45 Strong Challenge, Day 10!

 

I think I needed to see that this morning. I just got myself into a little bit of a mental rut when I was thinking about how long my weight has been moving so slowly. Then I kept waking up last night to pee and so I thought that was going to be my "whoosh" moment where I got rid of the extra liquid my body was retaining and I'd be down a few pounds in the morning. Well, nope, I'm still about the same.

I know all the reasons why this makes sense. If you were sitting here telling me these facts, I would remind you that you've seen a physical increase in muscle in your body, and you can absolutely be gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time and the scale stays exactly the same. I would point out that such a big increase in exercise intensity means you might have some inflammation and be retaining fluid (bathroom breaks last night notwithstanding!). I'd remind you that womens' bodies in particular can be fickle and can gain and lose weight based on hormones and where you are in your cycle and sometimes it feels like for no reason at all. I'd tell you to keep doing what you're doing, maybe eat a little extra protein, and give your body some time and you'll push right past this!

So I'm sharing that cartoon in case anyone else needed to see it today. Little changes lead to big changes. We just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

I'm ten days into the 45 Strong challenge and I haven't missed a day yet! That's something to be proud of! And I've noticed that I might actually be finally starting to experience a bit of boosted energy levels after over a year's worth of exercising where it felt like it was costing me energy. I might finally be getting to the point where it actually makes me feel good, and that's exciting. It's taken so long I figured that it just wasn't something I'd feel- that exercise would always be the drag that I would have to force myself to do. It feels more like a mixed bag now. I still hate sweating and the feeling like I'm going to die when I'm pushing myself, but that feeling passes fairly quickly and then I have that lovely endorphin rush where I'm glad I did it, and I feel strong and powerful. One day at a time... and we'll see where this path leads. Sometimes I find that the most interesting and best parts in my life follow from choices that didn't fit in with my life plans, or where I just decided to give something a try. I always identified as someone who hated exercise (still kinda do, really), but when I saw that F45 trial I decided why not give it a try. I had already been doing Walk at Home so this just felt like a bit further down the rabbit hole. Who knows where it will lead?

I did:

• 54 minutes of walking, and 39 minutes at F45 for a total of 93 active minutes. Today was the Triple Threat workout which is another horrible, horrible cardio workout. 
• drank 3 litres of water!
• did my dental care!
• 15 minutes of Spanish on Duolingo. 

I found some new and interesting recipes, so I figure that I'll try and put a few more interesting things in my daily meal plans here if I can get out of my food jags!

Breakfast was a new one!

Turkish Scrambled Eggs:

2 large eggs, whisked

45g yellow onion, diced

30g red bell pepper, diced

50g cherry tomatoes, halved

6 kalamata olives, pitted

1/2 oz feta or goat cheese, crumbled

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

salt, pepper

1 slice whole wheat Weight Watchers' bread

Heat a frying pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray when warm. Saute the onion, bell pepper, and tomato until soft, 2-3 minutes. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and add seasonings, continuing to stir the eggs as they cook. Toast your bread. When eggs are done to your liking, place the toast in the centre of your plate. Top with the scrambled eggs, and sprinkle with the cheese. Garnish with olives and enjoy! This is a nice variation on a basic egg recipe and hopefully you'll enjoy the twist! 316 calories, 18g fat, 19.5g carbs, 17.5g protein.

This lunch can be prepped in advance and assembled when you're ready to eat to save time. I find that I need to eat right after I come home from my workout, so having the components ready to make a quick lunch means I'm much more likely to stay on track rather than just grab something because I'm hungry.

Pumpkin, Goat Cheese & Chicken Wrap:

1 Flatout protein wrap

3 oz cooked chicken breast, diced

80g raw pumpkin, skinned and diced (or other squash)

50g red onion, diced

50g tomato slices

40g baby spinach leaves

1/2 oz goat cheese, crumbled

1/4 tsp rosemary

1 garlic clove, minced

Preheat your oven to 400F. Put your pumpkin and onion in a bowl and either use 1 tsp olive oil or spritz with a little bit of cooking spray. Add the rosemary and minced garlic, and stir well to spread out the spices. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Allow veggies to cool. Open your wrap onto a plate, and fill with spinach, tomato, and goat cheese. Top with the chicken and roasted veggies and wrap tightly. If you like, cut in half, but you can enjoy the full portion! It's funny, I like squash but generally I eat pumpkin in sweets rather than savories. I was really impressed with how tasty this is. If you like, serve this with raw veggie sticks on the side and maybe a little of my Veggielicious Dip! The wrap clocks in at 305 calories, 8g fat, 32g carbs, and 36g protein.

For afternoon snack, I had one of my protein snack plates from earlier in the week- delicious! Feel free to use whatever cheese and meat and crackers you have at hand! Mine clocked in at 360 calories, 23g fat, 19.5g carbs, and 19g protein.

Dinner came from Hellofresh- if you haven't tried them yet, you can get a totally free box using my referral link! They have lots of low carb and low calorie recipes to choose from every week.

