quicker! I didn't get many great pictures, but this is one of the pictures of the two girls who competed in the physique division 

I wanted to share with you guys a (genius) idea that I came up with today while shopping. Like I said, I've recently started using my new supplements, and there is a LOT of them to take. I am taking some in the morning, afternoon and evening. Having so many pills, I needed something to keep them all together but needed a way to determine which ones to take AM, afternoon and PM. Most pill containers only have an AM and PM slot, which for me, won't do. Also, the slots are usually pretty tiny and can only hold a few pills at a time. So...while shopping, I found an ICE CUBE TRAY with a lid to separate all my supplements! I use one row for AM, one row for afternoon, and one row for PM. Because it has a lid, I can shove it into my book bag and take it with me to school and not worry about missing my afternoon vitamins. The tray was 3.99 (most vitamin holders start at $10.00) - so it was a STEAL for me! Derek loved the idea and is going out to buy his own tray tomorrow :) 

For tonight's post, I wanted to share with you guys a new recipe that I've recently become in LOVE with. My diet has been extremely strict the past few weeks and is only getting stricter. I've been craving so many things, peanut butter being one of them. To satisfy my craving, I made peanut butter protein cookies (inspired by a fellow instagramer) ..and they were delissshh!! The recipe is SO easy, only a few ingredients, and takes about 5 minutes total to make. YUM!

Ingredients:

2 tbs All natural Peanut Butter

1 tbs honey

1 scoop Protein Powder of your choice (I used chocolate optimum nutrition)

1 tbs Water

Mix the peanut butter and honey together and microwave until bubbly (about 45 seconds)

Add scoop of protein to the honey/PB mix, stir until dry and crumbly. 

Add 1 tbs of water (or as much as you need until mix becomes of dough-like consistancy)

Mix together, roll into balls and place onto tray

Flatten balls with a fork as you would PB cookies

Freeze 45 minutes and enjoy! 

 

 

Do any of you guys have INSTAGRAM? It's a lot easier for me to share things with people through instagram lately. You guys can follow me at fitfelicia24 if you do and see all my progress pictures and recipes ! 

So guys, that's the update for tonight. I have another delicious protein recipe to share with you guys for tomorrow's post, so make sure you check it out! I know that summer is coming to an end, but even though you're not going to be frolicking in shorts and bikinis any longer, keep at your workouts and clean eating! Don't wait until new year's to start working out again, save your resolution for something far more interesting and original :) I'll be posting new workouts and yummy recipes for you guys in the next few posts to keep everyone motivated! I hope everyone is going to enjoy the last few weeks of their summer :) 

xxxox Fitness Felicia

Well hello there gym rats and health nut enthusiasts! So sorry for neglecting you guys the past few weeks...my life has been SO crazy I have had no time to blog. But I'm back :) I've recently moved into a new apartment, gotten back into the gym after facing that horrible mono, and have been busy getting ready for my next semester at school. Like I said, life has been hectic!
I got back into the gym about a week and a half ago, and I feel great. I think actually getting back into the gym and into my old routine after being sick has helped me feel better, quicker.
My diet and training is stricter than ever, as I am just 10 weeks out from my first show!! I can't explain how excited and nervous I am to get up on that stage. I'm so proud of myself for sticking with things for so long and can't wait to see the changes in my body over the course of the next 10 weeks. It's definitely been a whirlwind of a journey.
My diet has changed significantly ...I'm focusing on losing about 1 pound a week, and so far, so good. I've cut my carb intake to about 75 grams a day (this will change the closer I get to competing), and am really watching my sodium to stay away from being bloated and holding water weight. I'm eating really lean, lots of eggs, turkey, chicken and fish. My diet has been pretty bland, but I'm definitely noticing changes and couldn't be more thrilled!

Here are my current stats...I'm weighing in at 128.5 and am at 20.5% body fat. By competition time I would like to be at 120 and around 18% body fat. So, I'm almost there! Eating clean and training mean!

I'll fill you guys in on some of the recipes I have been using the past couple weeks:

I've always loved Mcdonald's breakfast burritos - and decided since I can no longer eat their burritos, I would make my own, healthy version!

