eat clean

Protein Pancake Recipe

01.13.2013

I’m sure you have heard this a million times before, but breakfast is the most important meal of the day! I find myself eating a lot of the same meals, especially during a busy work week. My go-to is a non fat greek yogurt and berry mixture. Sometimes I will add some honey or a taste of natural nut butter. I work for Diamond Foods, so this Kettle Nut Butter is my fav, they also have cashew butter, salted or unsalted. Click here to go to the Diamond Foods Website.

On the weekends, I really enjoy making a yummy breakfast to go along with my nice big cup of coffee. I love making different scrambles and getting creative with all sorts ingredients. An egg white scramble with avocado and smoked salmon on the side has been popular in my house lately. Breakfast is an absolute must for me! If I skip breakfast, I will be dragging and energy less all day long. Be sure to fuel your body with a protein filled power breakfast to give you tons of energy throughout the day!

I have been experimenting with different protein pancake recipes a lot lately. Some miserably failed and some were quite successful. This was the definite winner in my book! A delicious and healthy way to start your day and power you with the fuel you need.

Protein Pancake Recipe

1 scoop Whey Protein (vanilla or chocolate)
2 egg whites
1/4 cup oats
1/2 large banana (you can also substitute with non-fat greek yogurt or pumpkin puree)
1TB Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1/8 teaspoon of Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon of Cinnamon

Directions: Mix all ingredients in a large bowl or blender. Allow the mix to sit for a few minutes. Heat up a skillet and spray with non stick cooking spray. Pour batter onto the skillet and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook for additional 2-3 minutes. Should make 2-3 pancakes.

Get creative! Top with cinnamon, berries, honey or a natural nut butter.

Enjoy, and don’t forget to eat your breakfast! =)

Not Seeing Results?

01.09.2013

Happy Hump day! Is this week over yet? I am SO looking forward to the weekend! I have gotten a ton of questions lately about what to do if you are not seeing results. If you are working out, eating “healthy” and not seeing results, you are doing something incorrectly. This takes a lot of committment, doesn’t happen over night and is a LIFESTYLE. No dieting or just popping in and out of the gym once or twice a week. Are you committed to take the plunge?

Here are some of my thoughts if you are not seeing the results you are looking for:

1. Push harder! Don’t just go through the motions but really push yourself to go hard. Try interval training on the treadmill, you will burn a ton of extra calories while increasing your endurance. Try supersets with weights, or do as many reps as you possibly can with your last set. Go till you can’t go anymore! Don’t leave the gym until you are spent and sweaty! If you are not sore, then try a different exercise, add more weights or do more reps to be sore the next day. Accomplishment to me is being sore the next day.

2. Change your routine! Try different workouts and find whats best for you. If you are doing the same routine your body will get used to that and not change. You need to constantly switch it up. Try only cardio one day, only weights the next, try a spin class, Pilates, yoga, TRX, there is so much out there! I personally LOVE trying new classes and feeling muscles that I havent felt before with my regular workouts. This also keeps it fresh and exciting! Also, create a schedule to look forward to. I plan my workouts, think about it first thing in the morning and look forward to it all day. (call me crazy I know ;))

3. Really watch what you eat. Document and see what a difference eating clean can really make. MyFitnessPal is an app on the iPhone which can track your calories and what you are putting into your body versus what you are sweating out. Documenting will help, I promise! Plan out each meal. Food prep and bring your pre-made meal to work. I ALWAYS bring my lunch that I make on Sundays, breakfast consists of oatmeal or greek yogurt and I also bring a snack to work. You will not see results if you do not eat clean! Trust me, I have gone through this: working out and eating whatever I wanted. But I stayed the same and saw NO changes. It was when I changed my eating habits that I started seeing change. Oh, and the alcohol is no bueno…sad I know, but I am personally loving and taking full advantage of not drinking!

Most of all, think positive and positive things will happen. You will not see results right away so be patient. There is a lot of dedication that needs to be given here, so commit the time and you will be happily surprised. You will get out what you put in.

I am hosting a giveaway today at messydirtyhair.com!! Visit Kelly’s amazing fashion and lifestyle blog to win a $20 Amex gift card compliments of yours truly. =)

—->www.messydirtyhair.com

xo,Jenna

Fit Gal: Cassie!

12.03.2012

Here she is…our fabulous Fit Gal Cassie! Just another amazing woman who has proven that living a healthy lifestyle can change you for the better. Here is her inspiring story:

1. Tell us about yourself and your fitness lifestyle and journey.

I am full-time cosmetology student. I decided to make the transition into a “healthy lifestyle” right before I started school.

2. What are your goals and how are you working towards them?

My original goal was to loose an X amount of weight but over the summer I decided that I wanted to be in the area of 127-137. Since January of 2012 I’ve lost 40-45lbs. Its been a long journey of watching what I eat and hitting the gym hard. I’m still need about 11lbs. Then Id really like to focus on toning, building muscle and feel comfortable with my body.

3. Do you “eat clean”?

I have a routine..I HAVE to eat breakfast. That is an ABSOLUTE must for me. I can not even explain how whacked out my day gets if I don’t eat breakfast within an hour of waking up. During the week I’m up at 6am so I eat breakfast pretty early followed by a snack around 10am and lunch at 12:30-1:30 then I have a snack around 4:30pm followed by dinner around 7pm. Oatmeal/brown sugar, yogurt/fruit or egg whites is my breakfast choice. Lunch often varies but usually some kind of meat with veggies. Dinner sometimes consists of tuna with a hard boiled egg or just tuna. Dinner sometimes isn’t very healthy but I try and keep it as clean as possible.

