Back in the Kitchen

After a week of eating whatever I wanted, I’m now happy to be back on track with my off-season diet and training plan, having a schedule / routine works better for me. I’m still trying to get used to seeing the scale move up since prior to last week my goal was to see it go down. The extra calories in my diet have helped me power through my workouts and I’ve been lifting heavy and with more energy and that I love!

Current Obsession:

PUMPKIN!!!

I have had pumpkin mixed in my oatmeal almost everyday since my competition besides the one day I switched it up and had blueberries.

When my old fashion oats are done cooking stovetop, I turn the burner down to low and mix in about 1/4 cup of canned pumpkin.

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

• 1 cup Old fashion Oats (measured dry)
• 2 cups of water
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3 packets of vanilla stevia
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. allspice
• 1 tsp. ground flaxseed
• 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts

Add oats to 2 cups of water in a pot on stove at a low setting, put cover on and let cook for about 5-10 minutes (depending on how much time you have, the lower and longer you cook the oats the fluffier they get) take cover off and add in spices and stevia stirring until the oatmeal reaches desired consistency. Pour into your favorite bowl and add flaxseed and walnuts on top.

*sometimes I’ll mix in a scoop of vanilla protein power while the oats are cooking or I’ll mix a scoop of vanilla protein powder with 2 tbsp. of water and pour on top of the oats in a bowl before I add my toppings <—- really good. (if you add protein powder I would omit the stevia, since the protein adds sweetness)

SO freaking good!

I’m a huge fan of turkey burgers and I’m always looking for a new way to cook them.

I came across an easy recipe for Turkey Burgers on Bodybuilding.com by Jamie Eason.

Zucchini and Carrot Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

• 2 packages of ground extra lean turkey breast (I used 1 package)
• 4 medium zucchini, grated (I used I zucchini and 1 carrot)
• 1/2 tsp salt, (preferably sea salt)
• 1 tsp garlic powder (I added 2 tsp.- I love garlic!)
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Set broiler on high, arranging rack so that burgers will be about 2 inches from the heat.
2. In a large bowl, combine grated zucchini, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, dried basil, oregano, pepper and then turkey.
3. Mix well and scoop out 4-to-5 oz portions. Mixture will be really moist so for easier clean up, use a foil-lined baking sheet, prepped with non-stick spray.
4. Place burgers in oven and broil for 7 minutes. Carefully flip each burger and continue to broil for another 7 minutes on the other side. Serve warm.

(SOURCE)

We cooked our turkey burgers on the George Foreman grill so they would cook fast (we were hungry) and have a crispier top.

This recipe is definitely a keeper.

I had my turkey burger bun-less with a little ketchup (reduced sugar variety) and a small side salad.

The salad was made with mixed greens with spinach, cucumbers, red onion, yellow tomato, sunflower seeds, and chopped walnuts; dressed with Maple Groves Balsamic vinegar.

During competition prep I had a running list of things I wanted to eat when I was done. Top on the list was bread. I’m not a fan of white bread; I love multigrain and Ezekiel breads—> carbs with a purpose!

I knew I wanted to bake my own bread so I flipped through some of my Eat Clean Diet books and found one that caught my eye.

The only problem was I didn’t read the recipe through all the way and realized only after I started it called for 24 hour wait period, so unfortunately my bread craving wasn’t satisfied that night, but it sure was good the following day.

EASY HERBED YOGURT BREAD

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups Whole Grain Flour (I used 1 cup each of whole wheat, oat, and spelt flours)
• 2 cups plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 egg whites + 1 whole egg
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/3 cup maple syrup (I used agave nectar)
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

• Combine flour, yogurt, and water in a large bowl. Mix well and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Place in a warm spot to set, for at least 24 hours.
• After the 24 hours, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• prepare a loaf pan, lightly spraying it with olive oil pam and dusting with whole wheat flour (make sure to shake excess flour out)
• Take four mixture and put it in the bowl of a food processor or mixer (I had neither so I had to do this all my hand mixer which was a lot tougher!)
• Add remaining ingredients and process until well distributed.
• Place dough in loaf pan and cook for 1 1/2 hours. The bread when touch should spring back. It will look like it’s well cooked on the outside.

- I recommend eating this bread warm, so eat immediately after cooking or toast it up with some butter, yum.

I topped my bread with a little Earth Balance butter and ate it with homemade Vegetable Soup!