The Fit Wishlist

Wishlist for a Fit-Girl

I've been a runner for years. YEARS. And that's not something that I want to give up any time soon... I still love the rush that I get from it, the clean air, the heart pounding, the knowing that I could (maybe) survive the Hunger Games/zombie attack/ T-Rex. Okay, maybe not, but still. Running has been too much a part of my life to just give up like that.

But, I am starting to find something else to love and live for. Weight lifting.

Yeah, if you knew me you'd probably laugh. Only a few months ago I couldn't do a single push up unless I did it on my knees... I have pretty much the worst upper body strength ever. It was something we frequently joked about in Cross Country (I also fail at crunchy-frogs. But that's another story).

But, since I've gotten an instagram (@grandsarahvan... not to be one of those annoying FOLLOW ME!! people or anything.) I've started to fall in love with the whole culture of bodybuilding. The power that comes from being able to move those weights around, to watch your body start to transform into a  SEXY MACHINE- that's what I want. I love the cheer, the ability to rejoice over healthy food, or embrace the 'fun' foods and know that they can fit into a healthy overall diet... that's what I want. I want muscles. Goodbye, twiggy me!

And, in typical Sarah fashion, I plunge into things head first, researching everything, learning as much as I can, and of course, searching for products to assist me in my goals. So, I'm compiling a list of all the amazing things that I need want (it will be whittled away VERY VERY slowly since I'm just a poor student and can't even find a summer job :(  ) Feel free to look up these products- they are all great and the companies behind them are as well. I am in no way affiliated, but maybe I could get a giveaway! Or if the companies sent me some to try, I'd love to do a review!

DA LIST

• Cellucor Whey Protein Powder. From what I hear, it's the bomb in terms of flavor profiles. I have plain vanilla and chocolate already, but they just don't excite me that much... but the Cellucor flavors! These can be baked into waffles, pancakes, mug cakes, or made into ice cream and proyo! Oh, baby! I specifically want to try Cor-Fetti (funfetti flavor), Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Peanut Butter Marshmallow (YESS), and S'mores.

• KRAVE all natural protein bars. Low in carbs, high in flavor and protein, these are soft baked and sure to NOT disappoint. I'm interested in the Cookie Dough, Birthday Cake, Banana Chocolate, and Peanut Butter Chocolate. (Sensing a theme?)

• PB Lean Custom Powdered Peanut Butter From myoatmeal.com, this is like PB2 except you can add whatever nuts/seeds/protein powder/fruit and flavor that you want! There are nearly ENDLESS possibilities, like chocolate brownie, banana bread, cookies and cream, and MORE! And since I could eat a jar of PB in one sitting, this would NOT go to waste.

• MyOatmeal Custom Oatmeal Blend Like the PB Lean, you design your own oatmeal with flavors, fruits, sweeteners, as well as other healthy goodies like chia seeds and quinoa flakes! Nomalicious!!
• Quest Bars I know, I know, it's almost inconceivable that I haven't yet hopped on this train. Quest bars pretty much have a cult following. If you don't believe me, just hop on instagram and see all the crazy things people do with these things. Like Krave, they are supposedly soft, full of protein, and low in carbs... as well as D-Licious. I think I could go for the Cookies and Cream, Chocolate Brownie, Cinnamon Roll, PB Chocolate, or PB Cravings.

• Wink Frozen Desserts At only 100 calories per PINT (that's about 1/6 the calories of the average ice cream, or 1/10 of a premium kind such as Ben and Jerry's), this could smash cravings without killing a clean diet.  They are Vegan, Fat free, Sugar Free, Chemical Free, Gluten Free, but most certainly not flavor free. Plus, they have creative flavors like Cinnamon Bun, Cake Batter, and Cocoa Dough (cookie dough in chocolate ice cream!!) WANT!!

• Arctic Zero So, I'm already officially on this band wagon. Addicted. It's 150 cal/pint, so a little steeper than Wink, as well as not vegan, BUT has more protein. And I've actually had it, so I can vouch. Holy YUMMERS. I'm putting it on here because they have some new flavors that I have to get my hands on- namely the SALTED CARAMEL
• Nut's 'N More Nut Butters As I mentioned, nut butter is basically my boyfriend. And this nut butter has TWICE the protein and slightly less fat than average nut butters- plus some great flavors to boot! Can you say Cinnamon Raisin Peanut, Toffee Chunk, or Chocolate Almond Coconut? Maybe it's better that I stay away...