Apricot-Mustard Pork Chops:

340g boneless pork chops

113g spring mix

2 clementines

4 radishes

14g toasted pepitas

28g goat cheese

2 tbsp apricot jam

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp whole grain mustard

1 tbsp chicken broth concentrate

2 tsp olive oil

Preheat your oven to 425F. Cut radishes into thin half moons. Add vinegar, half the apricot jam, and half the olive oil to a large bowl. Add salt and pepper, and whisk to combine. Add the radishes to marinate and set aside. Heat a large oven safe pan to medium heat on your stovetop. Add the remaining oil, and when it's hot, sear the pork chops for 2-3 min per side. Place the oven safe pan in the oven and roast the pork for 8-12 minutes or until cooked through. Put the pan back on the stovetop on medium-low and set the pork aside on a cutting board to rest. Add broth concentrate, 1/4 cup water, mustard, and remaining apricot jam. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens. While sauce is simmering, peel and segment clementines. Add clementines and spring mix to the bowl with the radishes and toss to combine. Thinly slice the pork chops, adding any meat juices to the pan sauce. Divide the salad and pork on two plates, and spoon the pan sauce over the pork. Sprinkle pepitas and goat cheese over the salad, and enjoy! This is a nice light and flavourful salad which is perfect for a warm evening when you don't want a heavy supper. 404 calories, 17.5g fat, 26.5g carbs, 37g protein.

Here's a make-ahead dessert with a ton of protein so you won't have to worry about making something in advance!

Frozen Cheesecake Squares:

450g cottage cheese

110g cashew butter (or your favourite nut butter)

26g plain or vanilla protein powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp of your favourite sweetener

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 cup water

Add all ingredients to a blender and pulse until it's entirely smooth. Pour mixture into a flat bottomed container with a lid and place in the freezer- mixture should be about 2 cm deep. After approximately 2 hours, take the container out and cut your cheesecake into 20 squares while it's still in the container, and return it to the freezer for a further 2 hours or until frozen entirely. One serving is four squares (recipe makes 5 servings). 

Cottage cheese, is there anything it can't do?? This was surprisingly good! I think it would be great with some fruit chunks added as well, maybe small diced fruit added after the blender stage. Strawberry was my first thought, but I think pina colada with pineapple chunks and coconut would be amazing too! This one would be a great base to play around with, and it has lots of protein! The base recipe is 270 calories, 16g fat, 8g carbs, and 23g protein! Your recipe may vary depending on protein powder.

That brings my daily total to 1375 calories, 82.5g fat, 105.5g carbs, and 132.5g protein! That is a little lower than I'd like to go when I've been so active lately, so I'll make sure to add a little something. Maybe I'll have a couple of squares of good chocolate before bed!

45 Strong Challenge Day 9

 I'm really tired this morning- more so than usual. Getting up was a bit of a struggle even though I was hungry and wanted to make breakfast. That being said, I'm feeling like I'm sleeping more deeply lately. I am not sure if it's because of the exercise or if it's just random, but when my pets wake me up in the middle of the night it feels like I'm swimming through molasses.

Today will be 20% of the challenge completed! It's hard, but it actually does feel like it's going by so quickly. I can get through this. And also I'm curious to see what my results will be. It seems like maybe the scale won't be too happy with me but who knows how things will shake out in a few weeks more. I already have improvement with the weights I'm lifting, although I don't know if that's a function of the challenge specifically or not, but it's still measurable progress and I'm happy with that.

I did:

• 32 minutes of walking, and 46 minutes at F45 for a total of 78 active minutes. Today was the Titans workout which is probably my favourite. Or rather I don't really know the difference between the various named workouts, but Tuesdays are always the day where you try to lift heavier rather than to focus on reps. I like that even if it's challenging. The names of the workouts change every month (I think) but the basic premise of what type of workout is on what day doesn't seem to. 
• drank 3 litres of water!
• did my dental care!
• 21 minutes of Spanish on Duolingo. 

You can probably see from the meal plans I've been sharing during the challenge that I tend to eat the same food in little bursts. While it's fun to share new recipes here and try new things, I wouldn't have the time and energy to do that every day! Mostly when I shared meal plans previously it was to add new recipes to my blog- but during this challenge this is what I'm eating every day! Hope you find it helpful!

Breakfast was 2 slices of Weight Watchers bread, toasted, each with a slice of ham on top, half a slice of pepper jack cheese, and a sunny side up egg pan fried in cooking spray with a soft yolk. 353 calories, 17.5g fat 18.5g carbs, 30g protein.

Timing is still making it tough to get my usual morning snack in so that hasn't been a thing so far this challenge, which contributes to the heavier meals.

Lunch was a bit of a calorie splurge but worth every bit of it. My son had asked for a bag of sub buns and they're so delicious so I decided I wanted to have one. I topped it with lots of protein to make up for it though- 4 slices of smoked turkey, 4 slices of black forest ham, 1oz of Brie cheese, thinly sliced, romaine lettuce, tomato, red onion, and 1/2 tbsp light mayonnaise. Obviously you could change the stats here by going with a wrap or a lower calorie bread. 534 calories, 17g fat, 53g carbs, and 42g protein. 

Afternoon snack was grab and go- a container of President's Choice vanilla Greek yogurt. Quick and easy. 80 calories, 0g fat, 11g carbs, 9g protein.

Dinner was my Ginger Glazed Shrimp & Bulgur Bowl- delicious and high protein! 387 calories, 13g fat, 42g carbs, 27g protein.

The best part of my day was dessert! This one is easy to prepare in advance and refrigerate for later. If you haven't tried my NY Style Cheesecake, I'd highly recommend it!

