High Protein Banana Pudding

 

 

We have been having a lot of family get togethers lately, and I made regular southern-style (but always delicious) banana pudding for one a few weeks ago.

This week, it came to me in the night. I can REDO the old version, and make it lower calorie... and higher protein. And I bet nobody would know....

And here it is. Kid tested. Brother in law approved. (Who, by the way, has to specify no beans or sweet potatoes or chickpeas when I or my sis in law have dessert duty   LOL)

High Protein (and lower calorie) Banana Pudding

Serves 16 (approx 1 cup servings)

 

The stuff

32 oz container fat free greek yogurt
1 small box banana sugar free yogurt
1 small box cheesecake sugar free yogurt
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2 bananas, ripe
1 small container lite Cool Whip, thawed
0.75 box Nilla wafers

What you do

In a bowl, mix the first 4 ingredients until smooth.

In your seving bowl, put 1/3rd of the nilla wafers across the bottom. Pour in half of the pudding, then slice 1 banana over the top. Spread half the Cool Whip. Repeat those layers, then top with remaining Nilla Wafers for added points in presentation.

And I think I like the full size Nilla Wafers better, they stay crispy longer. BTW, this is even better the next day or two ;)

 

Nutrition Stats

Per serving

 

 

Compare that to a serving of traditional southern banana pudding stats:

 

Calories 484.6 

Total Fat 16.4 g

Total Carbohydrate 81.2 g

Sugars 42.2 g

Protein 6.3 g

OUCH! Yep, mine is way better ;)



Jenny's Beefy Tex Mex Broccoli Slaw

So I am not done with Jenny's variations of broccoli slaw stir fry recipes, this is the second installment. And we have one more rendition for you next week :) Last week was Jenny's Asian Broccoli Slaw Stir Fry, check it out HERE.

Broccoli slaw is such an easy, low cal filler. LOVE IT! So without further adieu may I present....

 

 

 

Jenny's Beefy Tex Mex Broccoli Slaw

The Stuff

• 1 cup broc slaw
• Half an onion, diced
• 1 tbsp taco seasoning
• 4 oz lean ground beef,, browned and drained
• Either a 100 cal wholly guac packet or a wild garden hummus packet

• OPTIONAL a 1/8 a cup of sharp cheddar cheese….. depending on how low I'm going

 

What you do

I take the broc slaw, taco seasoning, and onion and throw them in a skillet on med heat and let them soften up. Once they are ready I throw in the ground beef. Top with the guacamole or hummus. And cheese, if you are into that sort of thing.

 

 

 

Nutritional Stats

(Recipe as written with  guacamole and cheese!)

50 cals - I used half the bag of broccoli slaw
140 cals - 4 oz ground beef

20 cals- half of an onion
100 cals – guacamole packet

55 cals – 1/8 cup sharp cheddar cheese

TOTAL 355 cals and 32 g of protein

 

 

Jenny's Asian Broccoli Slaw Stir Fry

Jenny came to Texas ya'll... my friend and co-worker at Venus. She won VT7 (Venus transformation contest), here is her podcast and B&A pics- http://www.venusindex.com/endless-cardio-does-not-give-you-the-shape-you-desire-interview-with-jenny-weaks/

We are both coaches for Venus Index so if you would like to train and/or transform under us, go sign up ASAP as there is a limited number of spots!  http://clients.venusindex.com/premium-one-on-one-coaching/ Be sure to note which coach you want on your intake form!


So while Jenny was here, we had a photo  shoot. That was actually the reason she came.

 

 

 

Just a few of my faves, I will spare you ;)

 

And we stopped by the Cadillac Ranch (an Amarillo landmark which is very random!) And there were a million Mustangs lined up there touring Route 66 so we had to get another photo in!



And we taught a Venus gym class

 

And we went on a hike with my sis-in-law Erin at Palo Duro Canyon

 

We had a full weekend! And I loved every minute of it. So I thought I would share one of Jenny's trademark recipes that all the Venus ladies love. It is simple, flavorful, and so much food!

Jenny's Asian Broccoli Slaw Stir Fry

The stuff:

• 4 oz lean ground beef browned and drained
• half a yellow onion
• 10 spears of asparagus or you can use broccoli
• one cup of broccoli slaw
• 2 tbsp PB2 mixed with 1 tbsp water and tbsp lite soy sauce or bragg's aminos
• bragg's amino or lite soysauce
• 1tsp sesame oil

 What you do:
I take the broc slaw, sliced onion, asparagus and the tsp of sesame oil and I shake them up in a ziploc or tupperware just to get it even coated and throw them in a skillet on med and let them soften up. Once they are ready I throw in the ground beef. Mix your 2 tbsp of PB2 with 1tbsp of water and one tbsp of lite soy sauce and throw it over the whole thing. Sometimes I even throw in some scrambed egg whites. You can really get creative with this recipe, but I'm here to tell you it is VERY filling and flavorful. The ground beef really soaks up the pB2/soy sauce blend.
 
