Protein Oatmeal Raisin "Cookies"

I was in the mood to experiment a little last night with a breakfast cookie recipe involving oatmeal, raisins, and bananas.

I don't know if I can really call this a recipe because the measurements will vary based on the size if your hand. So here goes:

2 very ripe bananas, mashed

1 scoop of French vanilla protein powder

Approx. 1 cup of oats (you can feel this out for your desired consistency)

2 handfuls of raisins

1 handful of flax seeds

1 handful of chia seeds

1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Mash bananas in medium bowl.

2. Add protein powder and stir well.

3. Add oatmeal and stir.

4. Add the raisins, chia seeds, and flax seeds and stir together.

5. Add cinnamon to taste

6. Put on cookie sheet by spoonfuls (mine made 11 cookies)

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until the edges start turning brown. 

8. Let cool and enjoy! 

I store these in the fridge but you could make bigger batches and freeze them as well. They may be a little sticky when you take them out of the fridge or freezer.

The Magic and Empowering Women

I admit, I used to be one of those gym junkies who was always on a treadmill, rower, or spin bike or in the weight room with my head phones on and a Post-It Note on my forehead that read:  "PISS OFF! Talk to me or disturb my workout and you will see 50 Shades of Bitch come out!"  Obviously, that last part is not true, but I wore that look.  I didn't want to be bothered, especially by muscled guys who thought I needed a spot on the bench press. Their lurking was always insulting and I definitely showed them with my glare after I had no problem with whatever weight I was benching.  Yeah, I was THAT person.  Then something happened...

There was a girl that started working out at the Y the same time I did and she was a badass.  She had these beautiful muscles and moved through the gym with such ease and this may sound weird, but I desperately wanted to talk to her.  I wanted to find out why she lifted so much and if she was training for anything and just to tell her that I envied her arms, her thighs, her butt.  I realized that these were some of the things that people would stop me to ask and I always found so annoying.  Hmm, reality check.  I stopped wearing headphones and would start smiling at people more.  I started noticing the personal trainers. I was in the middle of getting certified to become a personal trainer and I wanted to see how they interacted with people.  I was absolutely appalled that they never said "hi" to any other gym members, they never returned my smiles, and a lot of times they would train their clients next to each other so they could have social hour with their co-workers.  I vowed to not be that way. I dreamed of smiling and saying "hi" to everyone and in between sessions, learn some of the regulars' names when I became a personal trainer.  Well, this never happened because we moved and I joined CrossFit.  Ahh, CrossFit.

The first few times I went, I was hooked.  Not because of the amazing workouts, although that is always there, but because of the relationships.  Our coach for On Ramp was fun and my husband and I were allowed to just be ourselves and joke around.  It was socially a good time. I've been going to The Pack CrossFit now for 7 months (wow, that went fast!) and I'm noticing something. Women talk about each other.  I always hated that gossipy thing that girls did growing up and tended to hang out with the guys and as I got older, became more of a loner because I wasn't like that.  I hate the "Did you see what she was wearing?" or "Oh my gosh, did you see her haircut/how much weight she's gained/*fill in any snarky comment here*?" I felt that way at the gym I used to workout out. When I got weird looks from other women I wondered if my shorts were too short or tight or if my shirt was too tight and I had a bulgy stomach after a food binge. Is that not the most annoying thing?!  Now I know I shouldn't care what other people think and I preach that philosophy whenever possible, but the truth is I'm human.  My fatal flaw may just be that I'm self conscious.  Maybe I was teased and bullied too much as a kid (middle school was particularly bad) and that has had a lasting impression on me.  Who knows!  But I digress...women, in general, tend to talk about other women.  However, there is a magic that happens at The Pack (and I really hope at other CrossFit boxes around the world).  I now hear and say things like "Did you see her abs when her shirt came up while doing handstand push ups?! They are amazing!" "Were you there the day she got her first muscle up? Man, she fought so hard for it!" "She has the cutest Lululemon pants that make her ass look ah-mazing!"  Do you see how that is magical?  In a world full of criticism that has made me shy away from social situations, here are these amazing women EMPOWERING each other.  It's not about your size or your looks.  It is about how far you have come and the things you do well.  That is incredible!  THAT is addictive.  For the first time, I have no problem going up to people at the box I don't know and saying "hi" or cheering for them in a WOD.  I have no problem telling someone that they are so strong or that their muscles are things to be envied.  Everyone is so accepting of your strengths and your flaws.  I'm fully aware that I'm terrible at Olympic lifts right now, but I'm also aware that I'm pretty awesome at handstand walks, running, and box jumps.  It's not about age because I can name a few women at our box that are older than me that can beat me in a WOD 9 times out of 10.  I always hear about how people who don't CrossFit get annoyed by those that do because they talk about it all the time or are always posting pictures.  It's because they haven't had a taste of the magic. When you are around the most encouraging, fun people you have ever met that become like your family and love you where you're at, how can you not talk about it?  Magic...

