Recipe: Oatmeal banana pancakes

This recipe is pretty simple, the ingredients are for the batter, and you then you proved to make pancakes as you normally would.

1/2 cup dry oats
2 eggs (I ran out of egg whites, use egg whites if you'd like)
1 medium sized banana
*for more protein feel free to add a scoop of protein powder

Blend all ingredients in a blender and you're done!

Topping:
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup* fruit of choice
Blend in food processor/blender and thats it
*you might have to play around with the fruit serving...my Greek yogurt to fruit ratio was off which resulted in really thick paste like consistency...

Enjoy!

Recipe: Vanilla Carrot Pancakes

I decided to try something a little different today with my pancakes...

Ingredients:

• 2 large carrots
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 cup egg whites
• 1 scoop vanilla protein
• 1 cup of walnuts (optional)
• Organic Maple Syrup (optional)

Directions:

• Dice carrots
• Combine all ingredients in blender and mix!

Thats pretty much it!  The above directions are for the batter, and you would make the pancakes on a skillet as you normally would. Heat skillet, pour cooking oil (i use grape seed oil), pour batter on skillet, wait to cook, flip, and you're done!

The above ingredients makes for about 3 pancakes.  I topped mine off with walnuts and organic maple syrup but you can use the toppings of your choice.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Beef Soft Tacos

Ingredients

• 1 lb Lean ground beef (you can also use ground turkey or chicken)
• 1 package Taco seasoning mix (or any preferred seasonings)
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 1 cup Water
• 4 Whole wheat soft tortilla shells
• ½ cup Fat-free Sour cream (optional)
• ½ cup Salsa
• ¼ cup Low-fat shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
• Any desired vegetables)
• Shredded lettuce

To Prepare

1. Brown the ground beef and onion in a skillet over medium heat.
2. Stir in the taco seasoning mix and water and let simmer for 4-5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
4. Once cooled, spoon beef into soft tortilla shells and top with sour cream, salsa, cheese, shredded lettuce and diced veggies.
5. Wrap and serve. (makes 4 servings)

Recipe: Lemon Grilled Chicken, Baked Sweet Potato Wedges, and White Rice

This recipe is pretty easy. Prep time is fairly quick, except for the chicken.

Ingredients needed:
Chicken breast
Rice
Sweet potato
Lemon juice (store bought or fresh squeezed)
Spices of your choice

Chicken:
Place chicken breast in a zip lock bag and pour in about 1 cup of lemon juice and let it marinate overnight.

Once done, remove the chicken from the bag.  And place it on a dish, here you can add the spices youd like.

After you've added all your likings, place the chicken breast on a george foreman (or similar) grill.  Pour the lemon juice from the zip lock bag onto the chicken and let the foreman do its thing!

Sweet Potato:
Cut the potato to your liking (this works for wedges or chips). I prefer them w the skin on, but you can peel them if you'd like.  Place the pieces on a baking sheet and place it in the oven (after its been preheated) at 345 for about 20 mins.  You can add cinnamon or sweetener if youd like.

Rice:
I use a rice cooker. 1 cup rice, 2 cups water. Set it and done.

There you have it!  I like this recipe because the cooking form allows you to do other things while it cooks!

Enjoy!

Recipe: Chocolate Protein Pancakes

I tried a new recipe today. I just eyeballed the ingredients but it tastes good! Although I need to work on presentation lol!

1 cup of raw oatmeal
1 cup of egg whites
1 scoop of your favorite chocolate protein powder

Mix all ingredients in the blender to make the batter then make pancakes as you normally would!

Note: if you leave the batter on the skillet too long the pancakes will come out dry.

My batter made about 3 large pancakes (i used a lot of batter per pancake).

Enjoy!

Tuesday and Wednesday - Week 1

Tuesday was supposed to be my leg day...but the guys hit me up and it ended being a guys' day.  My diet was alright...its kind of tough to eat clean when everyone wants to go eat at Shakey's Bunch O' Lunch Buffet. So I made myself lunch at home and went to accompany them.

So Wednesday ended up being leg day.
When it comes to leg day, I like to workout on my own...I go to the gym sometimes with my girlfriend, but she has a lot more endurance than I do so she friggin kills the leg workouts (its a love/hate relationship with her workouts).

So we did legs today and during our last set I'm pretty sure I threw up in my mouth.... gross I know...but thays how killer her workouts are...it happens to me every time I go workout with...but I survived.

My meals for the day were alright, oatmeal in the AM,  subway for lunch and spaghetti for pre-workout carbs...
I'm not sure where that left me as far as macros but I think it was alright.

I think I'm going to start posting screenshots of my caloric intake for the day...

Monday - Week 1

I decided I'm going to weigh in weekly.

This morning I weighed in at 146.6lbs +/- 2lbs.

I work from 10 until 630, so gym time after work.  Will report post workout

I went to the gym around 930pm. The 24hr near my house is always empty.

I worked out chest, triceps and abs.  I'm not sure what my exact repa were but I aimed for 3x12 for everything.

All I know is I have a long way to go to get back to where I was a year and a half ago.

It felt like I was 16 and just started working out...

I just gotta keep at it..

Getting Started

So I tried starting my workouts last week but it was an odd time to start.

New years eve was on monday.. (drinking)
New years day was the rose parade and had work in the afternoon.
Thursday I was recovering.
Friday I was hanging out with my girlfriend and spent all day shopping.
Saturday I worked, didn't prep my lunch so I ate fast food...

