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 

Last Day of the CONTEST! Abs On Abs on Abs

First and foremost, I'd like to alert you all that 

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY OF THE CONTEST!! So hurry up, you still have time to enroll in the contest - the prizes, I must say, are pretty great! The contest directions are just a few posts back. 

Get to it ASAP! 

Next, I'd like to just tell you guys how incredibly proud of myself I am. I'm really working hard to get in tip-top shape for my competition coming up in the fall. Most contestants have their own personal trainers, but I am serving as my own personal trainer. And as a first time contestant, that's pretty ballsy I think. At this point, I'm really not worried at all, just more excited than anything. I think the experience is what I'm looking forward to most. I've talked to a bunch of people who have done their own competitions, and they've all had a blast, so I'm really, really looking forward to it and am loving the results and changes I'm seeing in my body along the way. It's really exciting!

Here's pictures of my triceps progress so far... I really wish I had a before picture to put on here :( oh well. I'm just really excited with the results I'm seeing and wanted to share my excitement with all my readers :)



I had a comment on my last post from a reader who had said she needed to work on her abs some more, so I'm using that comment as a topic for today's post: AB Exercises and foods that BLAST tummy fat!

Here is an ab routine that's been killing me the past few weeks that I'd like to share with you guys! I like to switch up my ab workouts every few weeks or so because there are so many different and effective abdominal exercises that you can do. I often get bored once I fall into a routine, so switching it up a lot also helps to keep things interesting. The following ab routine, however, is a compilation of my most favorite abdominal exercises. These exercises are what get me the most sore after all this time. I always like to mix at least one of these exercises into any new abdominal routine I start.

The workout: 

Begin with a superset of Straight-legged weighted hanging leg raises and bent leg raises 

(or not weighted if that is too difficult)

 Complete 4 Supersets - 15 reps each

30 seconds rest between each set 

Bosu Ball Elevated Planks 

Complete Four Sets - 60 Seconds each 

45 seconds rest between each set 

Bosu Ball Elevated Oblique Mountain Climbers 

Complete 4 Sets - 30 Each Leg

30 seconds rest between each set 

Bosu Ball Oblique Crunches 

Complete 3 Sets - 15 Crunches Each Side

45 seconds rest between each set 

Complete this workout and I promise you, your abs will be on fire the rest of the day and into the next day or two!! 

To go along with your new ab workout, try eating some of these fat-blasting, hunger-suppressing foods/drinks to really shape that belly up! 

Green Tea: 

Green Tea contains something called catechins that help the body burn fat by increasing the body's metabolism as well as increase the rate at which the liver burns fats. Don't like green tea? Try taking a green tea supplement of at least 300 MG a day. It has the same effect as drinking about 4 glasses of green tea (about the amount you need for the body to really start burning fat)

Vinegar:

Vinegar helps to activate enzymes in your body that breaks down fats. Try using vinegar as a replacement of fatty salad dressings in your salads. 

ALMONDS (nuts in general):

Almonds (nuts) are filling and will keep you feeling full for long periods of time, fighting off your hunger to eat other not-so-good foods. Keep clear of salty or flavored nuts, though, which can quickly add calories to your nutty snack. A small handful (about 25) almonds as a snack will work to fight off that hunger! 

Raspberries:

Just one cup of raspberries has about 6 grams of fiber in it! A summer fruit, keep berries in your fridge at all times and munch on them when you're in need of a light snack. One cup of delicious, low-cal raspberries will help to suppress your appetite longer than most other unhealthy snacks. 

Eggs:

Packed with the vitamin B12, eggs are a great food to help burn fat. Your body needs B12 to metabolize your fats. Worried about cholesterol? Keep it simple and eat egg whites. Grocery stores make eating egg whites simple these days and sell egg whites in cartons that you simply pour into your cooking pan and enjoy! 