4. In what ways do you stay active?

I hit the gym 4-5 days a week. Monday I do a 30min ab class followed by 45 min of advanced step followed by a weight lifting class. Tues and Thursday I have boot camp from 6-7pm and yoga from 7-8pm. Wednesday/Sunday are cardio.

5. What inspires you to live this lifestyle?

I became inspired the day I started seeing results and fitting into clothes I thought I never could. I truly feel great at the end of the day.

Thank you for sharing with us Cas!! You are amazing, and your workout routine is so impressive…makes me want to get my butt to the gym! 🙂

Progress with MyFitnessPal

11.30.2012

Hello my fit friends! I apologize for my lack of posts, as I have been quite busy this week. I also don’t want to post just because…I would rather have something important and beneficial to say. 🙂 This week I decided to be extra strict in regards to my eating habits and exercise, with it being post Thanksgiving and all. I want to test my body and see what it is truly capable of. I have been successful thus far, eating super clean, no cheat meals, and hitting the gym 4/4 times this week. I have to say, I am quite proud! With a little ambition, you can achieve anything you set your mind to! I wanted to share a bit below about what is going on for me in my fitness world.

{progress pic above}

I started using MyFitnessPal, which is an app you can download on your phone. It is super cool, and I have been very diligent about using. If you havent heard of it, with this app you enter your food and workout logs each day, as it counts calories and calculates how much more you should be consuming to stay at a certain weight, or whatever your goals may be. You can either search for the food, or scan it, which is awesome! It is SO important to track your progress when you have a certain goal in mind. If you are trying to lose weight, this is KEY! If you are like me and trying to gain muscle and track protein intake this is also a great tool. Needless to say, I am loving it so far and has helped me immensely to stay on track. You can also find me and follow my records, username: FitnessandtheCity.

While eating extremely clean, I found myself to be eating the same thing over and over again. I usually start with Nonfat greek yogurt in the morning, and at least one of my meals consist of chicken and brown rice or veggies. I need to spice it up a bit, and will be searching for new recipes. Stay tuned! What are your go-to meals?

{Here was a delicious meal that I came up with. Organic brown rice from Trader Joes, asparagus and shrimp. I’m no cook in the kitchen but this was tasty! }

Stay tuned, I have a new Fitness and the City Fit Gal coming up! Her name is Cassie and she is truly inspiring! She is a cosmetology student who has made the commitment to a healthy lifestyle. I can’t wait to introduce her!

{If you would like to be featured on my blog as a Fit Gal, please email me at Jenna.pardini@gmail.com }

Happy weekend everyone! With the gloomy weather (at least here in San Francisco), I know how much comfort food and being lazy can take over you mind and body! Try to stay on track with your goals. Positive energy = positive results! 🙂

Tips for a Healthier Thanksgiving

11.20.2012

Ok, so this seems to be the topic of the season, right? Thanksgiving only comes around once a year, and it seems to be on trend to splurge during the Holidays. But why do we feel the need to gain weight and eat more than needed? Why can’t we make it a healthier holiday while still giving thanks and enjoying the company of friends and family? Lets try to be guilt free as much as possible! Exercise more than usual, put your mind to it and enjoy the season free of guilt.

Here are some tips that have come to mind as we approach Thanksgiving:

1. Get active! There are tons of organized runs going on during this time of year. Get registered to run or walk a 5k even if you are not a runner. Burn off those extra calories, both before and after meals. Take a walk, increase your steps, lengthen your fitness routine the weeks ahead and also the day of the feast. Make fitness a family adventure which you can all enjoy together.

2. Eat breakfast the day of. While it may make sense to save calories for the big meal, eating a small meal in the morning gives you more control over your appetite later in the day.

3. Lighten up the feast, with less fat, sugar and calories. This is easier if you are the one in the kitchen, but fat-free chicken broth, sugar substitutes, and less butter are just a few ways to make the meal a little less indulging.

4. Portions, portions, portions! Use portion control people! “If you’re hoping to keep this Thanksgiving from turning into another gut-busting affair, that’s what your plate should look like: a serving of turkey no larger than a deck of playing cards and half a cup each of two starches. (A half-cup is about the size of a computer mouse.) And that’s being generous…But Americans generally are clueless when it comes to proper portions, and on Thursday most will belly up instead to platters piled high with more calories and fat than an average person should eat all day.” Did you know that Americans are eating about 200 more calories per day than they did during the 1970s? Visualize your stomach; it’s about the size of two fists. If the food on your plate wont fit, cut back. To read more about portion control, click here.

5. Slow your roll and eat early. Enjoy your meal by eating it slower, which also gives you more time to digest and realize how full you actually are. Also, eat your meal on the early side, so you have time to digest before bed, or maybe even take a walk afterwards to get that metabolism moving.

Thanksgiving is a time to focus on family and friends, socializing and spending quality time together. It’s not all about the food! Although, it sure is delicious don’t focus on the meal, rather focus on those wonderful people you are surrounded by. Oh and one last very important thing, be realistic. Shift from a focus of weight loss to weight maintenance. You will be ahead of the game with a heavy mindset and can ultimately avoid gaining weight over the holidays if you put your mind to it!

How are you planning to practice these tips this coming season?

Enjoy the season and stay fit,

Jenna

{Sources: MSNBC.com, WebMD.com}

eat clean

Latest from Instagram