1 large graham cracker, crushed into crumbs
2 oz fat free cream cheese
2 tbsp light ricotta cheese
1 tbsp vanilla Greek yogurt
2 1/2 tbsp Splenda or your favourite sweetener
1 1/2 tbsp egg whites
1/2 tsp lemon juice or vanilla extract

2-3 tbsp of fruit or sugarfree pie filling
1-2 tbsp fat free whipped cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix together cheeses, yogurt, Splenda, juice/extract and Egg Beaters and stir until well blended. Spray your baking dish with cooking spray (I used a mini silicone loaf pan). Add in the graham cracker crumbs and shake around to coat bottom of dish. Pour cheesecake filling into dish and put the dish into a larger oven safe dish and add water about half way up the side of the mini pan in the larger dish to create a water bath. Bake the cheesecake for 40 minutes, then turn off toaster oven or oven and let it sit in the oven for 10 minutes. I put mine in the fridge to let it set while I had dinner, and then topped with the sugarfree cherry filling and light whipped cream.

It's so delicious, you won't believe it's healthy! This recipe serves one, so you may want to double or triple it so that you can have more in the fridge for another day!

You can also do variants- use different flavours of Greek yogurt! I like using key lime and some lime zest, or lemon meringue and lemon zest. I'd love to hear how you experiment with it! 176 calories, 2.5g fat, 18g carbs, 14.5g protein.

That brings my daily total to 1530 calories, 50g fat, 142.5g carbs, and 122.5g protein! That should help with muscle growth!

45 Strong Challenge: Day 5

 Thankfully, today doesn't feel as frustrating as yesterday even if I'm tired again. I'm looking forward to the weekend!

If anyone is curious, I start writing these posts in the morning and update as the day goes on and I complete my task list for the day, and I don't publish it until the evening. So if it seems like a bit of a mishmash chronologically, that's why!

I was feeling pretty good today until I got to the gym and saw the video for today. OOF. I've never done the Valor workout before and I was second guessing my decision to go! You get paired with someone else and you have to meet rep count targets as a team. And of course I was paired with this big strong guy and I was so anxious the whole time that I'd be letting him down because I'm slower and can't do things as quickly as he can. But all I can do is my best, so I tried. Man I thought I was going to die though!

Then I had to do a lot of unexpected walking and now I'm just exhausted. I'm glad tomorrow is my active recovery day!

I did:

• 98 minutes of walking plus 40 minutes in class at the gym. Today was the Valor workout at F45 which is a mixed cardio/resistance workout and it was brutal. Also, my son wanted to play some baseball so I got 2 more active minutes there too! Total of 140 active minutes and I am SO done.
• drank 3 litres of water!
• did my dental care!
• 16 minutes of Spanish on Duolingo. 

Today breakfast was French toast again, since I tend to eat the same thing for a few days until I get tired of it. Delicious! 200 calories, 1g fat, 32g carbs, 14g protein.

Lunch was the cottage pie leftover from earlier in the week. It reheats really well actually! 425 calories, 24g fat, 30g carbs, 23g protein.

Afternoon snack was two Pillers turkey pepperettes. 100 calories, 8g fat, 1g carbs, 9g protein.

Dinner was fabulous! 

Chorizo Taco Salad:

250g chorizo sausage, uncased

125g baby spinach

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 tbsp ranch powder seasoning

1 medium sweet potato, diced

1 medium tomato, diced

1 sweet pepper, diced

1 red onion, diced

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 tbsp chili powder/cumin mix

Mix the yogurt and ranch powder and stir well. Chill in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the recipe.

Preheat your air fryer to 425 degrees. Shake the sweet potato with 1/2 tbsp chili cumin spice mix, and if desired, either 1/2 tbsp olive oil or cooking spray. Follow your air fryer instructions, stirring the potatoes partway through to ensure they are all evenly cooked through, approximately 16-18 minutes.

Set a medium sized frying pan to medium heat, and then add the chorizo and remaining spice mix. Add onion and sweet pepper, and cook for 4-6 minutes or until chorizo is no longer pink.

In a large serving bowl, mix together the baby spinach, tomato, and ranch dressing. Divide salad onto two plates, and top each with half the chorizo and veggies, and the cheese. Enjoy!

This recipe is a great way to enjoy low glycemic carbs and have a really rich and flavourful salad! If you like, crunch a tortilla chip or two on top for some crispiness! 439 calories, 22.5g fat, 25g carbs, 30.5g protein.

And for dessert, I had another protein snack plate from earlier this week to use up the leftovers! 360 calories, 23g fat, 19.5g carbs, 19g protein.

That brings my daily total to 1524 calories, 78.5g fat, 84.5g carbs, 95.5g protein.

It's been a day- time for me to get some rest!

45 Strong Challenge: Day 4

Well, it looks like even at this point in my journey, I'm not immune to the 3rds blues that I've written about before. But, this is a new program, even if I could look at it as just another iteration of what I've been doing all along. I've been exercising regularly for a year! I've been staying generally in my calorie range, with the occasional day for indulging. So why is this still affecting me?

I don't know. I could hazard a guess that it's because this challenge is very structured and so it's frustrating me. I definitely don't like drinking this much water- I woke up feeling like if I had another mouthful I was going to scream. My body is sore- actually more so than usual. Normally I do two F45 workouts a week, and I've already done three with no rest day.

Realistically, it doesn't matter why. The 3rds blues is a known phenomena, as annoying as that is, so I just have to power through it. Minor concession; I'm having a diet soda with my breakfast and resentfully eyeing that first litre of water. I'm sure by the time I get to the gym (I'm writing this part in the morning!), I'll be grateful for it and then I'll be playing catch up but it's okay. Maybe I'll add in some green tea later for some variety. I don't generally like water flavourings though.