Try out some of these fat-blasting foods and deffinately try out the ab workout! Let me know what you guys think! Remember, I love feedback so stop being so darn shy!! I love reading what you guys think about all these posts :) 

Have a wonderful evening

xxxo Fitness Felicia 

The Importance of Looking Good

Hey everyone! Sorry it's been a few days, spent the weekend at the beach (so nice to get away!), and when I returned home to blog I found that our internet was down. But I'm back! Has anyone been doing the figure model workout? I started a new cycle today and it felt GREAT.
No matter how stressed I am, hitting the gym after a long day always immediately clears my mind and helps me to de-stress.

My new "thing" for today was starting a new pre-workout. I used n-zero extreme. I loved it. I felt such a good pump during my workout and felt a lot less fatigued during my sets.

Pre-workouts are great to get your mind and body set to workout, and do help provide focus and pump to your workout. However, pre-workouts are often quite pricey. You can obtain basically the same effects of a pre-workout by drinking an energy drink (such as monster) or caffeine (like coffee) about half and hour before your workout. They work as much cheaper stimulants if you're looking to try out a pre-workout supplement.

There's something that I wanted to write about today..I wanted to talk about why (I feel) it is important to look good when you workout. Just a note: I am absolutely not knocking anybody who hits the gym without makeup or wears an old, baggy t-shirt..I just wanted to give my POV and see if anyone felt the same way. 

I've gotten so many nasty, rude comments while at the gym about the outfits that I wear (always from other girls). If you cannot tell by my workout pictures, I like to wear compression shorts and tight tank tops. I usually wear lots of bright colors and most always have my shirt, sports bra, socks and shorts matching each other. I also always wear makeup when I'm heading to the gym. 

Now I know that I may be going a little bit above and beyond with the whole matchy-matchy thing...but it suits me, and for a good reason, too. 

I don't know about you women out there, but when I try clothes on in a store, if I don't have makeup on or have my hair looking nice, I feel like the clothes don't look as good when I'm trying them on. You need to know exactly what you're going to look like when you wear those clothes, you know what I mean? So it's hard to tell what you're going to look like if you don't have makeup on or your hair done. Maybe that's just me? Not sure.

But anyways, it's the same thing for me when I workout. I like to see the way my body looks at it's best - which is in nice clothes, with my hair and makeup done as well. I like to wear my compression shorts and tank tops because I like to actually see my muscles working. I also like to see what areas I need to improve on. 

Seeing my muscles working as I'm lifting weights is such a confidence booster. It's nice seeing your body transform into something you are proud of! 

I know a lot people like to get into the gym and get out, and don't put much time or effort into what they look like when they're headed to the gym, because they're going to get all sweaty and tired and smelly...and that is 100% fine! I'm not knocking that at all. But I feel that seeing yourself look your best while in the gym can actually be a big motivating factor in your workout. If you look at yourself in the mirror and think "yah, I look like crap, I just want to get this workout over with," how good of a workout are you really going to have? Compared to you looking in the mirror and thinking "yah, I look pretty good!" You're going to want to keep looking good and push even harder in the gym! Guaranteed! 

I had a discussion with my father about this topic, and he disagreed with me completely. For fathers day, however, I bought him his very own (colorful) compression workout shirts, and I bet you after he wears them and sees the way he looks in them, he's going to change his mind about all this. (I'll keep you guys posted on that one!) 

I've heard comments like "wow, who does she think she is?" and "does she think this is a fashion show?" and lots of other rude remarks about me while I've been in the gym. But I have a method to my madness, I swear.

 I think that everyone should look their best in the gym, for me, it is absolutely one of my biggest motivating factors and confidence boosters. Seeing yourself progress feels absolutely amazing. 

Everyone should be proud of the way they look, big or small. If you're in the gym, you're obviously trying to work on your body and health, so don't be ashamed of the way you look and cover up.

I think everyone should at least try  and see my point of view on this. If you disagree, that is quite fine, but let me know why. If you agree, let me know about that, too! Because sometimes I feel like a downright crazy person walking into the gym all frills and spills. Recently, though, I've gotten to the point where I just do not care. 

Gimmie some feedback, guys! Last post's feedback was W-E-A-K! Let me know that you're out there reading this and I'm not just rambling to a wall! SPEAK UP! 

Kill it today, everyone!! 

