30 Day Nutrition Push and ON Protein Cake Bites Review

Cannot believe it is April already! Where has time went?! This month I was thinking about a nutrition focus for you. ✔ Nutrition is the primary driver of fat loss, and maintaining that loss. ✔ 

That is how our Venus veterans lose it and keep it off! The workouts are important (don't get me wrong) both for creating shape and overall health, but I feel as though I am guilty of giving them equal or maybe more focus than nutrition (and so are most other vets). Workouts are more sexy and exciting to do and watch, so I totally get why we do it. SO April will be about ALL about nutrition- 30 days of it! 

So here is tip 1... get yourself a calendar. You are going to put a sticker on each day you hit your deficit calorie goal. Put a different sticker for maintenance days. No sticker for over maintenance days. So simple! But it gives you a picture of your success and streaks. It also feels good to put a sticker on there :) I am starting a little 30 day push for summer.  So I will keep you posted with my calendar shots throughout the month. Be sure to tag us at #venusfactor and #venusindex on IG if you are joining me for a push this month too! 

Tip 2 of our 30 day nutrition push! Usually on Sundays, we get take out and bring it home after church. My kids really look forward to this because it is generally the only time we eat out each week. (Not only is it cheaper to eat at home but you also have greater control of what you put together which means higher volume and protein with less calories. You will also struggle less to make a good choice at home!) So, my kids have been asking for Whataburger all week which is a fast food burger place. If I was in maintenance mode, I would get a burger and fries. No brainer. BUT, since I am cutting my cals this month, I knew that would take up too many calories for my day. I would be hungry in a few hours and likely to go into maintenance or over for the day. Not what I want! So I tried an apple and cranberry grilled chicken salad instead. About 450 cals and 34g protein with the dressing. Much more filling and will leave room for a snack, dinner, and dessert later ;) My plan this month is an aggressive goal, so it requires aggressive action on my part. It is not forever either, anyone can push through for 30 days!

Tip 3 of our 30 day nutrition push! The first week of transitioning from higher calories into a deficit (AKA dieting though I do not like to call it that) is usually the toughest. Your body is not used to a deficit and your hunger pangs are often at the highest perceived levels. One of my favorite tricks is to drink LOADS of coffee and tea. The hot liquid is filling and gives you something to do instead of eat. These are two of my favorites teas in the pic above- both are caffeine-free herbal teas. I stir  a teaspoon of half and half with stevia into my tea usually. I also add cinnamon or vanilla from time to time as well. The bonus with coffee and teas are that you are increasing your water intake and both of full of healthy polyphenols! Boom! Generally after 7-10 days of a caloric deficit, your hunger levels come down. So hang in there!

Tip 4 of our 30 day nutrition push  you need to experiment with meal timing and food selection to see what fits for you! No one size fits all- you are an experiment of one. For me, pushing my first meal back as late as possible is easy and helps me to keep my calories lower for the day. I am not hungry and am busy all morning long. Give me some coffee and put me to work. My production output is high and eating just slows my roll, so I go with it. Today, I ate my first meal at 2 pm. I tried something new- instead of oatmeal, I tried cream of buckwheat. It was delicious and a nice change! I also try to get greens and protein in every meal/snack when I am dieting. I aim for 1 gram of protein per 10 cals. I blended greens in my cooking water then stirred in protein powder after cooking. I love PB- but to save cals, I use 1 tbsp of PB2 with 1 tbsp regular PB (I put that PB mix on top and save about 70 cals without even noticing!) I eat this meal a lot because I LIKE it (very important) ✔ the macros are good ✔ it has greens ✔ and it keeps me full to dinner ✔ Experiment and find YOUR way! 

What does my kitchen counters and Cadbury Mini Eggs in a cabinet + brownies in the fridge have to do with our 30 day nutrition push? EVERYTHING. The biggest hack I can tell you is to get the food OFF your counters. The more you see it, the higher the probability you will eat it. There are 4 food items on ALL my counters- potatoes, wine, coffee, and vinegar. Guess what I drank last night that I was not planning on? A glass of wine. Should probably take my own advice ;) wine is going in a cabinet!

✔

P.S. My husband told me I should tell you about my mini eggs in the sake of transparency. I don't eat "clean" or "perfect" all the time which is not what I recommend to you either. I ate some mini eggs the other day... and I counted them in my day's cals. You can totally eat/drink what you enjoy as long as it fits in your budget! I have had this bag for nearly two weeks and I enjoy a few eggs every few days! Putting them in the cabinet helps me not eats a ton all the time though, I have to go looking for them.

