The smell of fall in the middle of spring? That’s what you can expect when you toast up this incredibly healthy homemade granola! Clusters of toasted oats, delicious pecans and juicy dried cranberries come together with pumpkin pie spice to form a scrumptious breakfast or post workout carbohydrate. The main benefit of homemade granola is you can control the sugar/sweetness and therefore the total carbohydrates. Store-bought varieties often pack upwards of 50g of carbs in only 1/4-1/2 cup, whereas my Cranberry Pecan Granola has only 25 g of carbs in 1/2 cup! Here’s how to put this tasty treat together:
Ingredients:
3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pecans (or walnuts work well too)
2/3 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
3-4 large egg whites (or approx 2/3 c liquid egg whites)
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup agave nectar
2 TBSP pumpkin pie spice (or make your own by mixing together cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves & nutmeg – just eyeball the ratios but cinnamon should be the largest portion)
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. This is a low and slow kind of deal! In a large bowl whisk the egg whites until they are nice and frothy. Add in the molasses, agave nectar and pumpkin pie spice and stir until combined. Add the oats, cranberries, pecans, and sunflower seeds and toss until evenly coated.
Spread on a parchment lined large baking sheet so that the cranberry pecan granola is spread as thin as possible. Bake in 15 minute increments, stirring each time. The granola should be perfectly toasted right around 1 hour (give or take depending on your oven). Let it cool completely before moving to a plastic bag or container.
Nutrition: 1/2 cup = 161 calories, 24.3 g carbs, 5.5 g fat, 4.5 g protein
This incredibly healthy granola tastes amazing and compliments your protein shake perfectly for a post workout carbohydrate or as a side next to your eggs with breakfast. *The exact portions will vary per person but there is no reason to guess at how much granola you should eat or what you should eat with it! Contact us for more details on your portions and macronutrient breakdown per meal/per day!
Guilt-free noodles? Yes please! You’ve got to love science. The makers of “Zero Pasta” have managed to make a cold noodle that has really good texture and when dressed and accessorized properly tastes like a perfect cold peanut noodle salad – could pass for one you’d get at an Asian restaurant – the flavors are on point. I’ve played around with a few versions of the sauce but here’s the one I like the most.
Ingredients:
2 packages of “Zero Pasta” found in the Vegan cold section at the grocery store (see pictures)
1-2 cloves of fresh garlic chopped into small pieces
1/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter
1.5 TBSP low sodium soy sauce
1 TBSP rice vinegar
1/2 TBSP chili garlic sauce
1 TBSP sugar free maple syrup
1 TSP ground ginger
Chopped vegetables of your choice – bell peppers, green onion, carrots, broccoli – really anything you like to have in a cold peanut noodle salad
1/4 cup chopped or crushed ground peanuts for garnish
2 TBSP chopped cilantro for garnish
*1-3 TBSP room temperature water – you may need to thin the sauce just a bit
It’s pretty simple to put the cold peanut noodle salad together. Start by draining the “Zero Pasta” in a colander. Combine all ingredients, garlic through ground ginger, with a whisk. The sauce will be thick. Depending on consistency you may need to thin out just a bit with room temperature water but in my experience even after the pasta has been drained it still releases water so once you mix the pasta and the chopped vegetables into the sauce a little water will release anyway. Toss the pasta and chopped veggies into the sauce. Serve the cold peanut noodle salad with crushed peanuts and chopped cilantro on top (I had neither the day I took the above picture) for presentation purposes – a little extra crunch and elevated flavor! Pairs nicely with grilled shrimp or tofu.
*The exact portions will vary per person. Contact us for more details on your portions and macronutrient breakdown per meal/per day! There is no need to guess at how you should eat – let us help you eat right for your body type and goals!
What do people miss most when they diet? Good tasting food of course! Make your healthy eats taste great with simple ingredients that don’t add many calories to your meal. Our Sweet & Spicy Pork Tenderloin combines soy sauce, calorie free syrup and spicy garlic chili sauce to make a delectable marinade.
Here’s what you’ll need to get started: trimmed Pork Tenderloin – or trimmed chicken breasts or flank steak. Place your meat in a large resealable plastic bag. Combine equal parts of the three ingredients in a bowl and whisk until combined. Pour the marinade over the meat and seal the bag. Toss the meat around in the marinade until it is well coated. Keep refrigerated until an hour before cook time.
For my recipe I used 1/4 cup of each of the marinade ingredients and two pork tenderloins. You could make a little extra marinade to place on the side and drizzle over the meat once it is cooked. You can broil, grill or bake your pork tenderloin, chicken or steak. The finished meat pairs nicely with broiled asparagus and avocado.