Kid Food

Let's face it--it is super hard to get kids to eat healthy, clean foods in a world full of Goldfish, PopTarts, cereal, and chicken nuggets! Can I get an "amen"?! I have to say that I was incredibly proud of how well our daughter ate the first year and a half of her life. Being married to a baby doctor, I got kind of the ins and outs of ways to get your kids to eat right. Things like: First food should be a green veggie with a unique taste. Have your kids eat what you are eating. And so on.

Here are some pics of EG in those early, veggie lovin' days:

Yeah, she's freakin' cute. I spent (okay, my husband spent) hours making delicious baby food. She loved it all! As she got older, she still ate it all! Salmon, asparagus, hard-boiled egg whites, peppers, plain oatmeal with chia seeds. It was amazing! Then this crazy thing happened: family. Grandparents, aunts, uncles...I get it. Food makes you cool. My sisters started sneaking E cookies. One of our nephews was having macaroni & cheese and everyone was dumbfounded when we said that E had never had any, so of course, she got some. At first, things were okay. She still ate great with us, but then she would start asking for juice and cookies--things that we never let her have. After my irritation subsided of her now not wanting to eat vegetables or meat anymore, I realized that this is life. Obviously I cannot shelter her from the cupcakes of the world but I can teach her about healthy foods and every-once-in-a-while foods.

Another problem we face with E and food is that she is not able to eat what we eat for dinner anymore simply because she goes to bed at 6pm (yes, go ahead and hate me. Why do you think we have not had another child yet? We couldn't possibly be lucky in the sleep department more than once). She eats her dinner about 5 o'clock and that is too early for B and I, mainly because I'm scrambling to thaw chicken or whatever else I forgot to prepare in the course of the day. Because of all this, I go for convenient, healthy food. If you have young kids and need some fresh ideas for meals or snacks, here are some photos I've taken over the last few days. Yes, I'm aware that I'm not perfect with some of the foods she eats, but I try to do my best with what we have as I'm sure you do. :)

Yogurt, strawberries, cucumbers, red peppers, and canned chicken.

Apple Gate turkey hot dogs (no preservatives, nitrite and nitrate free), pickles, celery, and apples

Banana, minimally processed jerky, and cashews

Scrambled eggs with green onions and chicken-apple sausage, and strawberries

Simple Truth minimally process turkey lunch meat, whole grain crackers, kalamata olives, and cucumbers

Frozen peas, strawberries, string cheese, Apple Gate turkey hot dog

Sunflower seeds, orange bell pepper, kiwi, and Greek yogurt

Brown rice cake with all natural/no sugar added peanut butter, pears, string cheese, and celery

Homemade grain-free graham crackers, cashews, and a banana

Things I Always Try To Have On Hand

Fruit: raisins, dried cranberries, frozen blueberries, applesauce pouches with no added sugar, and whatever fresh fruit that's on sale at the store. E loves fruit so this is not a problem area for us.

Veggies: frozen peas, cucumbers, carrots, celery, pickles, and whatever else that is on sale at the store. Bell peppers can sometimes be a hit. A lot of times E will only eat her veggies if there is something else that she wants more of. I am not above bribery. If you have any ideas of how to get kids to eat their veggies--please share! Or write a book, because you could make millions, I mm sure!

