TGIF

Happy Friday!

(Yes, I've been dying in anticipation).

Friday means I get the next 2 days to play outside in the sun!! And do my weekly grocery shopping/meal-planning and other such chores.  I love weekends =)

Last night I was experimenting a bit in the kitchen while I was waiting for dinner to cook.. And I came up with something absolutely amazing! Score another one for pureed pumpkin.

Pumpkin Protein Batter

1/2 Cup Pureed Pumpkin (its a bit too moist, and took awhile to bake.. I may drop to 1/3 or 1/4 next time around)

2 Egg Whites (or 1/3 cup liquid egg whites)

1 Scoop Protein Powder

1 Square (1/2 OZ) Unsweetened Bakers Chocolate - Shaved (I quit halfway through though - so there are some extra special chunks in mine)

1 Tbsp Natural Almond Butter (this wasn't planned, 2 Tbsp PB2 was planned, but tragically, I ran out.....)

Mix all ingredients well, pour into muffin tins, or a pie pan, depending on your preference. Both of mine were in the dishwasher, so I used a standard small square baking pan, it did just fine.  This is a very flexible batter, just keep an eye on it as baking times will vary..

I baked mine at 350 for 20 minutes. It is beautiful!

Before:

After:

And has perfect macros (in my book, that is):

310 Calories

15.5G Fat 18.5G Carbs 9G Fiber 38.5G Protein

You can do pretty much whatever you want with the standard batter (everything BUT the Baker's Chocolate & Almond Butter) so you can fit the macros to your diet.
Love.

Anyway..
Today is ARM DAY!!
Rob hates when I dedicate a whole session to arms, he says I don't need to because I work them as secondaries with Back/Chest/Shoulders - and my arms are genetically huge in comparison to the rest of my body.. See:

But I can't help myself, I get such a great pump when I lift arms! And I just love them, they're my money shot.
Please disregard the rest of me in that picture, I'm not exactly a prize right outta bed!

=)

Some more fun pictures from the show..

Happy Wednesday!

I think today is a good day to lift chest, seeing as the rest of my body is dying from yesterday's leg day/dead lift extravaganza.

I have a killer recipe for homemade nut butter, that is not anywhere near as fattening as the norm (p.s. I AM ADDICTED. Gimme the jar and a spoon and back away).

..Using my new obsession, PB2 powdered Peanut Butter (http:\\www.bellplantation.com)

12 almonds
2 T Dry PB2
1 T Flax Meal
1/4 Cup Egg Whites
Salt/Sweetener to taste.

-Grind almonds (I use a coffee grinder)
-Combine all ingredients.
-Let sit 30-45 minutes to firm up a bit.
-Enjoy!

Makes 1 serving, stats are amazing!
180 calories
11.25g fat, 10.5g carbs, 5.5g fiber, 15.5g protein.

And some pictures..

My dad, me, and the gun show.

My wonderful mom.

Babe's sleepy, and I'm SUPER tan.

My least favorite part about competing?
The loss of strength.. I am desperately trying to gain some strength/weight after months of dieting, only to find out I have to do a photoshoot on Friday.
Time to drop some water (again), hit the tanning bed, and jump right back on the elliptical.


Fun?
That's what I keep telling myself.
=)

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