Have Venus, Will Run

I am honored to have written the article for the Venus Factor website today. It recaps the half marathon that we ran last weekend and my suprising results :) Read the article here- http://www.venusindex.com/have-venus-will-run/

Chocolate and Berries Microwave Protein Pancakes

 

 

In training for this half marathon still, I am so glad it is next week. Even though I am just doing one long run a week, I hate that it takes time away from lifting- my true love <3

The half that we seem to be running annually as a family tradition is in Houston- the Chevron. It is always a great couples vacation time- and seeing friends and family that we do not get to see enough. The expo is fantastic, and the food is great. So I know after next week, we will be ready to go again. Haha! Training this year has been better now that we moved to the same town with my both my brother and sister in law. We have been doing our long runs together, and I really do enjoy that. A family that runs together, stays together- right?

I started cutting back down from my few weeks of holiday excess. I feel fluffy. Ugh. If you stay on top of it, it is never a big deal. Just a few weeks of calorie correction deficit days will take care of it. Much better than letting it get out of hand and having 30 lbs to deal with. Unfortunately, our weight never stays stagnant (oh how I wish it did!) so the idea is to learn to keep the swings as small as possible. That has been my key to maintaining Venus metrics for almost 2 years now!


These protein pancakes that I figured out how to do in the microwave late last year have become a favorite. I eat them almost daily. Their nutritional stats are AWESOME. And they are so delicious! So of course, variations are bound to occur. And I must share them!

 

Chocolate and Berries Microwave Protein Pancakes

Serves 1

The stuff

• 1 cup of frozen mixed berries
• 1/2 banana (can be frozen and defrosted)
• 1 scoop of chocolate whey (I used Optimum Nutrition Rocky Road)
• 1 tbsp dark chocolate cocoa powder (I used Hershey's)- Optional
• 1/4 cup egg whites
• 1/2 cup Non-fat Greek Yogurt

What you do

In a microwave safe bowl, microwave the berries for 2 minutes until soupy and hot throughout. In a microwave safe plate, mash together the banana, whey, cocoa, and egg whites until combined. Cook in microwave on high for 3-3.5 minutes until the middle is cooked through. Top the pancake on the plate with the greek yogurt and the berries. Enjoy :)

BTW- you can do these as traditional pancakes in a pan as well!

 

Nutritional Stats

Per serving

• Cals- 325 cal
• Fats- 1g
• Carbs- 36g
• Protein- 43g

Apple Pie Muesli

New workout clothes make me happy :) I have been enjoying wearing some of my new stuff from Christmas lately...

This top by Saucony even has a removable, blinking LED light on the sleeve so that I do no get squished on the road! You charge it with a USB port too. :cool:

I am in the thick of training right now for the Houston Chevron Half Marathon, it is coming up in two weeks! So.Tired.of.Running. Earlier in the week, Map My Run sent out my year of running- pretty cool!

Wish that there was something like that for lifting!

I also made my first wedding cake this week. It was very stressful but the couple loved it. That made it all worth it!

A little story about Bob's Red Mill Muesli.... My mom used to make it for me all the time growing up and I loved it. It is one of those things that brings me back to my childhood when I eat it. My mom was coming for Christmas, and I wanted to spurpise her by making a recipe with this muesli... And I thought this recipe up one night based on my Peach Cobbler Oatmeal.

So I made up some Apple Pie Muesli Crockpot for my mom when she came. She loved it! So did the husband- who is not into anything healthy generally speaking! So I thought it was a recipe worth sharing, and here it is.

Apple Pie Muesli

Serves 8

• 2 cups Bob's Red Mill Muesli (regular old fashioned oats would work great too)
• 4 Apples (I used Granny Smith since they hold up well during cooking)
• 1/2 cup Splenda (or any other sweetener)
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• Serve with plain non-fat Greek yogurt (1/2 cup per serving)

Crockpot method- (My fave) Grab your crockpot, and roughly chop the apples and spread into the bottom. Pour over 2 cups of muesli and 2 cups of water. Sprinkle splenda and cinnamon on top. Cook on low for 4-8 hours.

Baked- Prepare in 8x8" dish as above. Cook at 350*F for 45 minutes.

Microwaved- Prepare in microwave safe 8x8" dish as above, cook for 10-15 minutes on high.

Nutritional Stats

Per 1/8 Apple Pie Muesli recipe and topped with 1/2 cup of plain nonfat Greek yogurt

• Calories-218 cal
• Carbs- 37g
• Fat- 3g
• Protein- 16g