The recipe is pretty simple:

1 veggie torilla wrap

4 egg whites

chopped red bell pepper

chopped green bell pepper

chopped tomato

chopped onion

1 slice of weight watcher's american cheese

1 link of turkey sausage

Put all the ingredients together in the pan (veggies and sausage first to cook them through - then add the egg whites). After cooking all the ingredients, place them on the wrap, fold, and enjoy! I've been making this breakfast almost every day. It's about 150 calories, 36 grams of protein, 20 carbs and very, very low in fat and sodium. It's also very filling, so it gets me through until lunch with no trouble! 

Something that I've been eating for lunch quite often lately is a Jennie O turkey burger with 

half a slice of weight watcher's American cheese, two dippy eggs, and a veggie on the side.

I use my George Foreman "skilLite" to drain the fat from the burger (it gets a bit dry, but much healthier). It's a quick meal that takes about 15 minutes to make with virtually no carbs and very low in fat and high in protein. Jennie O, to me, makes the best turkey products out there, and if you haven't tried anything of hers, you are really missing out! 

For a low calorie, low fat, low carb dinner meal, try this awesome mixture that I actually made just tonight! It came out really, really good! 

I used:

20 oz lean, ground Jennie O turkey

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

sliced onion 

2 cups long grain organic brown rice

6 egg whites

Basically, same things as the breakfast burrito, cook everything together in a pan (veggies first to soften, then add the turkey, egg whites and rice go in last) - and wha la! You have yourself a delicious, low-cal meal to end your day with! I made a lot of this mixture so I can save it and take it as a lunch to work the rest of the week. Just heat it up for a filling and tasty treat. You don't even need any side dishes because this meal is so filling and has all your nutrients in the main course! 

Last night, I made a fish dish that I absolutely LOVED. I've always had a hard time with fish, never really liking it too much. I usually use some soy sauce, lemon and garlic on my fish, but last night I decided to try something new, and I am SO GLAD that I did. I get tired of my dishes pretty quickly, but this is one I definitely think I can handle for a while :) It was so easy and fast to make, too!

Preheat oven to 425

Coat fish with 1 tbs pure honey (I used tilapia and salmon), a few pinches of pure cane brown sugar, and some crushed pecans

Bake in oven for 15-17 minutes (until fish is cooked) - and that's it! 

I served long grain brown rice and green beans on the side, and this dish was amazing. It was sweet and crunchy, and a nice change from the rest of the meals I've been eating lately. 

Derek (who is the most picky eater) LOVED the fish as well, which is certainly a great sign :)

Out of all the recipes I've posted tonight, if you try any, this is certainly the one to try!! 

I also have a new ab exercise for you guys to try! 

This exercise should be preformed on a decline bench with a weight that you're comfortable with (I am using 10 lbs here, I believe)

Simply start lying down with arms extended all the way over your head (almost touching the ground)

Lift the weight up, keeping arms straight at all times

Finish 1 rep by touching your feet

I've been doing 3 sets of 25 reps - this exercise absolutely kills your abs! 

I think that gets me about all caught up with you guys for tonight! I promise I'll be getting more posts up now that things have settled some! 

Thank you, everyone, for all the feedback on my last post, and keep it coming! I love hearing what you guys think or if you've been trying anything! 

Do you guys have any progress pictures of yourselves? Send them to me - you can click on my "contact me" tab and get my email - I would love to do a post on a success story! 

Have an awesome night! 

One more day and its TGIF - hang in there, everyone!!!

xxxo Fitness Felicia 

 

"Dressed Up" Diet Meal Ideas

Hello All! Feeling much, much better today! It was my first day back at work and I think getting out of the apartment and being with other people helped my recovery process greatly!

I just wanted to put up a quick post of some of those meal ideas I was talking about in my post from yesterday. I know the diet is horribly bland and boring, so here are some ideas of meals that I eat to keep me semi-satisfied.

Here is one of my breakfast meals..

egg white omelet with half a slice of cheese and chopped tomatoes,

whole wheat toast with PB,

cottage cheese with a bit of homemade blueberry jelly

Above I have a grilled mahi mahi burger patty. 