I just need to get organized...

This week I'm setting some short term goals that I should reach.

Goals:
- limit take out food to 1 day only

- Make it to the gym at least 3 times this week.

We'll see how this goes..

Exercise Plan

Here is my exercise plan:

Day 1:
Chest
- Incline BB press 4x10
- Bench BB Press 2x15 2x20
- Cable Flyes 4x12
- Push Ups 3x20

Triceps
- Close Grip Bench Bress 4x12
- Rope Extensions 4x15
- One Arm Single Over-Extensions 4x15

Day 2:
Quads
- Leg Extensions 2x15 2x20
- Squats 3x20
- Hack Squats 2x12 2x15

Abs
- Ab Stand Crunches 4x20
- V-Ups 4x20
- Ab Machine 4x25

Day 3:
Delts
- Rear DB Flyes 4x15
- DB ALT Front Rais 4x12
- Side Lateral Machine 2x15 2x20
- Arnold Presses 3x15

Traps
- BB Shrugs 4x12
- DB Shrugs 4x25

Day 4:
Back
- Close Grip Pull Downs 2x12 2x20
- BB Bent Over Rows 2x10 2x15
- Single DB Row 2x10 2x15
- Pull- Ups 3x12
- Lower Back Extensions 4x20

Biceps
- Easy Curl Bar 4x15
- Straight Bar Curl 3x10
- DB 1 Arm Preacher Curl 3x15

Abs
- Same as Day 2

Day 5:
Hamstrings
- Lying Curls 1x12 4x15
- Stiff Dead Lifts 1x12 4x15
- Seated Leg Curls 4x15

Calves
- Standing Raises 3x20 1x40
- Seated Raises 4x25

Cardio:
Cardio will be done post weight training and 3 times a week.

StairMaster - 45 mins

Diet

Based off of a 6 week custom program from @TheOnlineCoach (Instagram).
**This meal plan was created for me and me only.  TheOnlineCoach prepared and tweaked this plan so that it may suit my needs, my weight, my goals.  If you are interested in a plan designed for you, you may contact @TheOnlineCoach via Instagram.**

This will be my diet:

Meal 1:
Ground Turkey
- 5 oz
- 353 kcal
- 0g Carbs
- 12g fat
- 36.7g protein

Oatmeal
- 1 cup
- 290 kcal
- 50.7g carbs
- 4.8g fat
- 12.1g protein

Total Meal 1:  643 kcal, 50.7g carbs, 27.7g fat, 48.8g protein

Meal 2:
Chicken Breast
- 6 oz
- 211.2 kcal
- 0g carbs
- 8.3g fat
- 31.9g protein

White Rice
- 1 cup
- 205.4 kcal
- 44.5g carbs
- 0.4g fat
- 4.3g protein

Asparagus
- 1 cup
- 26.8 kcal
- 5.2g carbs
- 0.2g fat
- 2.9g protein

Total Meal 2:  443.4 kcal, 49.7g carbs, 8.9g fat, 39.1g protein

Meal 3:
Salmon
- 6 oz
- 295.1 kcal
- 0g carbs
- 17.4g fat
- 32.1g protein

Broccoli
- 1 cup
- 30.3 kcal
- 5.8g carbs
- 0.3g fat
- 2.5g protein

Total Meal 3:  325.3 kcal, 5.8g carbs, 17.7g fat, 34.6g protein

Meal 4:
Chicken Breast
- 6 oz
- 211.2 kcal
- 0g carbs
- 8.3g fat
- 31.9g protein

Asparagus
- 1 cup
- 26.8 kcal
- 5.2g carbs
- 0.2g fat
- 2.9g protein

White Beans
- 1 cup
- 298.7 kcal
- 55.5g carbs
- 0.8g fat
- 19g protein

Total Meal 4:  536.7 kcal, 60.7g carbs, 9.3g fat, 53.8g protein

Meal 5:
Salmon
- 4 oz
- 196.7 kcal
- 0 carbs
- 11.6g fat
- 21.4g protein

White Rice
- 1 cup
- 205.4 kcal
- 44.5g carbs
- 0.4g fat
- 4.3g protein

Broccoli
- 1 cup
- 30.3 kcal
- 5.8g carbs
- 0.3g fat
- 2.5g protein

Total Meal 5:  432.4 kcal, 50.3g carbs, 12.3g fat, 28.2g protein

Meal 6:
Whey Protein
-50g
- 200 kcal
- 2g carbs
- 2g fat
- 50g protein

Peanut Butter
- 2 tbsp
- 180 kcal
- 8g carbs
- 15g fat
- 7g protein

Total Meal 6:  380 kcal, 10g carbs, 17g fat, 57g protein

*In addition, I will:
- Drink a gallon of water a day
- Drink multivitamins
- Drink Fish oil

About

All my life I've been thin.  No matter how much I ate I was always thin.

I entered high school at about 115lbs, and graduated at 130.

In 2011, for a period of 3 months (before my trip to hawaii during the summer) I went from 130-158.

I ate anything and everything in sight and put on more fat than I would have preferred.

After that, there were some things that happened in my life that kept me from working out.  From the end of July to December I ate once a day and didn't go to the gym. I was depressed, in a way.

2012 came and went and I did nothing to change my habits...

To make a short story long, today is the start of the first week of 2013.

With a meal plan in place (see diet section) and a exercise plan (see exercise section) as well, 2013 will be the year of ME.

This blog is being created to motivate myself and others.  Also, it will help track my progress