I was so excited to find out we were expecting baby number two. Our first born, Liv, is such a special part of our lives that doubling our love only made sense. Like any expecting mom, I juggled work, house work, caring for my daughter, preparing for baby #2 to come, and keeping my body healthy for 39 weeks. I experienced challenges with this baby that I didn’t have with my daughter — I was nauseous and sick more, I had insomnia yet extreme fatigue, and my lower back ached most of the third trimester. On the plus side, I had more excitement and anticipation because I was able to share the joy with my two year old who couldn’t wait to have a baby at home. So the good with the bad, my second pregnancy was as much of a blessing as my first, it was fun yet difficult at times and it was also filled with as much love as I could imagine. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat to have the end result, a beautiful and healthy baby boy, Mack Joseph Check.
Sharing My Journey – The Workouts & Milestones
I enjoy telling my friends, family and clients about my FIT pregnancy and resulting easy delivery. The two are definitely related, that I’m sure! I’ve done it twice now, two pregnancies filled with mostly healthy eating and working out & two deliveries that were uneventful and some may even say “easy” (especially the second one which I’ll tell you all about next). For those of you who followed my first journey, My Fit Pregnancy, Delivery and Recovery, you’ll recall an overarching theme, I ate healthy meals consisting of proper carb, protein and fat ratios and I worked out throughout the entire pregnancy – listening to my body and its limitations. For a breakdown of a typical day of eating, visit my first fit pregnancy article to help you plan your meals.
My second fit pregnancy was much of the same as my first with a few changes. I did more planking and more stationary biking, two largely safe exercises for pregnant women. On average, I’d say I planked about 10-15 minutes each week and because I am a group cycle instructor, I was able to bike 3-5 5o minute classes each week. Planking can be modified as necessary but in general most variations of regular planks, side planking and reverse planking are acceptable. Next to swimming, stationary biking/group cycling is one of the best cardio exercises you can do while pregnant as it is low impact and the risks to injury are minimal. In addition to healthy eating and biking, I maintained a regular strength and resistance training regimen and stretched daily. Again, modifying exercises becomes applicable in the second trimester so knowing how to make safer adjustments is important.
In my first fit pregnancy blog, I posted progress pictures and detailed the three trimesters. As much of this pregnancy was a repeat of the first, I’ll just post some new pictures of the trimester milestones and discuss weight gain. Different from my first pregnancy, I barely gained any weight the first trimester. I was sick several times and just didn’t seem to put weight on. I started my pregnancy at 119 lbs and was around 123 at the end of the first trimester. The second trimester is where the big gains took place; I weighed in at 137 lbs at week 27; this leveled out with my first pregnancy as I was a similar size at this point. Then the last lag I gained about 8 more lbs and delivered our baby weighing 145 lbs. I ended up gaining about 26 lbs during this pregnancy. I started out smaller than I did with our first born but I ended up about 5 lbs heavier in the end. With Mack I had an appetite all the way to the day I delivered, whereas with Liv, I ran out of room and just couldn’t eat anymore so I actually lost weight the last few weeks of pregnancy.
Day 1 of Pregnancy
End of 1st Trimester
End of 2nd Trimester
End of 3rd Trimester
The Delivery
I spent nine months convincing myself that the delivery part isn’t that bad, but no matter how easy it was the first time it was still hard. Delivering Liv was the hardest thing I ever did but it was also my greatest accomplishment so no matter what, I was excited to do it all over again. Delivering baby # 2, Mack Attack, really was a surprisingly easy endeavor (as far as labor is concerned). Ladies, don’t throw tomatoes at me, I don’t mean to say I didn’t work hard and it didn’t hurt, it’s just that it was not that bad and again I attribute this to the fact that I was STRONG, FIT and ready to push!
With Mack, I started having Braxton Hicks contractions around week 17, that’s 12 weeks earlier than I had them with Liv. Right around the end of my 38th week they were noticeably more intense and because I was 4 cm dilated, I went to the hospital to see if I was in labor. While the contractions certainly didn’t take my breath away or stop me in my tracks, they were different than my first pregnancy and I wasn’t sure if they were just more Braxton Hicks or real contractions. When the hospital released me with false labor I went home and got back to normal living – walking outside for about an hour a day and doing light strength training and stretching.
The evening of June 16, 2018, my husband, Justin Check, our daughter and I sat down to a nice dinner. We also binge watched several episodes of Shameless then turned in for an early night around 9:30pm. Around this time I decided to start timing my contractions as they did seem a bit more painful than what I had become accustomed to. They were around 3 minutes apart when I felt a weird snap in my stomach. Then with each contraction I “peed a little”; later realizing that “snap” was my water breaking. When my legs started shaking we decided this must be real labor so we headed to the hospital.