If it was always this hard, I probably wouldn't be able to keep it up. Honestly, while I know I generally need to drink more water, drinking this much means I'm going to the bathroom all the time which is annoying. I feel like 4 litres is just too much. With the Ozempic, I have less room in my stomach so adding all the extra liquids means that I feel full more often, and while you'd think that would be ideal, I do need to keep up at least a reasonable amount of calories given how much I'm exercising. I recalculated my TDEE (calories needed daily) based on heavy exercise which they called 6-7 days per week, and it estimated me at 2680 calories to maintain, which means I should be eating at least 1680 calories and I've been below that. As I've said before, eating less isn't always ideal. It's great if you're eating too much, but if you're eating less than your body needs to function then it's not going to be helpful long term even if you do lose weight right away. It can slow your metabolism and make it harder to lose. In my case, it will make it harder to realize muscle gains from my weight training if I'm not eating enough protein and calories overall to build new muscle.

Well, I made it through the day!!! One day at a time, right? And I got an endorphin boost after the gym so I am glad I dragged myself there. Definitely feeling better than I was when I started this blog post.

I did:

• 53 minutes of walking plus 40 minutes in class at the gym for a total of 93 active minutes. Today was the Two Fold workout at F45 which is a weight training day, you choose whether to work on upper or lower body. Since I was already doing walking and my thighs are still sore from earlier in the week, I chose upper body. We did progressive overload today and I reached a new milestone with my dumbbells! Super proud of myself.
• drank 3.5 litres of water!
• did my dental care!
• 18 minutes of Spanish on Duolingo. 

When I'm frustrated, it's more difficult to eat sometimes because I'm tired and don't feel like I have the energy to both plan and make something. Fortunately, I have lots of leftovers from earlier in the week to bail me out today!

Breakfast was a variant on my basic Breakfast Sandwich, where I toasted a whole wheat English muffin but instead of making it into a sandwich I served it open faced. Each half of the muffin was topped with two slices of deli ham, half a slice of monterey jack cheese, sliced red onions, and a sunny side up egg with a runny yolk. Delicious! 399 calories, 18.5g fat, 27g carbs, 33g protein.

It has been tougher to have a morning snack on days that I go to the lunch hour gym class, so I wasn't able to squeeze one in today. I'll try to improve that, but the difficulty is that while I have to eat before I work out or I'll get nauseous, I don't want to eat too heavily right before I go in. I do get nauseous when I work out as intensely as I do at F45 and the last thing I want to do is vomit. I have never vomited on Ozempic although I do occasionally (less often now) get nausea as a side effect. It seems like people either absolutely have to eat before they exercise or absolutely must have an empty stomach to avoid side effects, with very little in between. I have to have something in my stomach or the nausea is much worse.

After I staggered home from my class (boy I am feeling whiny today!), it was time for lunch! I just grabbed a piece of leftover quiche from yesterday. 413 calories, 27g fat, 21g carbs, 19g protein.

It's been a busy day so for afternoon snack I had a Black Diamond Combo with cheddar and almonds. Nothing wrong with having a day that doesn't involve a lot of cooking! 170 calories, 12g fat, 10g carbs, 8g protein. 

Again, I was looking for quick and easy for dinner, so I splurged and had a PC Blue Menu Turkey Burger on a bun with a slice of smoked cheddar, and chopped up a potato for some home fries in the air fryer. Honestly, I think fast food burgers taste too greasy and even frozen ones taste better most of the time. Love my air fryer- no oil needed for crispy fries! 540 calories, 17g fat, 60g carbs, and 36g protein. Obviously if you wanted to lower the calorie count here, you could swap out the french fries for roasted carrots or other veggies, remove the cheese, or have a lettuce wrap instead of a bun, but sometimes it's nice to treat yourself- and where are you going to get a burger and fries for 540 calories? 

I have some bananas on life support and I don't feel like doing any baking, so quick and easy dessert here I come! I chopped the banana into coins and put them in a bowl, and topped with a scoop of Liberte vanilla Greek yogurt and a tablespoon of sugarfree caramel sauce. Tastes super decadent and won't spike your blood sugar! 235 calories, 0g fat, 43g carbs, 18g protein.

That brings my total for the day to 1757 calories, 74.5g fat, 161g carbs, and 114g protein. That's a little higher carb than a normally go, but it still falls within balanced macros and I'm not unhappy with my choices. I don't believe in restricting food groups, and I've been working out hard lately. And all my food today was delicious!

I survived the 3rd blues today... onwards and upwards!

45 Strong Challenge: Day 3

 

45 days really does seem like a lot... that picture has so many empty squares! But one day at a time, I'll get there. 

My legs are a little sore today from the lifting yesterday. There was one particular exercise that I felt was a little more difficult on my body than the others. Hopefully if I keep drinking this much water I won't have as much muscle soreness. 

I did:

• 53 minutes of walking plus 53 minutes in class at the gym for a total of 106 active minutes. Today was the Triple Threat workout at F45 which is cruel, cruel cardio. They also did a 15 min bonus class at the end to help meet the 60 min requirement. My watch says it's not that long but it sure feels like it!
• drank 3.5 litres of water!
• did my dental care!
• 18 minutes of Spanish on Duolingo. 

 With all the exercise I'm doing, I am less worried about hitting the high end of my calorie range, so today I planned to have things I really like. With the intense workout schedule, I have less

Breakfast was a recipe I've shared before but always love it for its decadence!