Mahi Mahi is a fish that doesn't really have that "fishy" taste that

Tilapia does, so it's a lot more bearable. 

I paired it with long grain brown rice and a dry salad (YUMMMMM! haha)

(sorry the picture isn't all that great)

This is a salad I made for lunch

I used organic lettuce, black beans, that plain salsa that i LOVE (a few posts back I have it),

tuna fish, whole grain tortilla chips crushed up and some lemon 

I made this salad for my sister and I - she hated it but I thought it turned out pretty good, actually! 

This is another little concoction I made for lunch one day, I make it all the time now I love it so much!

What it is is: chicken burger, grilled, organic baby romaine lettuce and spinach, tomato, cucumber, lemon, and some hummus - turns out delish when you mix it all up :) 

Pair it with a greek yogurt and you're golden ! 

And as a little treat, I made sweet potato brownies one day last week.

It was the first time I've ever made them - they tasted a bit different from regular brownies, 

but they were still really chocolatey and moist and very, very good. 

I would def. make these from now own over any other brownies,

I think they'd be pretty easy to get used to. 

I kind of just messed around with the ingredients, 

next time I make them I'll let you guys know if they come out any better and

what I did different. Here is the recipe for now:

Felicia's "Healthy" Sweet Potato Brownie Recipe

2 Medium Sized Sweet Potatoes 

6 eggs 

1/2 cup organic coconut oil

1/2 tsp flax seed

1 tbs honey

6 tbs whole wheat flour

4 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup enjoy life choc chips

1/2 cup walnuts (personal preference)

• Start by preheating oven to 350 degrees 
• Use the microwave (or oven, or boil) to cook the sweet potatoes
• Once potatoes are cooked, peel the skin off, place into a large bowl, and mash
• Add eggs, coconut oil, honey, vanilla - mix thoroughly
• Then add flax seed, whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, choc chips, walnuts and cinnamon
• Once well mixed, put into a baking dish (I used a 13x9 pan)
• Bake for 29-31 minutes (no more, no less!)
• ENJOY!

They came out so moist and yummy, and they smelled great! I'm thinking that next time I'd like to incorporate applesauce somewhere in the recipe, but I'm not sure how much or if it

will clash wit the sweetness and moistness of the sweet potatoes. So maybe you guys try it

for me and let me know lol. :) 

Enjoy your night, everyone!

xxo Fitness Felicia 

Literally Back From the Dead This Time..

Hello Everyone! I'm writing today solely as a recurring request from one of my readers. I've been seriously ill the past week and a half and it really hurts my head and eyes to look at the computer screen. But a promise is a promise, so here I am :)

If I'm going to write a post today, I figure I might as well fill you guys in with what's been going on with me. I had to go to the hospital last Thursday after being pretty sick for about a week before that, and it turns out that I have mono. Which is really, really bad news. Don't get me wrong, being sick and unable to work really stinks, but on top of that ...get this...(as per doc's orders) NO physical activity for up to TWO MONTHS. WHAT?!!! This, on top of me not being able to eat just about anything ATM, is going to be setting me WAY, WAY back for my competition coming up in October. I've had nothing to do but lay in bed/couch the past couple of days and just rest, and I've been thinking about not being able to work out and have been pretty (ok, REALLY) bummed about it. I know there are other competitions if I'm not up to par for October, but I've been SO excited and SO focused on my training and dieting that it just really, really sucks for that to have been thrown away because of me getting sick. But, as my dad says, things happen, people get sick, there's nothing you can do about it :\ ..so for now, I'm just going to have to keep my chin up and continue to eat as cleanly and healthy as my body allows me to in hopes that when I am able to workout again, I won't be too far behind...