By the time we were driving the pain and intensity had skyrocketed and the contractions were definitely the real deal. We arrived at Cape Coral Hospital at 10:26 pm. For those of you following along, at this point I had been in labor for less than an hour. The nurses were quick to get me checked out – I was already 10 cm, water broken, and holding back the urge push. The nurses were hoping I could hold baby Mack in long enough for a doctor to arrive but only three big pushes later out came little Mack! The nurses did a great job delivering our sweet baby boy and we felt so lucky to be in their capable hands. The doctor showed up to assess and deliver the placenta. There was no noticeable tearing and no stitches needed. Weighing 7 lbs and 6 oz & 20 inches tall, Mack came into this world at 10:48 pm – just over an hour after I first started having painful contractions. His fast and furious entrance was a blessing and we were so excited to meet him, be done with the hard part, and start the love fest!
The Aftermath
With time on my hands in the hospital, I mostly kissed all over my sweet boy, shared the joy with family and thought about the whirlwind of a delivery I had just experienced. The whole event kept circling in my mind and I kept thinking how easy it was and how awesome that I was only in pain for an hour. I had used my strong core (thanks planks!), strong legs, and my muscle awareness to push baby number two out in a hurry. It is no coincidence that Mack made his entrance in record time and with minimal damage to my body thanks to fitness!
Within a week of delivering I largely felt back to normal. I started some light cardio, stretching and upper body band work. Then 3 weeks after delivering, I added some body weight exercises to my routine – squats, lunges, planks. I couldn’t believe how quickly I felt back to myself. I’m not suggesting everyone should be able to workout shortly after having a baby, or risk your body healing properly, but for me, I could tell my body was ready to move. I listened to how I felt and took it easy until I was 100% sure I could handle lifting weights and stepping up the cardio! Again, my theory is the stronger you go into delivery, the easier it will be, the faster you will heal, and the quicker you can get back to being you!
Fast forward to me writing this article and I am nearly in all of my pre-pregnancy clothes. At almost 6 weeks postpartum, I’ve lost about 20 lbs of the weight I gained. I have about 5 more pounds to lose but I have more work to do on my composition. During pregnancy I was not able to keep the muscle mass that I normally have so now that I’ve taken most of the weight off, it’s time to work on changing my composition to increase muscle and decrease fat. Ladies, it’s a work in progress! But, I feel so much more like me and I’m so proud of the baby I gave birth to, my journey to get there, and the aftermath!
Should you have any questions on what I did before, during or after my pregnancy to stay healthy and fit, I’d be happy to answer them. Seeking professional help to ensure proper nutrition and safe fitness during and after pregnancy is smart. Email me if you’d like help you with your journey!
Chocolate and peanut butter are perhaps one of the best combinations ever discovered in the culinary world. But have you ever known their marriage to be healthy? Would you think a chocolate peanut butter brownie would be good for you? Believe it or not, these decadent protein brownies are a perfect quick breakfast or post workout meal. They have no flour, sugar, or oil and their sweetness comes from bananas so their packed with potassium. These protein brownies have as much nutrients as flavor – trust me that’s saying a lot. — Make them now!
Here’s how:
You’ll need 6 very ripe medium length bananas (7-8 inches long). Mash the bananas until mostly smooth. Add in 2/3 cup whey protein concentrate, 1/2 cup powdered peanuts (I use PBFit), 1/2 cup natural smooth peanut butter, and 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder. Stir until well combined. Spread into a generously greased (with nonstick cooking spray) pan. The thinner the batter the less time they need in the oven and the texture will be more like a brownie. I like to use a 8x11x3 glass pan. Bake the brownies at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Brownies should lightly pull away from the side of the pan and no longer jiggle when they are done.
This recipe yields 8 protein brownies with each having 267 calories, 17 grams of protein, 28 g of carbs, and 10 g of fat.
*The exact portions will vary per person.Contact usfor more details on your portions and macronutrient breakdown per meal/per day! There is no need to guess at how you should eat – let us help you eat right for your body type and goals!
You can make some easy swaps to turn traditional meals into healthy eats. Using Greek Yogurt in place of mayonnaise is a great way to cut unnecessary fat and calories from dishes such as Egg Salad, Chicken Salad, and homemade dressings. In our Healthy Eats version of egg salad, we use a combination of soft boiled whole eggs, egg whites, Greek Yogurt, and Dijon mustard to create a rich and creamy egg salad. Here’s how to put it together:
Ingredients & Directions:
Soft-Medium Boiled Eggs (2 whole + the whites of 2 more eggs)
1 TBSP Non-Fat Greek Yogurt
1 TSP Dijon Mustard
Chop eggs with a knife and stir in yogurt and Dijon Mustard. For a bit of heat you can also add hot sauce to taste. For the classic Sandwich/Salad combination, serve your portion of egg salad on toasted Ezekiel Bread with a small side salad.