Cherry French Toast: 

2 slices whole wheat Weight Watchers bread

100g liquid egg whites

dash of vanilla, sprinkle of cinnamon

your choice of 1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup or 1/4 cup sugarfree cherry pie filling!

optional dab of light whipped cream

Heat a large pan over medium. Spray with cooking spray when hot. Add vanilla and cinnamon to the egg whites. Soak the bread in the egg white mixture, and pan fry until crisp, 3-4 minutes per side. Drizzle with your choice of toppings! Yes, you can use sugarfree syrup but personally, even as a diabetic, I think it's an abomination. You don't need very much real syrup for a couple of pieces of French toast and it's well worth it. If you prefer to avoid the sugar, opt for some sugarfree pie filling in your favourite fruit, or make your own no sugar added fruit syrup by cooking down berries with a little bit of your favourite sweetener. You could even use no sugar added jam if you like! As prepared above with maple syrup, this recipe has 200 calories, 1g fat, 32g carbs, 14g protein.

I didn't have a morning snack today since I was walking to the gym, but I made sure to have something easy lined up for lunch because I knew as soon as I sat down that I wasn't getting back up again anytime soon!

Lunch was a bit of a splurge but worth it!

Easy Cheesy Quiche:

2 Tenderflake pie crusts made with vegetable shortening

12 large eggs

1 cup shredded cheese

4 oz of your favourite protein, cooked (diced ham, turkey bacon, shredded chicken, smoked salmon etc)

your favourite veggies, small diced (I like spinach, onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers, but broccoli is great with ham and cheddar for example!)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Heat a pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray when hot. Add your veggies and some pepper, and cook until they are softened and most of the liquid has evaporated. This may take a while depending on what veggies you choose.

Place your pie crusts on a baking tray. Add the veggies inside the crusts, and spread them evenly. Top with your protein option, and add 1/4 cup shredded cheese to each crust.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and add black pepper. Depending on what add ins you chose, you can vary your spicing as well. Put half the egg mixture into each pie crust, and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese on each. Bake for 40 minutes or until filling is set and crust is brown.

The nice thing about quiche is that it's a blank canvas- use your favourite add ins and it will be great! Try different variations like ham and Swiss with mushrooms, smoked salmon and cream cheese with fresh dill and onions, turkey bacon and cheddar with peppers, etc.

I did a lot of research on pie crusts and honestly, the Tenderflake crust really isn't that bad of an option. You can choose to go crustless if you don't want the carbs and calories, but I do like the flavour personally and it's worth it for me. It is good though with or without the crust! Depending on your hunger levels, you can cut each pie into 1/8 or 1/4 pieces, and serve with a side salad. I decided to have a big piece post workout, so my lunch was 413 calories, 27g of fat, 21g carbs, and 19g protein.

I decided to give one of the viral TikTok ideas a try for afternoon snack!

Cottage Cheese Pizza Dip:

2 cups 2% cottage cheese

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup marinara sauce

1 oz turkey pepperoni slices, diced

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp italian seasoning

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a blender, pulse the cottage cheese, parmesan, and spices until smooth. Take an oven safe dish and layer the cottage cheese mixture, then marinara sauce, and top with the shredded mozzarella and pepperoni slices. Bake for 15 minutes, and then broil on low for 2 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve with your choice of dippers like bell pepper slices, crackers, pita chips, or just enjoy it with a spoon! Makes 6 snack sized servings, or 4 more generous portions.

Anyone who loves lasagna knows how deliciously cheesy hot cottage cheese can be. While I wouldn't say this will kick a pizza craving, it really is both delicious and high protein for a relatively low calorie count, especially if you choose to eat it with bell pepper slices or other veggies. I had mine with pepper slices so I could enjoy a bigger portion, so my afternoon snack clocked in at 239 calories, 12.5g fat, 6.5g carbs, and 24g protein.

I wasn't feeling like more work in the kitchen today, so I went for quick and made my Tiny Tacos for dinner (recipe in link!), which made my dinner 495 calories, 27g fat, 31.5g carbs, and 32g protein.  

For dessert, again I was looking for quick and easy, so I just went for a chopped apple with PB2. If you don't have PB2, you can substitute 1 tbsp of your favourite nut butter instead but I preferred to have the larger serving! That brings my dessert to 185 calories, 3g fat, 35g carbs, 10.5g protein.

The total for my day was 1532 calories, 70.5g fat, 126g carbs, 99.5g protein. I wasn't hungry for more, but given my activity level, I probably should have squeezed in an extra snack somewhere to up my calories a bit. Maybe I'll have a late night snack of 1oz Brie as a treat!

45 Strong Challenge: Day 2

Well, I survived day two! 

I did:

• 20 minutes of walking plus 40 minutes at the gym for a total of 60 active minutes. Today was the Titans workout at F45 which is strength training. Hey, bare minimum is still reaching goal!
• drank 3.5 litres of water!
• did my dental care!
• 19 minutes of Spanish on Duolingo. I learned a bunch of new words that I think will need some practicing.

I have to admit that I'm really hoping that this challenge helps the scale start moving a little more consistently again. I know that gaining muscle can slow down weight loss temporarily, but it boosts your metabolic rate and so it ups your fat burning in future weeks, and that works for me! 

I'm currently in a free HealthyWage challenge and I might not quite make it because my loss rate has slowed so much over the past few months- this isn't my wager where I have bet on myself, just a free challenge that anyone could sign up for. You don't win much if you do, but what do you expect for a free challenge, right? And I figure any financial reward is a good reward.