Onto a lighter note, many people have been asking me what my "competition" diet has consisted of the past couple of weeks..so I'm here to fill you all in :) As the competition date comes closer, my diet will be changing again, and I will fill you guys in when that happens. For the next couple of weeks, though, this is what my diet is:

Meal 1: 

4 Egg white omelet with half slice low fat Amer. cheese and a veggie (tomato, spinach)

1 Slice Whole Wheat toast with all natural peanut butter (about 1 tbs)

8 oz. protein shake (protein powder and milk)

1 cup cottage cheese plain or with some jelly

Meal 2:

1 cup greek yogurt

handful plain almonds 

Meal 3:

Tilapia (or any fish) seasoned with lemon juice,  garlic clove and tsp soy sauce

veggie (usually a salad with no dressing)

1 cup organic long grain brown rice

1/2 cup cottage cheese with peaches

Meal 4:

Protein shake

Meal 5:

Skinless chicken breast or fish seasoned with lemon, garlic and soy sauce

veggie

long grain organic brown rice

Meal 6:

homemade protein shake

-mix:

2 scoops protein powder

6 oz skim milk

1/2 cup of crushed ice

frozen fruit (strawberries, blueberries, mango, peaches, etc)

...and there you have it! That the framework of how my meals go every day...pretty much fish, chicken, rice and some veggies..every.day. 

The diet is extremely bland and I do try to dress it up once in awhile with some recipes. 

I do have pictures and a few recipes for you guys to try out that I will add on here later on.

The other day, I did make "healthy" sweet potato brownies as a little cheat treat, and they turned out pretty good..I will put that recipe up here and pictures later on as well. 

Just to give you guys and idea of what I'm trying to achieve with this diet...

I'm trying to keep my protein intake up, but am eating clean and lean 

so that I can start losing about 1/2 lb. a week. 

Before I got sick, I was right on target while following this diet.

If you are trying to lose more and at a faster pace than that, I would suggest keeping your carb intake

up during breakfast and before and right after your workouts. Other than that, try sticking to lean proteins and fruits and  veggies. 

Also remember to keep those reps HIGH HIGH in the gym to BURN BURN those calories :)

Make SURE you guys are getting in your cardio, as well, I cannot stress that enough! Cardio is going to be where you're going to burn the most calories and the most fat. 

YOU CAN DO IT! 

For the next few weeks, since I will be unable to workout, I will be living vicariously through you guys...so please, please, keep me updated about what you're all doing. Let me know if you guys are seeing the results you're hoping to see. Not seeing results? Shoot me a question and maybe I can help you find what you're doing that is not working for you. 

Eat clean and train mean, everyone :)

xxxo Fitness Felicia

PS: Just an FYI, I've honestly been really bumming since I've been sick..I've been cooped up my apartment all day just with the dogs, not really able to go anywhere or see anyone, and it's really sucked. On top of that, knowing that I could potentially not be able to compete in October has been gettin me down. But writing this post, knowing that people are out there reading this and utilizing what I have to say and are excited to read my blog, has cheered me up for the time being...so just a big thanks to all of you :) I get a lot of people who tell me personally or over twitter or instagram how much they enjoy reading this and it really means a lot to me! Someone told me the other day that I was in their inspiration, and that was amazing to hear. I just want to let you guys know that I do appreciate all of my readers and it does make me happy being able to share my experiences and this journey with you all. xxxoxo

New Addition... & Go Vegan...?

Hello Fellow Gym Rats and Health Nuts!! 
How was everyone's weekend? Mine was great! 

I'm writing this post while the newest addition to my family lays beside me, sleeping soundly. Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Pickle, my new puppy :) Pickle is a "Boggle" - a Beagle mixed with a Boston Terrior, and I absolutely adore her, as does everyone else who has met her. She is the sweetest puppy (she can also be quite the terror at times) - so lovable and personable. Her and Jackson are already great friends. He's been doing a great job keeping her in line and out of trouble (for the most part).

(Dad, if you're reading this, I was going to surprise you, but cat's out of the bag I guess!) 

The rest of my weekend consisted of relaxation, friends, and good food. Saturday Reading had a "Garden Party" (which, I eventually realized was some sort of gay pride event) where you walk around the city to different historical homes and in their yards they had beautiful gardens and were catered by the best restaurants/bars in reading with yummy food, beer and wine.

Derek and I met this nice, very outgoing, gay couple who invited us on their (beautiful) porch to listen to live music and talk and laugh. The couple were very interesting, and served us some undrinkable  drinks as we talked. They had the ugliest dog (lol). The couple later invited us back to a party they were holding in their garden later that night. We did not attend, but what I got out of the whole experience was that gay people are the friendliest people!