Healthy eating takes planning and commitment. We have great recipes to help you stay on track!
*The exact portions will vary per person.Contact usfor more details on your portions and macronutrient breakdown per meal/per day! There is no need to guess at how you should eat – let us help you eat right for your body type and goals!
Tired of that same old boring coleslaw? Let’s kick it up a notch with this healthy and delicious Asian Slaw! There is no mayonnaise, no oil, and no guilt when you eat our Asian Slaw. Here’s how to put it together:
In a small mixing bowl, combine 1 TBSP rice wine vinegar, 2 TBSP low sodium soy sauce, 1.5 TBSP lime juice, 1 TBSP, 1 TBSP Mango-Pineapple Flaming Fruit Sauce, 1 tsp dijon mustard, and 2 tsp no calorie sweetener such as Truvia. Whisk all of these ingredients until combined.
If you have time, chop some fresh cabbage, carrots, onions, and cilantro; or if you’re pressed for time like we normally are, pick up a package of pre-chopped coleslaw mix. Pour the Asian Slaw dressing over the cabbage and toss until well coated.
With this healthy homemade zucchini bread there is no reason to sweat the sweet stuff! It’s made from wholesome ingredients and is a perfect post-workout or breakfast carbohydrate. Each slice of this zucchini bread has 183 calories, 28 grams of carbs, and 4 grams of protein!
Ingredients and Quantities:
3 cups shredded raw zucchini
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup Truvia baking blend
3 large eggs
1 cups Brown or White Rice Flour or Regular Flour
1 cup Old Fashioned Oats
1 cup almond flour
1 TBSP cinnamon
1 TBSP vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup crushed walnuts
Here’s how to make our healthy zucchini bread:
Combine applesauce, sugars and eggs in a large bowl using a whisk. Add zucchini, vanilla and cinnamon. Then switch to a spatula and fold in the flour, oats, soda and powder. Fold in walnuts. Divide batter among two loaf pans that have been generously sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes depending on your oven. Toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean when the zucchini bread is finished.
*The exact portions will vary per person.Contact usfor more details on your portions and macronutrient breakdown per meal/per day! There is no need to guess at how you should eat – let us help you eat right for your body type and goals!
Lemon Cod is a great protein source (21 g for 4 oz) with very little calories (96 calories for 4 oz). We buy the frozen variety and keep several on hand for nights that we get in a pinch and don’t have anything else to make! It defrosts quickly and cooks in minutes.
Here’s an easy and tasty preparation for lemon cod:
Defrost frozen cod in the refrigerator or at room temperature before cooking or buy fresh. Pat dry with paper towels once removed from the plastic wrap.
Place on a tinfoil lined baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Thinly slice one lemon and arrange on top of the cod. Bake at 425 degrees for 12 minutes. This baked lemon cod pairs nicely with a homemade salsa or watermelon avocado salad.
With cod being such a light fish your portion will be larger than most other proteins. The exact portions will vary per person.Contact usfor more details on your portions and macronutrient breakdown per meal/per day!
When you need an easy breakfast for those busy mornings, try Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats. You’ll do the work the night before and enjoy this mason jar filled with goodness. Set your morning off on the right foot with the appropriate balance of carbs, fats, and protein!
To assemble:
Place 1/c cup of pumpkin puree in a mason jar
Add 1/3 cup dry old fashioned oats (although quick oats, gluten free or steel cut should work too)
Add 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
Add 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Finish with a few splashes of unsweetened cashew milk
Stir all of these ingredients until well combined in the mason jar
Put the lid on tight and leave in the refrigerator overnight
When you wake up, top the pudding with 1/4 cup of crushed walnuts then enjoy! The Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats taste like Thanksgiving. An instant healthy Fall classic that you will want to eat all year round!
*The exact portions will vary per person.Contact usfor more details on your portions and macronutrient breakdown per meal/per day! There is no need to guess at how you should eat – let us help you eat right for your body type and goals!
For my recipe I used 1/4 cup of each of the marinade ingredients and two pork tenderloins. You could make a little extra marinade to place on the side and drizzle over the meat once it is cooked. You can broil, grill or bake your pork tenderloin, chicken or steak. The finished meat pairs nicely with broiled asparagus and avocado.
Ingredients & Directions:
Lemon Cod is a great protein source (21 g for 4 oz) with very little calories (96 calories for 4 oz). We buy the frozen variety and keep several on hand for nights that we get in a pinch and don’t have anything else to make! It defrosts quickly and cooks in minutes.
When you need an easy breakfast for those busy mornings, try Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats. You’ll do the work the night before and enjoy this mason jar filled with goodness. Set your morning off on the right foot with the appropriate balance of carbs, fats, and protein!