Season with pepper and salt to your liking, so yummy.

 

I forgot asparagus so I subbed mini bell peppers and a touch of celery

 

 

 

Nutrition Stats:

 

 

Workout Cover

I am still pinching myself. Cover of Venus Index Phase 3 workout was just released! It is so surreal.

XO- Liss

Venus Ab and Core Work Progressions and Modifications

As a fitness coach, I am often asked about substitutions for core work in the various Venus Factor and Venus Index workouts.

 

What if I do not have a stability ball for stability ball roll ups or roll outs?

What is stability ball curl ups are too difficult for me?

You can do roll out or roll ups with a towel on a hard surface. 

 **Be aware that the floor can be slick, especially if this is your first try at this, so be sure to have a wall to stop the slide at the end of the motion or just remove your hand/foot from the towel and catch yourself if you feel yourself beginning to lose control. :)

 

What if I do not have a stability ball for stability ball roll outs?

What if I do not have an ab wheel for ab wheel exercises?

The barbell rollout is a perfect substitition exercise for either of those exercises. It also make a nice progression as you can make it more difficult than stability ball rollouts if you go out further.

 

Always remember that it is better to start now than to wait to buy equipment.

You can work around not having a ball, barbell, or ab wheel by doing the following exercises as a substitution:

*Planks - Venus Index video
*Side planks - Venus Index video
*Mountain climbers - Venus Index video

* Above are some creative alternative videos

If you have a physical limitation, you can usually work around the issue. Remember to let pain be your guide, if it hurts- stop!

Here are just a few examples of work arounds to new or existing injuries-

• If your wrist is injured and needs a work around, do planks or side planks on your elbows instead, video here
• For an ankle injury, you can do planks on your knees instead. On roll ups, you would also move the ball or towel to your knees. See above for video example.

Squats and Lunges Hurt My Knees HELP!

Oh and step up too! I get that a lot :) so we can work around it no problem!

On any exercise-

• If it hurts- STOP. But grinding, pressure, crackles, and pops are all okay if they do not hurt. If it hurts, substitute another similar exercise.
• Always try the exercise that is called for in the workout, even if it hurt last time. There is a significant chance that at some point, the knee (or other joint/muscle) will one day no longer hurt.

Squats

Music by audionautix.com

1. Just because squats hurt your knees now does not mean that they always will. The great thing about strength training is that they will get stronger and the pain will lessen over time.
2. Generally speaking, most find a wider stand more comfortable. I know I do. It takes a lot of pressure off the knees. You can also put plates under your heels to see if that helps as well.
3. If it hurts- STOP.  Do deadlifts instead of squats for the rest of the reps. You can also sub bulgarian split squats too if needed or if they feel better.
4. Add weights to make squats more challenging, go lower too.

Step ups

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1. The height of the step determines the intensity. The lower the step, the less intense. Anything above the floor plane is technically a step up. So play with it and see what height feels best. You might be surprised that a specific height is pain free.
2. Do not bound off your back foot. The foot stepping up should do all the work.
3. If it hurts- STOP. Sub lunges or reverse lunges instead.
4. Add weights to make it more challenging and/or increase the step height.

Lunges

1. Step back or forward enough that your front knee is at a 90 degree square angle from the floor at the bottom of the lunge. You do not want that front knee to go past your toe.
2. You might be surprised that either a forward lunge or reverse lunge is pain free. You can stick to either one.
3. If it hurts- STOP. Sub step ups or Bulgarian split squats instead.
4. Add weights to make it more challenging.

Post Weight Lifting Stretching Routine

Warm up

Most recent physio recommendations are to NOT stretch before lifting. Your muscles are cold and tight. The best warm up is about 5 minutes of cardio: walking on a treadmill, elliptical, or a bike. Most of the time I do not warm up. I just do not go out for a maximum lift first thing.

Cool down

After a lifting session, I like to stretch my whole body to cool down. I find that it helps relieve some of the DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness).

This is my normal stretching routine in the video below. I hold most of them for 5 seconds or so. If a muscle group is extra tight, I go back again and repeat the stretch in that area.

If the video does not come up for you, here is the direct link on YouTube-

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvP3qW1LEGg