Since today is a weights training day, I focused on choosing higher protein meals as well. I've read that pushing the protein percentage up to 40% of total daily calories definitely helps with muscle building and weight loss, but I have trouble getting it much past 30%. Usually I have relatively balanced macros and that has worked well so far. Since I'm picky about meats, raising my protein intake that high is difficult without dropping my carbs low enough that I start to feel deprived, so I'm just doing the best I can.

Breakfast today was an open faced toasted whole wheat english muffin, each side topped with two slices of deli ham, half a slice of smoked cheddar, a little diced red onion, and an egg served sunny side up with a runny yolk. Super filling and the low glycemic carbs along with the protein will give me energy for my workout! 399 calories, 18.5g fat, 27g carbs, 33g protein.

Lunch was a new recipe!

Miso-Soy Shrimp Bowl:

285g of raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

170g shredded cabbage/carrot blend

1 medium onion, diced

1 sweet pepper, diced

1 tbsp miso broth concentrate

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 tbsp dried sesame seeds

1/2 tbsp sesame oil

1 cup cooked jasmine rice

1 green onion, chopped

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp soy sauce

Heat a large dry pan over medium heat, and toast the sesame seeds until golden brown, 2-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Do not burn! Put them in a small bowl and set aside. 

Pat shrimp dry and put into a bowl. Sprinkle with 1/2 the cornstarch and shake until they are coated. In another small bowl, add miso concentrate, soy sauce, the remaining cornstarch, 1/2 the garlic, and 1/2 cup water and whisk to combine.

In the same pan, heat 1/2 the sesame oil and then add the onion, and peppers. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until tender-crisp. Add the cabbage mix and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Transfer cooked veggies to a bowl and cover to keep them warm.

In the same pan, heat remaining sesame oil and then add shrimp, pan frying until shrimp turn pink and are fully cooked, 3-4 minutes. Add sauce mixture to the pan, and stir until sauce thickens, 1-2 minutes. 

Portion the rice into two dishes and top each with half the veggies, the shrimp and sauce, and green onions. Sprinkle with sesame seeds as a garnish.

If you're more of a fan of savoury/umami flavours then sweet, this is a great modification for a teriyaki shrimp stir fry! And without the sugar, it's definitely a smaller hit to your calorie budget. You can substitute brown rice or riced cauliflower if you like, but this will change the calorie count. As prepared, each serving contains 282 calories, 4.5g fat, 33g carbs, and 23.5g protein.

Afternoon Snack was 1/2 cup of chopped strawberries topped with Oikos maple syrup flavour Greek yogurt, with a little drizzle of sugarfree caramel syrup. Sweet and delicious! 113 calories, 1.5g fat, 16.5g carbs, 8.5g protein.

Dinner was another new recipe to share with you all!

Lightened Up Cottage Pie:

1/3 lb lean ground beef

200g raw russet potatoes, peeled and quartered

1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1.5 tbsp tomato paste

1/3 lb mirepoix (finely chopped onions, celery, and carrots)

100g diced cremini mushrooms

2 tsp unsalted butter

1 tsp cream cheese

200g cauliflower florets, chopped

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tbsp beef stock concentrate

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Boil a large pot of water, and add the potatoes and cauliflower. Cook for 12-14 minutes, or until fork tender. Drain the pot, saving a little of the starchy water. Add the butter, garlic salt, and cream cheese, and mash the potatoes and cauliflower until they reach your desired mashed texture. If necessary, use a little of the starchy water to loosen them up a bit.

In a large pan, cook the ground beef, mushrooms, and mirepoix for 3-6 minutes, or until veggies are tender and beef is no longer pink. Carefully drain any remaining beef fat.

Add tomato paste, and cook for about 1 minute or until fragrant. Add 1/2 cup water and the beef stock concentrate and bring to a simmer over high. Once simmering, reduce heat to medium low and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until sauce thickens.

Transfer filling to an 8x8 baking dish and then cover evenly with the mashed potato mixture. Top with the shredded cheese and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden and cheese is melted.

Serves two generous portions at 425 calories, 24g fat, 30g carbs, and 23g protein. You can alter the nutritional content by swapping out potatoes entirely for cauliflower, using your favourite butter replacement, and using ground turkey instead of beef (then use chicken concentrate instead!) but I think this is pretty reasonable as it is, and tastes rich and filling. It also reheats well, so you can make a big batch and enjoy the leftovers on another day.

Dessert was a savory snack plate today since I was trying to focus on protein! 

I love little charcuterie plates! This is 1 oz of smoked gouda cheese, 1 oz Brie, 1 slice of prosciutto, and 1/4 cup of grapes. The crackers are amazing- they are PC Black Label cranberry & fennel artisan crisps, and I would definitely recommend them with some nice cheese. Dessert was 360 calories, 23g fat, 19.5g carbs, and 19g protein.

That brings me to a total of 1578 calories, 71.5g fat, 126g carbs, and 107g protein. It's been a pretty good day, although I was sweating like crazy today! I guess it's a good thing I upped my water intake- or maybe I'm sweating more because I'm drinking more? Unsure. But I'm very happy to be putting another star on my chart at the gym for the challenge! Whoever thought stickers were silly... it's a nice visual representation of what I'm accomplishing!