Healthy Fats: peanuts, cashews, pecans, sunflower seeds, olives, organic whole milk, non-gmo yogurt like StoneyField, all natural/no sugar added peanut butter, and chia seeds

Grains: plain oatmeal, whole grain crackers (always check labels on these, they may not be as healthy as you think), popcorn kernels for our air popper, brown rice cakes

Protein: Greek yogurt, "Popsicles" aka frozen Greek yogurt in the tubes, eggs, jerky, canned chicken. Sadly, E only likes processed meats like lunch meat, hot dogs, bacon, etc. so I go to the health foods section at the store and read labels. Apple Gate brand is really good as far as the processing and preservatives go.

Drinks: When E is home with us, she only gets organic whole milk with meals and water with snacks. I think she gets juice at preschool with her snack, but rarely gets it at home. Every once in a whole we'll spike her water with a little apple juice or a squeeze of lemon so she thinks she's getting juice. She doesn't know the difference and doesn't get all the sugar.

If you have any ideas for mommy-convenient and healthy foods, PLEASE SHARE! Know that in no way am I trying to come across as "look at how good my

Kid eats" because it is not like this all the time. I'm simply compiling a list that I wish I had when E started eating regular food. :)

Oh yeah, and we go through a crazy amount of Larabars (fruit & nut bars).

Vacation!

Who doesn't love a good vacation, right? My hubby and I celebrated our third year wedding anniversary on the 19th so we decided to get away (childless) for the week. We went to Sandpoint, Idaho to have a little ski vacation at Schweitzer Ski  Resort. This is where B and I got engaged, so the area is very special to us.

We also reenacted our first date to Kootenai Falls in Libby, Montana. Isn't it beautiful? There was a lot less ice and snow than the last time we went. :)

Of course, I had to stop and do a pull up on the bridge. Not as easy as it looks since I was wearing snow boots and there was a few inches of a drop off of that concrete.

The real reason I'm writing about this vacation is because it is really hard to eat well and train while on vacation. Here are a few tips I have come up with to make vacations not completely derail any hard work you've been doing.

1. Pack snacks. I had several Larabars and jerky in my purse for the days that we were traveling as well as any breakfasts or snacks that came up. This helped me to not get too hungry and choose less healthy options for convenience.

2. Pack an empty water bottle. Because of the new rules for flying with liquids, you are often forced to buy spendy drinks or water once you get through the security gates. If you pack your own water bottle, you can fill it up at the drinking fountain for free and not be tempted with sugary drinks. However, disregard if you are afraid of tap water. I am not.

3. Research restaurants. Because of my food intolerances, I was really nervous about going to my old favorite restaurants when I couldn't eat the foods I used to get and love. Looking up menus ahead of time made me feel better about the options (or find somewhere else to eat) and helped me not to *gulp* cave in and get the foods that I knew I'd be paying for later. I was delightfully surprised by all the gluten-free options that were available. 

4. Research places to workout. A lot hotels have a work out room in them, which is always nice to utilize if you're pinched for time. Most gyms allow people to pay a drop in fee to work out for the day. I found a CrossFit box that let us workout a couple of times in exchange for buying their t-shirts, which I was wanting to get anyway. We also did a short hike to the Kootenai Falls, walked from our hotel in Sandpoint to downtown to explore the shops and not worry about finding parking. And, of course, we skied! A lot of times I look up running trails in the area we're visiting because I think it is a great way to explore. We didn't do that this time, but that is always a really fun thing to do. 

And lastly, HAVE FUN!!!

CrossFit: 5 Reasons I'm A Better Human Being

***I promise that all of my posts will not be about CrossFit...most of the time.***

If you are a friend of mine on my personal Facebook page, you definitely know that I started to do CrossFit five months ago.  It kind of consumes my thoughts all of the time, as with most people who start and love CrossFit. I thought about writing this lengthy post about all the things I love about it and how I came about joining a Box, but I'm tired of always being so lengthy and I'm sure you are too!  I'm going to highlight five reasons why CrossFit has made me a better human being:

1. It makes me a cooler mom. E loves it when I practice CrossFittish stuff in our living room like handstands, handstand walks, snatches and cleans with the PVC pipe, goblet squats, handstand push ups, etc. She jumps right in too and tries to do it with me!

2. It has made me more patriotic. Murph was a crazy-hard WOD that led to three tears in my hands during the pull up portion and bruises on my knees from clenching a plate, but when I went home and researched this Murph-guy, the experience was very humbling.