Soooo... those are my first 5 nutrition tips for you! I will be posting everyday on my IG www.instagram.com/mlgraham09 

OR daily on my Twitter https://twitter.com/mlgraham09

OR I will also be posting daily on our Venus Index facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/VenusIndex 

So you can find me wherever you hang out ;)

You guys! I might be late to the party but I went to @gnclivewell as soon as I saw the ads for these new @optimumnutrition protein cake bites and bought that store OUT! Yesss haha! At 230 cals and 20g of protein if these are anything close to a cake ball mixed with protein mugcake then I will be thrilled! So here are the findings of my husband and I's taste testings for each of the 3 flavors! 

First up on my taste test of @optimumnutrition new protein cake bites is the birthday cake flavor. Of the 3 flavors this was my second favorite and my husband's least favorite of the 3 options. We both agree they are ALL great though! It has the highest calories per serving of the 3 flavors at 240 cals but still has 20g of protein (same as others). I feel like they nailed the funfetti cake ball texture and flavor here. My husband felt it was sweeter than he prefers but he would say this about real cake balls too in fairness. Final verdict:  VERY good and will buy again. If you like funfetti cake balls, these are on the money! 

P.S. fabulous nails from @jamberry

Next up on the @optimumnutrition Protein Cake Bites taste test is Red Velvet. This flavor has one of the lowest calorie counts of the 3 flavors at 230 cals per serving, same protein as the other flavors at 20g. This is my second favorite flavor by just a smidge (bday cake is tops for me) but I really do love it. My husband feels the same though his top choice is different than mine, he puts it at a solid second. We both feel ON nailed the red velvet flavor with a touch of cocoa and the cream cheese notes.  Final verdict: this might be the ONE flavor to try if you have to pick one. All around choice. Will buy again!

 

Finally on my taste test of @optimumnutrition new protein cake bites is the chocolate covered cherry flavor. Of the 3 flavors this was my least favorite and my husband's most favorite of the 3 options. We both agree they are ALL great though! It has the highest calories per serving of the 3 flavors at 240 cals but still has 20g of protein (same as others). I feel like it is just nice and sweet, I do not really get cherry or chocolate. It is still GOOD, do not get me wrong... just not as good as the other two to me. Final verdict: good and will buy again for the hubs. I will eat these if I do not have the other two options LOL

Have you tried ON Protein Cake Bites? If not, do you want to? If you had, what were your thoughts?

Elvis Baked Quest Bar and Vacation Strategies

The recipe that I have for you today is so easy that it is hard to call it a recipe LOL But it tastes incredible. So good that I have been eating it everyday for weeks straight now. No lie!

But before we get to my recent food obsession recipe, I wanted to share with you some pics and thoughts from our recent vacation!

Pretty much all my favorite people in the world met up to spend the week in my in-laws cabin in the mountains where we skied, ate, drank, and/or did puzzles all day. My bestie Jenny and her son flew in, and both my sisters-in-law came with their whole families. We had a grand time! But old me would have been FREAKING out about how much fat I was gaining...

...The Venus veteran side of me was cool and collected though. No guilt because I had a GAME PLAN!

Vacation eating strategy revolves around timing for me. Left is breakfast, right is night ;) In 9 days, I ate once before noon. Coffee, water, and tea are all I want and need before lunch whether I am sitting around working puzzles all day or skiing for 7 hours. It saves a few calories when you are already probably going to hit maintenance or higher for the day. The only day I ate breakfast was because we went out to a restaurant and it is weird if you do not go along. (Don't be that guy!) Booze was plentiful but it makes me want to eat more so I saved it for 5 pm or later. Other than that, I ate what I wanted or was offered. It was not always "healthy" or "ideal" but that is OKAY! It is a a little over a WEEK, and in the scheme of things that is fine! I will fast a couple days this coming week and I am certain I will be back to where I left ;) even if I am up when I get home, it is mostly bloat. You cannot do a whole lot of damage in that little of time! Keep it sane ladies. Enjoy vacations, that is what it is for!

This is a group of us before running up the mountain, we only did 4 miles but I was croaking for air like a beached fish.

My workout strategy was aiming to do SOMETHING every day- whether it was a run, band/bodyweight workout, or skiing. One something every day.

I even did a 7 mile run with family and friends! Always plan to sneak in activity everyday. If someone is training for a run, join them even if you are not sure you can keep up ;) you might be surprised that you can! Certainly good to push your boundaries. Look at all that flat nothing in my hometown in the Texas Panhandle, you can see for miles!