High Protein Days

 So, there has been a lot of talk in the news about people losing muscle mass while taking Ozempic, but what they don't point out is that everyone who loses weight quickly will lose muscle mass as well, if they aren't specifically focusing on building and retaining lean muscle as much as possible.

I'm not a fan of restrictive diets like keto, but one thing I do agree with is that on days where you do strength training, that you need to incorporate higher protein to give your body the building blocks to process the exercises you just did. That being said, I don't limit my carbs- instead I just focus on choosing higher protein foods on the days I do weightlifting.

Today, for example, I had wanted to make blueberry pancakes for breakfast but decided to save that for tomorrow. Instead, I chose a balanced breakfast that incorporated more protein. Some people find they can't eat before a workout or they don't feel well but I'm the opposite; if I don't have at least something in my stomach then I get nauseous. If you're starting an exercise plan, figure out what works best for you and go from there!

So here is a full day meal plan with a focus on protein (as well as healthy low glycemic carbs!) for those heavy workout days.

Breakfast:

This one was pretty easy- I toasted two slices of Weight Watcher's whole wheat bread while I fried two eggs using cooking spray. I layered the toast with a slice of deli ham, a slice of Sargento Ultra Thin cheddar cheese (if you're close to a border this is a great way to cut back on cheese calories while still enjoying the flavour!), one egg on each slice, and then garnished with a few rings of red onion. Delicious!

Breakfast Summary: 390 calories, 19.5g fat, 20g carbs, 31g protein

Because of timing, I generally skip my morning snack on gym days. I'd rather add those calories to my breakfast or lunch. If you find having a snack works better for you, then you could always modify breakfast by putting both eggs on one slice of toast above, and then skipping the second slice of toast as well as the second slices of cheese and ham. That would give you 115 calories for a healthy snack, maybe a cup of Greek yogurt and 1 tbsp of chopped nuts?

Lunch:

Chicken Skillet a la Francaise:

2 chicken breasts
15ml Minced garlic 
300g Diced butternut squash 
1 Green zucchini, chopped into slices then quartered 
30ml Red wine vinegar 
15ml Tomato paste 
30ml Vegetable demi-glace 

1 tbsp butter
10g Garlic & Sweet Pepper spices (salt, garlic, red bell pepper, vinegar powder, green bell pepper, paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper)

Heat a large frying pan and add 1 tbsp of butter. When sizzling, add the chicken breast and cover, cooking until partially cooked, 3-5 minutes per side. Add the zucchini and squash to the pan, and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened, 4-6 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste, and cook, continuing to stir, until dark red and fragrant.

Add vinegar, demi-glace, remaining spices, and 1/3 cup of water. Cook, stirring frequently, 2-3 minutes until well combined and the chicken is cooked through. Divide the skillet between two plates and enjoy!

This recipe is another Goodfood meal, when you're looking for something quick, easy, and delicious. Don't forget you can get your first box for free if you order through my referral link!

Lunch Summary: 350 calories, 10g fat, 26g carbs, 42g protein

Afternoon Snack:

Let's throw something quick and easy for snack in our bags since we're cooking both lunch and dinner today! Of course since we made two portions of each recipe, you can always box up the other serving to eat on another day and skip cooking!

Snack Summary: 170 calories, 12g fat, 10g carbs, 7g protein

Dinner:

New Orleans BBQ Shrimp & Grits:

10oz shrimp, peeled and tails removed
3oz grits 
2oz shredded cheddar-jack cheese 
1.5oz Worcestershire sauce 
5oz baby spinach, coarsely chopped
2 green onions, chopped (whites separate from greens) 
1/4oz seafood seasoning (Old Bay is perfect) 

1 tbsp Kraft light BBQ sauce
1 lemon 

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp butter

1 jalapeno pepper (optional), deseeded and minced

Cut the lemon in half, and juice one half of the lemon. In a small bowl, mix together lemon juice, BBQ sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Slice the other half of the lemon thinly into rounds. Boil 4 cups of water in a medium pot, and when boiling, add the grits and a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, 5-7 minutes or until the grains are tender. Stir in the spinach and the cheese and cover and remove from heat. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Heat butter in a large pan over medium heat, and when melted, add scallion whites, garlic, and jalapeno pepper along with seafood seasoning. Stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add sauce mixture and lemon slices, and heat over medium-high. Add the shrimp to the pan, flipping halfway, until just cooked pink, 3-4 minutes. Serve the grits onto two plates and top with the shrimp, lemon slices, and sauce. Garnish with the reserved green onions, and enjoy!

This delicious meal is from Hellofresh, and again you can try it for free by using my referral link! Healthy wholesome food (including carbs) can still be flavourful and low calorie, as well as high protein! Feel free to swap out the shrimp for chicken or tofu if you prefer.

Dinner Summary: 426 calories, 16g fat, 36g carbs, 33g protein

Dessert:

Chocolate Hummus:

1 can black beans

3 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 cup Splenda or sweetener of choice

1/3 cup of your favourite nut butter (coconut oil if you prefer to go peanut/tree nut free)

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Add all ingredients to a food processor, and blend until smooth. Serve and enjoy!

When I saw this recipe I was a bit of a skeptic, but it is fantastic! I would highly recommend you give it a try. It's great to make ahead and eat later so no need to make it the day you plan to eat! It makes 10 1/4 cup servings, and feel free to choose your favourite items to dip in it since it's so low calorie! For the calorie count below, I used 1 banana and 1/2 cup strawberries.