3. It has made me more social. I'm not a super social person, especially since having E, but my morning WOD forces me to talk to people and actually enjoy the company. Being a stay at home mom, that is sometimes my only adult interaction for the day (that includes the nights my husband is home! ;) ).

4. I can see my abs again. I don't know if this actually makes me a better person, but it feels pretty cool! I haven't had abs since I was 14 and I was doing 1000 crunches every day because I read that's what Brittany Spears did. True story! My abs may not be pretty with stretch marks, scars from a c-section, appendectomy, and belly button piercing, and what can only be described as a hernia, but hey, I got 'em!

5. It saves my sanity. E goes to preschool during the time I get to enjoy CrossFit and the hour or two that I have is about me. I'm not just a mom when I'm there but I'm an athlete that sets goals and achieves them. I'm clearing my mind from the stresses of motherhood and really, just life.

Yep, CrossFit kind of rocks my world.

Why I've Been Gone...

I don't know about you, but I follow a lot of blogs about fitness and nutrition.  My Facebook News Feed is full of people I don't know who post motivational sayings and water reminders and what not, which I originally enjoyed.  I love when a blogger that I follow posts a new recipe that is easy to make and something that I can actually eat.  It's kind of the reason why I wanted to start my blog in the first place.  I wanted it to be a motivational tool for myself first and foremost, and THEN anyone who decides to grace my pages with their presence.

However, in the last few months I have been quite disgusted with a lot of these blogs on social media or really any form of media.  In my mind, being healthy and fit doesn't fit one mold.  How boring would that be if we all looked the same or wore the same size of clothes?  I often see pictures of women and think, "I wish I looked more like that."  Or I see the other ladies at my box and long for their muscular legs and squat-lovin' butts.  I hate that I do that because I'm a firm believer in loving where you're at and making the most of the process, but it is human nature to compare.  I feel like this comparing to other women has amplified in the last couple of years and is going to have a very negative effect on our young girls and since I have a young daughter with an impressionable mind, I'm very bothered by this.  Here are a few examples of what I mean:

Thigh Gap

This is a sad trend that is popular among adolescent girls.  The thigh gap is not a natural occurrence to most women so it is sad that people see the need make their thigh muscles disappear so much that your legs no longer touch.  If it was a contest of survival of the fittest, who do you think would win:  the girl with legs that are merely bones covered in skin or one that has some muscle to run from predators or catch prey?  If you just Google "thigh gap images" it is a very sad picture of what some people think it means to be sexy.

Here is a video from GMA about Thigh Gap

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3D0jMIOK_c


What's Your Excuse?



Maria Kang is one of the mommy motivational FB pages I follow.  I saw this picture right after I had Elie when I was feeling like I would never have a body that I was comfortable with again.  To me, this was motivational.  Not once did I think that she was bragging or putting down other moms for not looking like this after having kids.  I get the phrase "What's your excuse?" because if you put the time in, you can look like this version of yourself, whatever that may be.  That's my biggest pet peeve when people say they can't lose weight--all the excuses that follow.  It has nothing to do with how many kids you have or how many hours you work a day.  It's about what you are eating and how you are getting active.  Did I look like this 8 months after having Elie?  Probably not, but it gave me hope and the drive to push myself to limits I didn't know I had.  I can tell you without batting an eyelash that I am in better shape AFTER having Elie than I ever was before--and that includes my college volleyball days!  I saw this picture and thought, "It can be done and I can do it if I put my mind to it." 

Then came the uproar from other mommy bloggers.  Maria Kang was actually temporarily banned from FB because somebody flagged her account as inappropriate.  She got all sorts of hate letters about how she must be a terrible mom because clearly all she cared about was looking like a swimsuit model.  I personally do not know what kind of mom Maria Kang is but I think it is ludicrous that people can judge that behind the keys of a computer or smart phone.  THAT is what irritates me.  I struggled with this when I still lived in Nashville and I asked Brian if we could get a membership to the Y.  I felt bad that Elie was going into daycare for two hours a day just so I could work out, but I got over it very quickly.  I want to be the best mommy possible and in order for me to do that, I need to make my health a priority because I want to be around for as long as I possibly can.  I want to instill in my daughter the benefits of eating healthy and exercising.  It is also good for my mentality to take a much needed break from motherhood a day.  Does that make me a bad mom?  No!  I think it makes me a better one because I was given the chance to recharge my batteries and given the energy to play and have fun her when I would have felt exhausted and run down otherwise.  Am I saying that you're a bad mom because you're not taking the time away from your kids?  Absolutely not!  Surely you're more of a saint than me because I would go crazy.  BUT maybe putting your health in the top with your priorities will help you out.