My sis-in-law Erin and I doing a bodyweight/band workout at her house! Get other people involved if you can, it makes your workout more fun ;)

This is my "bag of bands" I throw in my carry-on bag: 2 mini bands, 2 Sprii super bands, and a tube band. I tried to get in a run or band workout in every day we didn't ski. I waited to eat until noon or later most days, and never drank alcohol before 5. Otherwise, I ate and drank what I wanted ;) easy peasy and stress-free! Hope my 3 pronged vacation strategy helps you whether it's a week or a month. Number 1 priority should be to enjoy yourself and relax!

Whelp made it home and was the exact same metrics I left at (and a pound down!). This is the day after I got home. Post-vacation bod, metrics were still bang on but my legs are holding water. It will clear in the next few days though! Feels SO nice to be back in my home gym! Does anyone else feel like a rainbow unicorn Jane Fonda with leg weights on? 😂 I totally dig them! Was doing loaded dead bugs then pranced about during rest time ;)

So onto my new recipe obession... my mother made me peanut butter and banana sandwiches growing up. An Elvis special, if you will! They taste like love to me and I ADORE that flavor and texture combination. Problem is that for about 400 calories, you get a ton of carbs and zero protein.
This is where my idea for this recipe came from. Do not skip baking the Quest bar, this is what MAKES the recipe! I have been having this for breakfast, snack, or dessert at least once a day for about a month now LOL

Elvis Baked Quest Bar

Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 1 Quest bar of choice (I have tried PBJ, Coconut cashew, and cinnamon Quest bars and all were great in this combo!)
• 1 tbsp peanut butter (I prefer creamy)
• 1 medium banana, sliced

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 and half a Quest bar. Place  halves on piece of foil or oven safe cookie sheet. Bake for 5 minutes and smash thinner with a fork, bake for 3 more minutes. Place baked halves on plate, top with 1 tbsp peanut butter and 1 sliced banana 😍 soooo great!

Nutritional Info:

370 cals
25 g protein
56 g carbs
14 g fat

Sneaking Greens In

I think most mothers worry about their kids' nutrition. Kids getting in enough vegetables and/or protein seems like a universal concern. If you are like me, you are also concerned about your husband's intake of vegetables as well ;) so today I am sharing how I sneak greens into dishes without screaming, "HEY CHECK OUT THESE VEGETABLES!" Yep, you would never even know they are there. And in some cases, I am pretty sure the family likes them better WITH the addition of the vegetables!

Dumbbell snatch - super, duper full-body exercise but love for #bouldershoulders especially! I did 3 sets of 10 snatches per side. Inspired by #crossfit #17point1

28 days in February = 28 different workouts
✔16 strength training days
✔12 runs
 #nodaysoff
Rewards? Are those new lines I see?! (it's better further down but that was just too scandalous lol) Alas, I have vacation coming up next week so I will be breaking my no days off streak. I am fine with that, I cannot keep that kind of schedule indefinitely. Rest is good too!

Chopped turkey patty and quinoa veggie bowl drizzled with Sriracha (really leftovers thrown in a bowl with fresh veggies I had on hand for volume, but the other name sounded better 😂)

So people like you and me WILL EAT the above plate, we actually ENJOY it ;)

My family is not quite the same however. They pick and choose what they like. My kids like Brussels sprouts, everyone likes asparagus, my husband likes onions... you get the picture and I am sure you can relate. Sometimes, I just feel like they can do better!

I sneak greens into my own oatmeal or quinoa at breakfast. I use my sweet friend Anne's Emerald Spoon Garden Greens blend. Buy HERE.  Between a teaspoon to a tablespoon depending on what else is going into my bowl. If you need to cover the slight green tinge to feed your kids or husband, dark cocoa powder and/or chocolate protein powder works marvelous! I like to top that combo with berries and PB myself! I you do not want to invest in a greens powder, you can blend a handful of spinach and/or kale with the amount of water needed to cook your oats or qunioa. You can also do this for protein shakes, I swear you cannot taste it!

The other places I like to sneak greens into are meat and soups. Yep. Ground beef just soaks it up, you cannot tell at ALL. I almost always use greens powder in my taco meat or meatballs. I am almost certain my family prefers it too, I notice when I add it, they eat more. So I want to share my favorite taco meat recipe with you, and how I bulk it up for me, but easily make something for the whole family to enjoy!

Sneaking Greens In Tacos!

