Deadlifts and Diamonds

I'm on a superfood kick right now and I'm eating and researching all sorts of yummy super foods to fuel my workouts and long bike rides. Hey, there's other things one can do with their time, but I prefer to geek out on nutrition.  My latest mixture is a thick superfood smoothie. Yes, it was supposed to be a gel, but it became a smoothie instead. I drank this mixture half way through my 40 mile ride along with plenty of water and 1 honey stinger gu. I survived with plenty of energy left to burn. Check out the ingredients listed below to make your own superfood smoothie mix. I gathered them all  for a group photo. Say "superfood!" Maca Powder - also known as Peruvian Ginseng, maca is a powerful adaptogen and assists the body balance hormones and increase stamina, immunity, and energy. The powder comes from the maca root grown high in the Andes and is well known for its ability to increase libido in men and fertility in women. It mixes well with c...

I practically live on sport energy gels. These yummy, gooey, pack and go gels are what get me through my weekly 40 mile bike rides. I love the feeling of cruisin' on my bike in the early morning to take in the scenery and rev up my endorphins and I especially love cranking out a few sprints to get my heart rate soaring and feel the wind on my face. Why have a road bike if you're not going fast right? Cranking out sprints and 3 hour rides takes endurance and most importantly, energy. To prepare and recover from every ride, I pack several gels. I'm a sucker for their flavor (can you say salted caramel flavor!!), packaging, and convenience. Yes, I'm a sucker because I spend $1.50 to $3.00 per gel pack and I'm burning through at least 3 packs per ride. The ingredients in most of these gels are a sugar source and electrolytes--exactly what the body needs for an endurance sport, but if you look into the source of their sugar, you'll see that this isn't the hea...

Its blazing hot in Texas right now, and we're just getting started. Soon, we'll be into 100 degree heat, dripping sweat in areas we didn't know could sweat. To cool off from the 3rd planet heat, I absolutely love chowin' down on some frozen yogurt with all the fixings. Its so yummy and a ton of fun to make your own froyo bowl. I always get a rich creamy flavor and top it off with granola and loads of fruit. Some of my local favorites are: Red Mango, Menchi's, Tutti Frutti, & Orange Leaf. The Red Velvet Cake is my fav flavor. After a few rounds of by the pound froyo, these little bowls add up, so I opted to make my own homemade, sugar free frozen yogurt. Checkout the blueberry recipe below. After mixing up a batch, I ate the 1st serving right out of the bowl without freezing and the mix turned out a bit sweet. After freezing, overnight (and thawing for an hour before eating) the yogurt was much more tart. So keep in mind, if you're going to make this...

Before I head out the door for work everyday, I prep my meals for the day. It must look like I'm packing for a camping trip each time I leave the house, haha. I always have my purse, gym bag, and a bag of food :). Here's a sample of what I pack on a typical day, yes, everyday.  I also bring oatmeal packets and cook them with water in the microwave at work. Museli and organic granola is a great snack too. Bananas and protein shakes are always stashed closeby ;) For dinner, I usually have chicken, sweet potatoes and veggies mixed with hummus or yogurt and eggs. Yogurt is freaking delicious mixed with chicken, its creamy, yummy, and it loaded with protein. Winning. 

If you haven't tried spaghetti squash, I'm here to tell you it is delicious and so easy to make.  This meal has enough flavor to satisfy even the most skeptical diner. Yes, even my boyfriend loved it...he said it tastes just like pasta!  First, chop your spaghetti squash in half--careful its very tough!  Place face down onto a baking sheet with a bit of oil or butter. Cover with foil and bake at 365 for 45 minutes. If you oven cooks hotter, than check as you go. I wanted to leave it in as long as possible to let the squash caramelize a bit, but if left too long, the sugars can easily burn. Once cooked, the insides should easily scrape out with a fork.  Cook and chop your chicken breast and add the chicken and squash into a pot and add your tomato sauce of choice. I used a cup of tomato vodka sauce :) Once everything is warm, serve it up over salad mix. I add salad to most dishes to be sure to get my veggies in :) This would be extra great with a...