Right now I have a new chicken concoction cooking in the oven for dinner. The recipe:

"Skinny" Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast (Organic)

Marinated in:

Lemon Juice (duh)

Fresh Salsa 

Topped with "Skinny" Parmesan Cheese Crumbles 

Bake at 375 until cooked through 

I'll let you know how it turns out. I'm serving the chicken with yellow squash (YUM-O!) and salad.

I've recently been thinking about possibly going vegan. I've been eating a lot of organic foods lately - and it is a bit more expensive, but I just can't wrap my mind around all the toxins we put into our body through processed foods and drinks every single day of our lives. We would be so much healthier if we cut all of those processed goods out of our diets. 

I was a vegetarian for about 7 months in high school due to a PETA video, but missed meat too much and went back to my carnivore diet. I'm not sure how I will do without any meat or dairy products again, or how it would affect my workouts...but it's something I've really been considering trying.

I also think being a vegan as well as a college student supporting herself would be hard on the wallet, so I'm not sure if I should just keep eating organic for now? But that's expensive too...

I guess what I need to do is just sit down and really do my research about veganism. If I do try it, I want to last more than a week! The thing I'm most concerned about is my workouts and if they would suffer or not. That's really what I need to look into. 

Are any of my readers vegans? How do you like it? Do you work out as well? How are your energy levels?  Any information would be great! 

Remember, everyone, there's a contest going on right now! Check it out two posts prior to this one!! 

There's still a lot of time!! 

xxxxxo

Fitness Felicia 

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth..

...I've just been busy, busy, busy!!
How has everyone been?! Sorry it's been a few days, but things have been cray!! GUESS WHAT, though?!! I got my first call for a client for personal training! Exciting, right?! I'm very excited :) I also put an ad in the newspaper to see how that goes. I actually got an email saying I can't put flyers in people's mailboxes anymore (lol woops), so I had to find a new way to get the word out...we'll see how this new method works! I'll keep you guys posted.

So..I know you guys are all just dying to know what I've been up to the past couple of days, challenge wise. So let's see, I have Thursday, Friday, and today to cover.

Thursday's new challenge is pretty exciting...I signed up for my very first figure competition!! Exciting, right?! It's in October, so that gives me about 4 months to focus on my training and diet...which opens up like, a million new challenges. I have to switch up my workouts and eating habits completely. Which opens doors to LOTS of new things for me! I'm competing in the True Novice Figure category, which is for first time competitors. I'm not really sure how much of a chance I have at actually winning, but I'm excited that I'll at least get the experience of competing.

So that was Thursday's challenge. Onto Friday..

Thursday I completed my workout cycle for the week, so Friday's training consisted of only cardio and some core exercises. Friday's challenge was a new recipe. Sorry it's been mostly recipes lately, I'll start up with new workout posts tomorrow again. I'll be switching up my workouts completely, so I'll have lots of new things to put on here for you all.
Friday's recipe was "egg muffins"

I wanted to try out this recipe because I started a new job where I will be starting work a lot earlier than normal, and wanted something that I could grab quick without having to wake up even earlier to make a healthy, complete breakfast. These egg muffins can be wrapped up in saran wrap after making them and can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days before going bad. I actually really liked the way they turned out.

Recipe:

Large eggs (use one for every muffin spot on the muffin tray)

Any toppings/seasonings you normally put on your eggs

These were so simple, and quick to make. 

Start by cracking an egg into each of the muffin spots of the tray. 

Add your toppings and seasonings into each of the eggs. I added low-fat cheese, sodium-free ham, tomato, mushrooms, pepper and garlic powder. 

After adding your toppings, put into the oven at 350 degrees and keep in for about 12-15 minutes. 

I really liked the way these egg muffins came out. I wanted to try them with egg whites, but wasn't sure how they would turn out and I didn't have the time to try. I'll try using egg whites next time to see how they turn out. I'm not sure if the egg whites would be too thin to hold up as a "muffin."
Heat them up in the morning for about 30 seconds, and you're good to go! I haven't tried them cold, but I like my eggs hot, so that's how I ate them. I'm sure they would be fine cold if you chose to eat them that way.