Bottom line with this one:  I think people missed the point and ended up doing what they said she was doing to begin with--tearing other women down.  How does that make sense?

The Bikini War

Ugh...Just read the headline and then come back.

http://www.tmz.com/2013/12/31/katie-holmes-jennifer-aniston-bikini/?adid=hero7

Seriously?!  In what world is it okay to say who looks better in a swimsuit?  Disgusting!  If you really want to get my point of how thoughtless people are, read the comments.

Let's end on a good note!

Jennifer Lawrence

This is actually something that I'm glad made it into the media.  I LOVE Jennifer Lawrence.  I love her even more now that she has really come out and talked about empowering other women and how the media can be destructive when it comes to how women view themselves.  This video is really awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SA1HampO98#t=96

"Screw them!"

It's New Year's which means a lot of you are making resolutions, and statistics show they are most likely going to be about getting healthier.  I agree that we should all strive to be healthier, but for the right reasons.  I have a better idea for a New Year's resolution.  Let's try to be more empowering to other women.  Let's recognize each other's accomplishments and listen to each other's struggles.  Build people up, not tear them down.  Deal?

An Experiment With Food Intolerance

I know, I know!  I've been gone for a while, but I will try to be better in the new year.  After all, I have so much to share with y'all about my adventures in CrossFit, running, and nutrition.  But first, I feel that this post is something I need to share now while it is so fresh in my memory.

Before I made the big move across the states from Nashville, Tennessee back to my home state of Idaho, I was dabbling in the nutrition part of my life.  My husband and I came to the conclusion that I have a gluten intolerance and with that comes a dairy intolerance.  I was trying to eat clean, whole foods and not processed or packaged crap and I couldn't believe the change in not only my physical appearance, but my health and mental state as well.  I was doing so good--and then I moved home.  All of a sudden I'm around family and friends again that want to hit up our favorite restaurants and catch up or just for the pure enjoyment that I wasn't a day's worth of flying in an airplane away.  Willpower has always been my weakness.  I am not a mentally strong person.  When I'm sad, I want to eat my comfort foods.  When I'm sick, I want grilled cheese sandwiches and Hagen Daaz Chocolate Peanut Butter ice cream.  When I'm celebrating, I want some Dairy Queen ice cream cake.  A few months of this after the move and I said that enough was enough.  I went back to eating like I was in Nashville when I realized that food was either going to heal me or hurt me.  Within a few days, I had my abs back because the inflammation and bloating was gone.  I had more energy.  I was working out more.  My skin was clearing up.  I turned 30 and even made my own gluten/dairy free birthday cake and turned down all the foods I couldn't eat that were at my own party.  I was proud of myself.  I even did great at Thanksgiving and ate only turkey and the gluten/dairy free chocolate chip cookies that I had brought.  Then the Christmas season started...For pretty much the whole month of December, I have been letting myself have whatever I want to eat and that includes all the foods that I was so mad about missing out on before.  I'm an "all or nothing" kind of gal, so this led to a pretty steep downward spiral.

So I titled this post "An Experiment" because I knew that with my lack of willpower, this would be a good time to make note of the changes I have when I eat this way.  I'm hoping that when the new year starts in a few days and I go back to the gluten/dairy free approach (who doesn't need "to eat better" as a New Year's Resolution, right?  Original, I know...) and I have the bitterness towards people who eat "good" food in front of me, that I will remember the awful way I feel when I eat those foods.  Here is what I have been going through the last few weeks and see if you can relate to any of these symptoms.  I'm betting you can.