Dessert Summary: 208 calories, 4.5g fat, 40.5g carbs, 6.5g protein

Daily Total: 1544 calories, 62g fat, 132.5g of carbs, 119.5g protein

Hopefully you'll find these recipes helpful while you're looking for higher protein options on workout days! No need to cut back on the carbs too much as you'll need them for energy, and we don't even have to skip our sweet treat- life is about balance, not deprivation. Enjoy!

Don't forget you can find my other full day meal plans via this link, as well as visit my main Recipes page which has everything!

Easy Full Day Meal Plan with Takeout!

 I haven't posted a full day meal plan in some time, because I haven't well felt enough to be doing much playing around with recipes. I am doing my best to get back on track though, and my meal plan yesterday was absolutely delicious. It was relatively low energy as well, since one meal was takeout and another was only 15 minutes from start to plate! Breakfast can be prepped in advance as well so save this meal plan for a day when you are tired/don't have a lot of time to be working on your meals!

Breakfast:

Raspberry Lemon Muffins:

1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour 
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp fine-grain sea salt
⅓ cup melted coconut oil 
½ cup Splenda or sweetener of choice
2 eggs, preferably at room temperature
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons lemon extract
Zest of 1 medium lemon (about ½ tsp)
1 ½ cups fresh or frozen raspberries

Makes 12 servings.

The lemon extract combined with the zest and the fresh raspberries made these so flavourful, and the coconut oil made them smell delicious. The protein from the Greek yogurt keeps them lower on the glycemic index which will help keep you full without spiking your blood sugars.

The muffins, while delicious right out of the oven, can be made in advance and either kept in a container for 3-4 days, or frozen for up to three months if wrapped well. 

You could also boost the protein higher by using a substitute like almond flour, or even a high protein pancake mix in replacement of the flour.

Breakfast Summary: 142 calories, 7.5g fat, 15.5g carbs, 5.5g protein

Morning Snack:

I had a strawberry cheesecake flavoured Greek yogurt along with a cup of halved fresh strawberries- delicious! If you're close to a border with the US (or live in the US yourself of course!), definitely check out American grocery stores for awesome Greek yogurt flavours that aren't available in Canada. I love the Dannon Light & Fit yogurts especially because they taste great, are larger portions than the Canadian yogurt cups, and fewer calories. I took a day trip and brought home flavours like Raspberry Lemonade, Orange Creamsicle, Caramel Apple Pie, Tiramisu, Creme Brulee, Pumpkin Spice, Boston Cream, and others. I don't know why they aren't available here but I love getting them when I can!

Snack Summary: 103 calories, 0g fat, 14.5g carbs, 12.5g protein

Lunch:

So tasty! I got a quarter chicken meal from Swiss Chalet with white meat (I chose to remove the skin). Swiss Chalet is one of the healthiest takeout places you can eat at because it's easy to go high protein if that works for you, and they have lots of side dishes that aren't drowning in sauces or grease. I got a garden salad with fat free Ranch dressing and steamed mixed vegetables on the side. And of course, can't miss out on the delicious Chalet sauce!

This meal was huge, so save it for a hungry day or have only one side dish!

Lunch Summary: 371 calories, 10.5g fat, 24g carbs, 45.5g protein

Afternoon Snack:

I went pretty basic, since I wasn't really hungry after that large lunch! I had a string cheese along with an apple and 1 tbsp walnut pieces. While I love fruit, it's important to remember always to pair it with protein to reduce blood sugar spikes.

This snack was quick and easy, and I do love snacks with multiple components so that I can get a variety of different flavours.

Snack Summary: 176 calories, 7.5g fat, 22g carbs, 7.5g protein

Dinner:

Tiny Tacos:

8 oz lean ground beef (or protein of choice)

3 tbsp taco seasoning

2 oz shredded cheese of choice

113g yellow onion, diced

lettuce, tomatoes for garnish

2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream)

salsa if preferred

6 PC mini tortillas

Brown your ground beef in a frying pan on medium, and as it cooks, add the onions. Make sure you keep mincing so there are no large chunks. When there is no pink left, drain out any extra fat in your pan. Add 1/4 cup water and taco seasoning, and stir well. Raise the heat to high to boil off any extra liquid in the pan, and keep stirring. Once the liquid is gone, your meat is ready! Serve with your favourite garnishes.

This barely needs a recipe at all- I just threw it together quickly but it was delicious, filling, and high protein. Serves two portions. Feel free to swap the beef for your preferred protein of choice- this will work with anything from other ground meats (or meat substitutes) to seafood or tofu. Just make sure the protein is in small bits since the tacos are so small!

I didn't know how useful those little tortillas would be since they look so small compared to "normal" medium flour tortillas (let alone burrito sized ones) but honestly they worked just fine- and you can have three of them for fewer calories than one and a half medium ones, and who eats half a taco after all?

I used cotija cheese and tomatillo salsa on mine for a little bit of authentic Mexican kick but feel free to use what you like best.

Dinner Summary: 495 calories, 27g fat, 31.5g carbs, 32g protein

Dessert:

Sticking with our quick and easy theme, I picked a grab n go dessert. These chocolate covered hazelnuts are both diabetic and keto friendly and not only fairly low calorie but also relatively inexpensive. I would recommend giving their products a try! A little low in protein but nuts are healthy fats.

Dessert Summary: 140 calories, 13g fat, 12g carbs, 2g protein

Daily Total: 1427 calories, 65.5g fat, 119.5g of carbs, 105g protein

Hope you find this meal plan helpful!