I haven't done my challenge yet for today, but check back later tonight or tomorrow to see what it will be!! ;)

How is everyone's weekend going so far? What's everyone been doing to keep healthy?!

Check back later on for today's challenge. Let me know if you guys try this recipe out. Has anyone reading ever done any figure competitions before? Any words of advice??? I really have no idea what to expect! I'm very exciting to start training, though.

Talk to you guys soon/!

XXOO 
Fitness Felicia 

Kookin' with Kale

Hey guys! Thanks for all the responses and motivating words yesterday! I really appreciate it :) I'm feeling a lot more motivated today, and am back in action. I took a long walk with Jackson today through some neighborhoods and handed out more personal training flyers. I've probably handed out 100 by now. No calls yet, but I'll keep waiting. All I need is just ONE client, and the flyers will be a success!

I added some new tabs at the top of my page, by the way! One of the tabs is a way you guys can contact me if you have any questions, advice, complaints, requests..etc. You can also find a link on there to follow me on pinterest and twitter. The other new page I created is a "get to know me" page. I just provided answers to some basic questions on there so you guys can get to know a little bit more about me. Let me know if you guys have any other questions for me!

Anywho! I was feeling a bit under the weather today, so I decided to skip the gym. Today would have been shoulders (one of my favorite days). Hopefully tomorrow I'll be feeling better and can get my sneakers back on and myself back into the gym!

Since I wasn't able to get into the gym today, I gave myself a cooking challenge...actually more like 2 cooking challenges. I've been reading a lot about the vegetable kale lately and have been wanting to try it. Kale is FILLED with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. One cup of kale is only about 35 calories and has 5 grams of fiber. I've never tried kale before, and didn't even know what it looked like (it looks a lot like lettuce, except darker)! Just out of the blue the other day, my mom texted me a new recipe she wanted me to try, "kale chips." What a coincidence!!! It was then that I decided that making kale chips would be my next challenge!

The recipe is quite simple:

1 bunch of kale

1 tbs extra virgin olive oil

dash of garlic powder

dash of salt 

KALE

Preheat oven to 350

Wash and dry kale thoroughly

Cut the kale leaves off of the stem part of the kale and tear into bite-sized pieces.

After tearing the leaves, lay out onto a baking tray

Drizzle olive oil, salt, and garlic powder over the kale leaves

Bake for about 8-10 minutes, until the leaves start to turn brown around the edges

Cool and enjoy! 

The kale chips were....interesting. I've never tried kale before, so I wasn't even sure what kind of taste or texture to expect from the chips. They were very light and flaky almost. For a snack, these chips are great, but they aren't going to fill you up, that's for sure. I have A LOT of kale left, so I will be trying some other recipes with this veggie. If you like kale, try these chips. They're not "OMG delicious," but they are different for a snack, and extremely healthy and filled with nutrients. 

My next challenge of the day was zucchini and eggplant fries. I'd seen a recipe off pinterest for this snack and decided to give it a go! I've NEVER made eggplant by myself before, so cutting it up was a challenge in itself..I wasn't sure if you had to take out the seeds, or if it needed to be skinned..I was clueless. I basically just started chopping away and chopped the eggplant into a bunch of long, skinny fries. Is that how you cut an eggplant?

The ingredients for this recipe was also simple:

One whole eggplant

One whole zucchini

100% Whole Wheat bread crumbs

3 egg whites 

Pinch of onion powder

Pinch of garlic powder

Cut up the zucchini and eggplant into long, thin "fries"

Dip the fries into the egg whites, and then coat with the bread crumbs

Place out on a baking tray and back at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes (depending on how crunchy you want them)

Unlike the kale chips, these fries turned out "OMG delish!" They were so crunchy and yummy I couldn't stop eating them! These make a great snack or side dish at dinner. So, so yummy and I really recommend you make them. They were quick and easy to make and "OMG SO DELICIOUS!"

Try out these new recipes and let me know what you think!! Back to the gym tomorrow, everyone, and I'll have a new workout challenge ready! 

<3 Fitness Felicia