1.  Bloat.  Now I'm not talking about a little that-time-of-the-month puffiness.  I'm talking about the no matter how much you work out, you would be on the cover of a magazine with "Baby Bump" by your name if you were famous.  That may seem extreme and unlikely, but I promise you that those are the days that you will not catch me in a tighter shirt.  Before I knew what my food intolerances were, I even had middle school students of mine ask me if I was pregnant.  Leave it to middle schoolers to speak their mind, right?  Now here's the crazy thing about this food intolerance bloat:  if I go three days avoiding gluten and dairy, I have abs again.  You can actually see them.  I should take pictures with the dates on it because it is unreal.  My husband even said that it was crazy how quickly a change in my diet affects my midsection.  If that's not crazy enough, I have been known to drop 5-10 pounds in those three days just because of flushing out the foods my body cannot tolerate.  No diet tricks or cleanses, just eating meat, nuts, veggies, and fruit and drinking water.

2.  Acne.  I've never had great skin and I have just accepted that as a way of life for me and makeup has been my best friend but there is something different about the zits I get when I eat my body's trigger foods than the zits I had as a teenager.  Now, I'm a little sick and I KNOW I'm not the only one like this, but I LOVE to pop zits!  Nothing is more infuriating that having zits that are painful, huge, and unpoppable.  Unfortunately, that's what all the zits that I get from my food intolerances are.  They mainly cover my jawline, neck, shoulders, and back.  It's really sad that they are so bad that they hinder me from going about my normal life.  I won't wear tank tops to CrossFit when I have them or I'm super self-conscious about it.  In fact today I didn't go to the group WOD when I really wanted/needed to because my skin is so bad.  My skin is a very visible sign that I have not been eating the way I should.  There's no hiding from that.  I can't down a container of Oreos in secret because in a few days time, you can see it all over my face.

3.  Headaches.  I have been a headache/migraine sufferer for as long as I can remember.  In the last year when I have been cutting out gluten and dairy, I can count the number of headaches on one hand, I believe.  However, the last few weeks have been plagued with headaches.  Why take medicine to make a headache go away when all I really need to do is read more food labels and be more aware of what is going into my mouth?

4.  Dehydration.  I find that when I eat foods that I'm not supposed to, I'm more inclined to drink things I'm not supposed to as well.  I just got back from a movie and I had buttered popcorn and a Pepsi.  I'm not a pop drinker at all, but when I'm eating badly I think, "Why not have the drink as well?"  I can only think of a few times in the last few weeks that I actually had my normal intake of water.  It has been mostly energy drinks or nothing at all.  I'm sure this has a lot to do with my headaches as well.

5.  No Energy. Shocker that being bloated, having a headache, and being dehydrated does not make me want to run to work out, right?  Especially with CrossFit where it is essential to be well-hydrated or your performance will suffer...and you might get dizzy and throw up.  But I haven't really felt like doing anything.  Everything feels like a chore and I just want to take a nap.  I actually took a two hour nap today.  It's a very frustrating feeling to be restless from not having worked out in a week, but yet not having the energy to get up and go.  Boo!

6.  Stomach Discomforts.  I'll save you all the mental image of the tummy troubles that couple with having food allergies but I'm pretty sure you have a pretty good idea that it is not fun.  Having the constant "yuck" feeling during most waking hours is clearly not going to be enjoyable.  What is really sad is that I know that I am going to feel that way, but it didn't stop me from having a quesadilla 30 minutes ago for dinner.

7.  Compromised Immune System.  I recently read somewhere that your small intestine is the gateway to your immune system.  If you are having issues there, as in food allergies/intolerances that are not being taken care of, you can become sick more often.  Those of you that personally know me know that I'm ALWAYS sick.  Er, I was always sick.  I haven't been sick that much in the last year when you compare to my previous track record of colds and what not, but I have not felt "good" in the last couple of weeks--sore throats, chest and head congestion.  Could this be coincidence?  Of course!  It is that time of year that people are getting sick.  However, if I can cut down on my number of sick days just because of what I'm eating, why not do it?

8.  Depression.  Now I don't know if this is directly related to having a food intolerance even though it is listed as a possible symptom when you look up information from any source, BUT after the seven symptoms I listed above, how can someone not feel depressed?

If you have been experiencing any of the above symptoms, try messing around with your diet.  It may surprise you in the difference of how you feel.  And now I think I'm done with this "experiment". Tomorrow, after I finish the chocolate ice cream in my freezer tonight. :)