Love,
Fitness Felicia 

Back From The Dead...

Well hello there everyone!! I'm so sorry that I have not been keeping up with my posts...this week has just been beyond crazzyy. But I'm back and ready to blog! Hope you guys didn't miss me too much ;)

I just got done an awesome bicep/trap workout and am feelin' really good. What did everyone do in the gym today? Anybody start my new workout? I am really LOVING this new workout I've made...the "figure model workout." It's been awhile since I've committed to a brand new workout routine and I'm really feeling good after my workouts with this new routine I've made. I've been pretty sore every day from my workouts - I love doing high intensity workouts it gives me such a good burn for the next day or two.

Oh, before I get you guys all caught up...has anyone read 50 Shades of Grey ? I just finished it today..it was really, realy good..I haven't been able to put it down the past 3 days (yes, it only took me 3 days to finish the 500-something paged book). If you have not read it yet, I definitely advice you read it. I got lost in the relationship between Christian and Anastasia and can't wait to find out how the next book is!

ANYWAYS....The last time I blogged was ...Sunday (wow, it really has been awhile, sorry :/ ).
Monday, Tuesday, Wed and today's challenges all consisted of my new workout...so I will fill you guys in on the workouts below. I know a reader had asked for pictures, and I will put them up ASAP. I was able to get pictures for today's workout, and will get caught up on the other workout pictures as soon as I can. I've been working out alone the past few days and haven't had anyone to take pics for me until tonight. So, I'll get on that as soon as I can!!

Okay, so..Day 2 of the workout is Back, Triceps and Abs

Felicia's Figure Model Workout: Day 2

Reverse Lat Pulldowns - 3 sets - 15-20 reps

superset with

Wide Grip Lat Pulldown - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

Seated Cable Rows - 3 sets - 12-15 reps

superset with 

Barbell Bent-over Row - 3 sets - 12-15 reps 

Cable Bent-over Row - 3 sets - 15-20 reps

drop set the last set 

Triceps Pushdowns - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

superset with

Overhead Cable Extension - 15-20 reps 

E-Z Bar Skullcrushers - 3 sets - 12-15 reps 

superset with

Overhead Dumbbell Extension 3 sets 12-15 reps

drop set last set of overhead dumb. ext

(you can find a bunch of pictures for these triceps exercises on one of my previous posts)

Finish the workout with 15 minutes of Ab exercises of your choosing :) 

Day 3: Lower Body and Cardio

Warm up with 12-15 minutes of cardio of your choice 

I did HIIT training for 15 minutes on the treadmill 

Barbell Squats - 3 sets - 12-15 reps 

superset with

Sumo Dumbbell Squats - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

Romanian (Stiff Legged) Deadlifts - 3 sets - 15-20 reps

superset with

Sumo Deadlifts - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

Single-Legged Dumbbell Squats - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

superset with

Cable Kickbacks - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

Seated Leg Extensions - 25

drop set last set 

Seated Calf Raises - 3 sets - 20-25

superset with  

Standing Dumbbell Calf Raises - 3 sets - 20-25

Seated Leg Curls - 25

drop set last set 

Complete Workout with 25-30 minutes of cardio

I did more HIIT training on the treadmill (that's my favorite)

(You can also find a lot of pictures for most of these exercises on one of my previous posts)

***I switched day 4 and day 5 up..it used to be:

Day 4: Traps and Biceps

Day 5: Cardio and Abs

I just switched them around to get an extra cardio day in there..so day 4 is Cardio now, day 5 is traps and bis***

Day 4: Cardio and Abs

45 minutes to 1 hour of cardio 

You can decide what type of cardio you want to do. 

