Fuel up for a workout with this yummy shake!

Hello, hello!

Happy Tuesday!

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Whooboy, last night’s CrossFit workout was a toughie! It’s actually Tired Tuesday in my world. Oof.

I knocked out the first row in about 4 minutes and went to start the thrusters. I knocked out the first 15 and then had to break them up into groups of 10(-ish). Okay, so maybe I did groupings of 7 and 8 until I got down to the last ones.

I had planned (and by planned, I mean hoped really hard) that I would be able to kip all the pull-ups.

Um, yeah. Not so much. I got through 7 of them and then ran to go get a band.

I really should have planned ahead and had the band there from the start. My shoulders felt tired before we even started. When will I learn to listen to my body?!

Anyway, I made it through both rounds in 26:13.

My second row was just a tad slower than the first (maybe 10 seconds?) so I was pretty stoked about that.

Those thrusters. Definitely felt those this morning when I got out of bed!

On deck for tonight is deadlifts, burpees (hooray) and running (hooray!!).

(can you tell what makes me happy?) 😉

So, remember that awesome book Thing 1 got me for Mother’s Day?

(if you don’t, it’s the Runner’s World Cookbook)

Well, I decided I needed to try one of the pre-run shakes, except I wanted to adapt it to fit my nutritional needs for CrossFit.

Since I’ve been going to CrossFit after work, I’ve been working really hard to balance what I eat so I’m both fueled up for a tough workout but not overstuffed, if you know what I mean.

I tend to be a creature of habit and can seriously eat the same thing every day for a full week  because it’s easy and I know it works for me.

Well, that’s all well and good (and pretty doggone boring) except I was eating protein bars and I’d prefer to eat real food.

I generally eat 5 times a day (sometimes 6 if the ice cream is yelling at me from the freezer. gotta shut it up, you know.) – breakfast, morning snack, lunch, pm snack, and dinner.

PM snack has become my difficult meal – I’m hungry and I know I need to fuel up (especially with protein) but I don’t want to overfuel and have an upset tummy at CrossFit. On the other side of that, I don’t want to underfuel and run out of energy. Cuz that really sucks.

Gah! You would think eating wouldn’t be so difficult!

Anyway, I saw this pre-run shake recipe and knew I had to try it. It’s all real food and would definitely be easy on my tummy. The only question was whether it would be enough to keep me going.

Well, it did! I didn’t run out of steam at all. The workout kicked my butt but not because my body wasn’t fueled enough.

Like I said, I changed it up a little (you know, I just can’t help it) and made sure to get more protein packed in there. Whipped it up in the morning and kept it in the work fridge until I was ready for it.

(Ideally, I’d have a blender at work and make it right when I wanted it but ain’t nobody got time for that.)

So, here’s what I did.

Mango & cantaloupe pre-workout shake
recipe adapted from the Runner’s World Cookbook

3/4 cup frozen mango (today, I used a blend of mango, strawberry & pineapple – yum!)
1 small banana, sliced
1/2 cup diced cantaloupe
1/3 cup non-fat Greek yogurt (I used Fage)
1/4 cup unsweetened Vanilla almond milk
1 scoop EAS Lean 15 vanilla protein powder
1/4 cup granola (I used Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal)

Place mango, banana, cantaloupe, yogurt, milk, and protein powder in blender.

Puree until thick. Pour into glass or shake bottle; top with granola.

Enjoy!

If you’re using the shake as a pre-run shake, you might want to leave out the protein powder. I only added it because I know my body needs the extra protein to help me power through a workout. Also, if you wanted to change it up a little more, you could use whatever flavored yogurt you want. And, if you don’t have vanilla almond milk or use soy milk or something else, add a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Or, peppermint if you want. It’s your shake – make it how you want it to taste! And then go on with your bad self and get your sweat on! 🙂

Talk to me: How do you fuel before workouts? Do you prefer to workout in the morning or evening?

 

Power breakfasts

So, how do you start your day? What’s your choice of morning fuel to help you get started and power through? Do you grab a cup of coffee and then reach for a muffin or a bagel?  Or do you opt for something with more of a balance of protein and complex carbs? Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You should aim for 20-30 grams of protein with your morning meal. It gets you going, provides fuel for your body to move and your brain to function (remember, you’ve essentially been fasting while you were sleeping!) and gives you energy to handle whatever comes your way, whether it’s chasing your kids around, household or yard chores, a workout, or just plain old work.

One of my favorite breakfasts is oatmeal. No, I’m not talking about a packet of flavored oatmeal that is just crammed with sugar and lacks protein. I’m talking about regular oats that you cook on the stove. Of course, if you purchase the quick cooking oats, you could also do them in the microwave but I never get it right and I always end up with more oatmeal all over the microwave than in my cooking container. The stovetop is so much easier to control. And, it only takes 5-6 minutes for regular oats. If you don’t have 5 minutes, get up earlier. Trust me – it’s totally worth it and your body will thank you!

Anyway, I saw a recipe for a protein packed oatmeal and decided to tweak it to my personal tastes. You should definitely do that, too! It’s so easy! I start off with a half cup oats and I either cook it in one cup of 1% milk or water – depends on my mood 🙂 (also, using water changes the nutritional value – less protein, etc) – and then comes the fun part! Here’s where I add in my extras to pump up my oats. I usually start with 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder – I like the Eas Lean 15 because it’s lower in carbs and sugars than others – and to that I add about a teaspoon of honey (so good for you!), a sprinkle of cinnamon, about 1/2 tablespoon peanut butter and stir it all up. Top with fruit of your choice! I usually go with some combination on blueberries, strawberries, and banana or all 3! Om nom nom!

So, here’s how it breaks down using 1% milk (no fruit):
Calories 368; Fat 10g (sat 3g, mono 3g, poly 2g); Carbs 50g (fiber 7g, sugar 18g); Protein 22g; Cholesterol 35mg, Sodium 204mg
And, here it is using water (no fruit):
Calories 268; Fat 8g (sat 2g, mono 3g, poly 2g); Carbs 39g (fiber 7g, sugar 7g); Protein 14g; Cholesterol 20mg; Sodium 84mg

Of course, adding fruit will increase the sugars but they are natural sugars and your body processes them quickly. So, more fruit, please!