Serves 5

Ingredients:
1.25 lbs lean ground beef
4 tbsp Emerald Spoon Mexi Medley Greens  Buy HERE
Tortillas of choice (my family likes regular flour tortillas, I prefer small corn tortillas or Flat Out wraps)
Cabbage, shredded
Salsa
Other toppings as desired: cheese, avocado, sour cream, etc.

Directions: 
Brown the ground beef with the Emerald Spoon Mexi Medley Greens powder. Drain fat and keep warm in another bowl. Warm up tortillas and get out salsa.  From there, the kids and husband are ready to eat ;)

Using the same skillet over high heat, saute your cabbage until it is wilted and slightly crunchy (about 3 minutes). I use about 3 cups for myself. Then top with about 4 oz of cooked ground beef, topped with 2 tbsp salsa. This time, I served alongside 3 corn tortillas.

Tortilla options- fam likes the ready to cook flour tortillas, I prefer the nutrition of the corn tortillas or Flat Out wraps

Nutritional info 

(3 cups cabbage, 4 oz lean ground beef with greens powder, 2 tbsp salsa, 3 corn tortillas)

453 cals
28 g protein
44 g carbs
20 g fat

Full Body Foam Rolling Routine

I have been foam rolling since about November, faithfully. I used to think it was ju-ju hogwash, but I can honestly tell you that it aids in recovery and range of motion. The research on the subject is just starting to come out in support of those facts too. So, here is my routine :)

Southern Secret Meatloaf

I saw a recipe in Southern Living magazine that caught my eye, they had used vegetables in the meatloaf recipe to sweeten it up naturally. And so I set out to give it a try and tweak it a little just to make it a littler lighter.  The other side bonus was the whole meal was ready to go in 45 minutes on 2 sheet pans!

The results were super great! The whole family, including the fussy husband, all gave it the gold standard "make again". And sssshhhh pretty sure nobody knew I was sneaking in extra veggies!

Shoulder bombs - great finisher for those delts! Shoulders may be the one other body part I am obsessed with as much as glutes ;) I hit them 3-4 days a week. I try to get a mix of lateral, overhead, and front plane work in over the week. I also try to vary low, moderate, and high reps. Just like glutes (or any other part), variety does the shoulders good! If you don't want to have to think of all these factors, that is when solid programming like the Venus workouts come into play. You can always add extra sets in of something you want to really hit hard too ;)

Meh don't care if my hair is perfect, I mostly notice my good glute days  pump courtesy of glute bridges, barbell hip thrusts, crissover step ups, and banded clamshells!

Hanging to stretch? Yep. Super great for stretching your tight lats, shoulders, spine as well as the rest of your back, core, and chest! I literally just hang for a few seconds before or after my workout. Any grip works too :)

Grabbed these handy probiotic packets at GNC the other day! Gut health is of paramount importance to overall health, weight loss, and weight maintenance. A good probiotic will have a variety of strains with 8 billion or more CFU. Since variety is key, it is best to swap brands/types every purchase. Exercise and diet also play a role in gut health, so ✔ that too ;)

So, onto the recipe!

Southern Secret Meatloaf

Serves 4

Ingredients

20 oz, 85% Ground Beef

1/2 cup chopped, Carrots, raw

1 large, Egg

1 onion (medium), Onion

1/4 cup, dry Oats (I used old fashioned)

1 tbsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1.2 tsp pepper

2 tbsp Ketchup

1 tbsp Soy Sauce

1 tbsp parsley (optional)

Optional for two pan dinner

Sweet Potatoes (1/2 per person)

Brussels Sprouts (4 oz per person)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400*F. If you are serving the vegetables along side, cut the potatoes in bite size pieces and slice the Brussels in half. Spread them out into a large, greased cookie sheet and place in the oven. In a food processor or Ninja (you know I used my Ninja haha), shred your carrots and onion finely. Pour them into a large mixing bowl along with your ground beef, egg, oats, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix with your hands and form into 4 mini loaves onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 35 minutes. While the meatloaves are baking, mix together the ketchup and soy sauce. When the loaves and vegetables are done, remove from oven. Top the loaves with the ketchup mixture then the parsley. Serve alongside the vegetables. Enjoy!

Per serving of meatloaf:

Nutrition Facts
Servings 4.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 412
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 23 g	36 %
Saturated Fat 9 g	46 %
Monounsaturated Fat 1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 140 mg	47 %
Sodium 354 mg	15 %
Potassium 164 mg	5 %
Total Carbohydrate 11 g	4 %
Dietary Fiber 2 g	8 %
Sugars 2 g
Protein 30 g	61 %
Vitamin A	55 %
Vitamin C	5 %
Calcium	2 %
Iron	22 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.