NASHVILLE

Hey everyone!

Quick update on me!

So not too much has been going on, even though August will be a busy month for me. Work is taking off and I've been pretty busy with that. So far I've been slacking on getting PT certified which I need to get on that ASAP. I'm applying for Grad school and trying to make some moves education wise!

Lately, I've been making sure my diet is clean and wholesome. I'm still training 5-6 days a week but nearly as intense as I used to, BUT I am totally okay with that. I've gotten to a point where I am happy maintaining and meeting small goals. My ULTIMATE goal is to be 4-weeks out from 'show ready' at any given time, so in order to that it is finding balance and maintenance with everything.

I don't have any shows in mind and I've been quite 'put-off' from the whole bikini competition thing lately. I just feel that there is more to life than shows and I want to be more well-rounded. But that's just me. It's also turning into a really trendy thing and I consider myself a fitness hipster. LOL.

But for reals. 

Now to the title of this post, I'm going to NASHVILLE in just over 2 weeks! So excited, it is Ryan's birthday present to me and I'm so thankful and excited to visit Nashville with him. He's never been, so he's totally in for it. I love live music and booze so it's a great fit. Also, the atmosphere down there is just so warm and welcoming, I LOVE IT. If you have any recommendations on places to go, things to see, where to eat and shop, LET ME KNOW PLEASE!!!!

My birthday is August 12th, in case ANY of you are wondering ;)

So that is my life in a nutshell, what's going on with you?! I'd love to know and get to know you all a little better.

If you ever have any questions/concerns/comments, PLEASE let me know!

Comment below or email me at sarahpinks@yahoo.com


- xoxo

Sarah

Say BUHBYE to BORING food

I LOVE FOOD.

NOT BORING FOOD.

Chicken and rice is cool and all but it's boring as hell.

SO why just eat chicken and rice all the time???

I do believe in flexible dieting but I do believe in eating clean 90% of the time.

Use the other 10% for cheat snacks or meals.

I love making a Southwest quinoa salad or Mediterranean quinoa salad!

Start with your boring old quinoa...THEN..

Southwest:
1 red bell pepper chopped

1 green pepper chopped

1 bunch of green onion chopped

1/2 cup cilantro chopped

1 can black beans

1/2 c olive oil

Mediterranean:
1 can black olives sliced
1/2 c feta cheese

1/4 c red wine vinegar

1/4 c olive oil

1/2 large red onion chopped
1 cucumber chopped

1 large tomato chopped

YUM. 

and super easy, just don't chop off your fingertips.

Now for your protein sources, it's summer so all of ya'll should be marinating the SH*T out of your meats and grilling them. 

Just sayin'

Chicken marinades:

LEMON PEPPER:
1/2 c olive oil
1/2 c lemon juice
1 tbs pepper

1 tbs garlic

DIJON:
1/2 c dijon mustard

1/4 c olive oil
1 TBS lemon juice

1 TBS pepper

1/2 TBS garlic

1/2 TBS onion powder

BALSAMIC:
1/2 c balsamic vinegarette
1 TBS garlic

1/2 TBS pepper

EASY PEASY.
Let marinate in a giant Ziploc for 12-24 hours and BAM.

Good eats.

Happy Tuesday :)

xoxo Sarah 

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.

As I sit at my kitchen island, finishing up my 93% lean turkey burger with skim swiss, sugar free ketchup, and mustard on top, I think how how long it took to get me here.

I used to be a snacker. A stand-in-front-of-the-pantry-or-fridge snacker. While trying to figure out what the heck I wanted to eat, I would eat chips, pretzels, pieces of cheese, fruit, cheez-its. Whatever I could get my fingers on while I perused the cabinets.

WELL, THAT'S NOT GOOD. Empty Calories 101 right there for you. I got away from this by planning out my meals, knowing what I needed to make and how much and when. This changed EVERYTHING for me. I wouldn't stand in the kitchen for a half-hour snacking and come to the conclusion I'll just make a sandwich (even though I am the BEST sandwich maker, ever). I started to PLAN meals and PREPARE meals in ADVANCE. Fancy, eh?

Sure, it's intimidating at first. When you're really freaking hangry (hungry-angry) you just want to eat RIGHT THEN AND THERE. Sometimes you can, sometimes you end up tearing apart a pantry full of goldfish before you settle for a PB&J. Alsp, meal prep doesn't have to be super boring. I am SO anti-chicken and rice in tupperware. So Bro and so not tasty.You can prep meals and enjoy them, it's true (cough, turkey burger).

SO, to change my snacking til I could explode like a bird eating rice, I decided to start planning healthy meals and things that could easily be refrigerated and reheated. Don't get me wrong, I still snack, just not as much while I'm trying to decide what to eat. I can still put down a container of hummus and pita chip, no prob.

Start with the basics, a protein with every meal...
- Turkey burger
- Turkey meatballs
- Chicken boobies
- Chicken salad (Made with Greek yogurt = PROTEIN PARTY)
- Lean Turkey deli meat
- Chicken deli meat
(to name a few)

Then your carbs...
- Sweet potatoes
- Sweet potato fries
- quinoa salad (Mediterranean or southwestern are DELISH)
- Low carb wrap
- Ezekiel bread
- Quinoa pasta or Barilla protein plus pasta

THE COMBINATIONS ARE ENDLESS. AND SO DELICIOUS.

Seriously if you enjoy chicken and rice, go for it. But I'd prefer not to eat like a peasant. These combinations are so easy to eat cold or reheated. Turkey meatballs and healthy pasta noodles with a organic mariana sauce are to die for. Low carb wraps make an easy lunch on the go, and quinoa salads make quinoa not so boring!

It's all about preparing. You can easily knock out 3-7 prepared meals in less than an hour. Do your research (WHEN YOU'RE NOT HUNGRY) and prepare your meals! So when you come home and are STARVING TO DEATH, you don't eat 500+ empty calories. This is coming from experience, let me tell you, it works wonders. Save the fun recipes for when you're not about to chew off your arm or knock out a whole bag of grapes.

Go for lean proteins, back them up with some carbs, and lastly, fats. Don't go crazy and follow proportion sizes and amounts. Your body will thank you. So, you're welcome.


- Sarah