I started with a fast-paced walk of 3.8 on the treadmill at an incline of 15.0

I did that for the first 30 minutes of my cardio workout

The last 30 minutes of my cardio I did sprint HIIT training

Sprint for 1 minute, jog for 2 

Conclude your workout with ab exercises of your choosing

I always switch up my ab routine, that's why I never really put ab exercise pictures on here, but if you guys would like to know some exercises and get some pics, let me know and I'd be happy to put some up :) 

Day 5: Biceps and Traps

Standing Dumbbell Curls - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

Superset with 

Dumbbell Shurgs (I didn't get a picture of that one, sorry) 3 sets - 15-20 reps

standing dumbbell curls

Reverse E-Z Bar Curls - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

superset with 

E-Z Bar Upright Rows - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

Reverse EZ Bar Curls

EZ Bar Upright Rows

E-Z Bar Preacher Curls - 3 sets - 15-20 reps

superset with

Resistance Band Biceps Curls - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

EZ Bar Preacher Curls

Resistance Band Bicep Curls

Concentration Curls - 3 sets - 15-20

drop set last set 

PHEW! Okay! So now we are alllllllll caught up, right?! I promise to add pictures for the rest of the workouts as soon as I can! I'll be going away this weekend, so keep your eye out for a new post in a couple of days. Until then, try this new workout plan out and let me know how you all feel! I've also been trying out a few new recipes that I'll put on here later on.. 

I hope everyone has been having a wonderful week so far! Mine has been hectic, but well. My new job is going pretty good - still getting used to a 45 hour work week, but I guess that wil take some time. I also got a new client that I start training next week which I am very excited about! 

Talk to you guys in a couple days :)

XXOOO

Fitness Felicia 

Felicia's Figure Model Workout

Hello, all! How was everyone's weekend? Anybody do anything new and exciting??? My weekend was nice and relaxing. My new job allows me to have all my nights and weekends off, and I am absolutely  L-O-V-I-N-G that!!
I got back into the gym today after having my off days, and started a brand new workout cycle. I'm really excited about it. I'm calling this new workout "Felicia's Figure Model Workout" ! It's sort of catchy, right?

Speaking of this new routine, my challenge for last night was to think about and write up the new workout, and my challenge for today was to execute it. I'm not going to put the entire workout on here straight away, after all, you guys need something to look forward to, don't you?!

My new workout split is as follows:

Day 1: Chest and shoulders and cardio

Day 2: Back and triceps and abs 

Day 3: Lower Body and cardio 

Day 4: Traps and triceps 

Day 5: Cardio and abs 

Day 1:  Chest, Shoulders and Cardio

-warm up- (10-12 minutes of the cardio of your choice)

Resistance band front raises - 3 sets - 15-25 reps

-superset with-

Barbell bench press - 3 sets - 15-25 reps 

Stability ball dumbbell flies - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

-superset with- 

Leaning dumbbell lateral raises - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

Incline dumbbell chest press - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

drop set last set 

Arnold Press - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

drop set last set 

Complete workout with 25-30 minutes of the cardio of your choice

*I did my cardio earlier in the day before my workout, if you don't want to do the cardio at the end of the workout, just make sure you get some type of cardio in at some point during your day*

Terms used with this workout that you may be unfamiliar with:

Superset: A superset is when you do two different exercises as one set. Right after completing the first exercise, immediately move into the next exercise. That is one set. 

Drop set: A drop set is when you use a lighter weight right after your last rep of the exercise. Keep pumping out more reps until you can't go any longer

If you guys want pictures for any of these exercises, just let me know :) 

I really liked my workout today, my chest and shoulders are already exhausted. They're kind of shaking as I type this, actually (ha ha).  

Keep track of your reps and weight of each exercise as you go through your workout so that you can track your progress as you get further along.

Because the rep range is quite high for this workout, make sure to use lighter weights so you can complete the required reps. Working with lighter weights is definitely something I, myself need to work on. I always get into the mind frame that if I'm working with lighter weights, I'm not working hard enough. Even though you're using lighter weights, your rep range is high so you're burning more fat and toning! - just remember that (I need to, too). 

Try this workout out, and let me know how you feel afterwards and how you liked it. Recommendations for any changes?? I'm going to keep at this workout for 3 weeks and keep track of my progress every day and then switch my workout up again. 

Now.... get off the computer and go exercise!! :) 

XXOO 

Fitness Felicia 

P.S. I got another inquiry today about personal training! EXCITING! :) 

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