• Monkey Butter More nut butter. What can I say? All-natural, and even a VEGETARIAN MAPLE BACON flavor. Also, White Chocolate Pretzel and Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana.

• You Fresh Naturals. Nut butter. Again. These are paleo, and most are vegan/gluten free to boot. Flavors to watch out for include Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, White Chocolate Cake Batter, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownie Batter (How can you stuff so much amazingness into one thing?)

• Bare Butter Peanut free and vegan! Supposedly also great, with the consistency of the flavors it is trying to match. Brownie Batter, Cinnamon Raisin, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough are what I want to get my face in!

• FlapJacked Protein Pancake Mix Does this need any more saying? An easy way to make pancakes that have protein... no crazy ingredients!

• Mix-Ns  An easy, sugar-free way to add some flavor in pancakes/shakes, and the like. Great reviews from users! Cinnamon Swirl, Lemon Cake, Blueberry Muffin,

Samoa Cookie Smoothie/Shake

So, my last post was focused on the lovely birthday cake that I made for my lovely, Samoa loving sister (link there). Bottom line? I seem to have been swallowed in a caramelly, chocolatey, coconutty phase. With the cake neatly polished off and not a single crumb in sight, I knew I was going to have to return to square one to satisfy my cravings (our neighborhood seems oddly devoid of door-to-door girl scouts. Where are they when you need them?)

And, since I am completely in love with smoothies that basically taste like milkshakes (oh, the magic of frozen bananas!) I thought, "It's time food a protein smoothies...samoa style."*

*I don't think I actually literally thought this. My mind went something more along the lines of "Ahhh, Hungry!! FEED ME!!" I get grumpy without my snacks.

It looks a lot more chocolatey than it actually is (I didn't want the chocolate flavor to overpower the caramel and coconut), but trust me on this: it's a keeper in my long smoothie line up. Psst... it's only 120 calories, too! You could probably only eat about 2 actual samosa for that amount, and feel a lot less satisfied!

SAMOA COOKIE SMOOTHIE

(this recipe could easily be double for a more hearty post-workout snack)

1/2 frozen banana

2 T. fat free cottage cheese

1/3 scoop vanilla whey

1/3 cup almond milk (add more for thinner)

5-6 ice cubes (add more for thicker)

1 tsp. cocoa powder

1 drop butter extract (optional)

2-3 drops coconut extract

1.5 T. Torani sugar free salted caramel syrup

Pinch Xantham gum

Blend everything but the gum until smooth. Add the gum to thicken it up and blend again until you reach desired consistency. You can always add more banana/ice/cottage cheese to make a larger volume/ thicker shake.

I topped it with coconut to make it look pretty :)

Are you hungry thirsty now?

High Protein/Low Carb Chocolate Raspberry Crepes

I know what you're thinking: a low carb crepe recipe? Please… it must taste like rubber! Well, I'll let you be the judge of that:

Doesn't look (or taste!) like rubber to me! There are only 5 grams of carbs for BOTH crepes (filling not included) along with a whopping 18 grams of protein (filling still not included)!! Plus, the crepes themselves are pretty versatile, so the chocolate raspberry filling that I whipped up for them is only one of countless possibilities for them. Maybe I'll have to try some Nutella or peanut butter and banana (we all know that I'm a girl after Elvis' own heart!)

Practically OOZING with velvety chocolatey goodness!

So, without further ado, a crepe recipe from me to you! (I'm such a dork, but oh, well. I embrace it)

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CREPES

For Crepes:

2/3 cup egg whites

2 T. ground flax seeds

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 packet stevia

dash vanilla extract

For Filling:

1/4 cup plain Greek Yogurt

1 T. dark chocolate cocoa powder

1-2 packets stevia

1/8 tsp. butter extract (optional)

Raspberries, for topping

1. Heat a nonstick skillet on medium heat (I always like to spray mine with some non-stick cooking spray just for extra assurance that I won't be left with a burned mess!)

2. Whisk together ingredients for crepes. When skillet is sufficiently heated, pour half the batter in and swirl it around the pan to coat evenly. Cook until you see bubbles start to form and you can turn it over easily. Flip and cook on other side. Repeat with other half of batter.

3. Combine your filling ingredients. You may want to take a taste and see if it is sweet enough or chocolatey enough for you before you spread it all over your breakfast! Top everything with raspberries and there you go!