Eating ENOUGH to fuel your fitness & Sweet Potato Pie POWERTART.

July 22, 2013 -
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Hey all! Hope you had a great weekend.

This morning I had a great back & bicep workout (posting it tomorrow!) followed by an even better postworkout meal! When it comes to postworkout – I always try and get a good combo of carbs & protein to refuel those muscles Winking smile Today I made a green version of my new POWERTART recipe that I am sharing below.

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*Added 1/2 TB Spirulina to my original recipe below & topped with some protein fluff.

– 1/2 scoop of protein mixed with a little water until thick.

I personally have been upping my calories because I really felt like I wanted to see more results with muscle growth & performance so increasing calories & carbs was a way I wanted to implement that. I am not afraid of carbs and have found some delicious ways to incorporate them – especially post workout!

I put all of my usual eats into the My Fitness Pal App to calculate how many calories I was getting each day – to make sure I was getting enough! I found that I wasn’t getting as many as I thought so I did some research on my macro breakdown & found that I should be eating more for my personal height, weight, & activity level. I am currently eating around 2,200 or more calories a day and feeling awesome! I have so much energy and my body is loving the variety of foods. It’s not something that I’m obsessing over – but I don’t think it’s a bad idea to double check that you are getting enough.

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I highly suggest you doing your own research to find what works for YOUR OWN BODY. I love sharing my stories with to help but I am not an expert on your body. We are all different so if you feel like you want more of an idea of where you’re at, check out some sites like this.

If adding things up everyday isn’t for you then no worries! #betruetoyou

It’s just a way you can see where you’re at & maybe where you’d like to be.

I personally don’t label my style of eating any certain way or fall under any set categories. I just like to do what works for me while paying attention to how my digestion is reacting as well.

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Side note: I used to over-do cardio & eat low calorie when I did my first competitions but always felt so horrible on the inside. I am at a much happier place now with food & working out but I still wanted to make sure I was eating enough to support my goals. Too often we think we need to restrict and workout hours a day – when in reality that could be doing more damage to us. Life is about enjoying & LIVING! So why not eat things you want to eat without going entirely over-board while still eating healthy power foods to keep your insides/outsides happy & healthy? Also not over-doing the endless cardio sessions to see results (unless long cardio is part of your training) I’m speaking more about the “workout more/eat less” mindset that can be damaging. I like short intense cardio bursts like burpees or tabata intervals like my video here either during or after my lifting a few days a week! Balance.

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I personally am not one to do “cheat meals” because I felt like that was me restricting myself until a certain meal during the week. I personally like to eat treats during any given day and therefore I don’t feel like I’m restricting or guilty like I used to.

Trust me, this is coming from a girl
who used to feel guilty about eating raisins.

I am here to help by sharing my personal stories and finding a happy balance with food is something we all struggle with. But you are in control of how you feel & I hope you are finding your own balance. Food helps fuel you so find what foods work best for YOU but also don’t forget about balancing it with other things that may seem “unclean” to you or “off-limits”. I personally don’t want to live the rest of my life without enjoying foods I want to eat in moderation (barabara puffins cereal & Ghirardelli chocolate anyone?) while always making sure to eat  a wide variety of power foods to keep my insides happy & healthy!

Balance – one of those words that are way easier said than done. But, don’t get frustrated! Be true to you & it will fall into place.

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Ok, soooo back to post workout carbs! Winking smile Sweet Potato Pie POWERTART anyone?

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Many people have probably seen the “poptart” craze happening where people eat one after a workout – this in theory makes sense to get sugars/carbs into your system quickly post workout but I personally was looking for a way to get a big more POWER out of it meaning more fiber, minerals, vitamins, etc.!

I saw so many people making their own versions on Instagram so I decided to try it out for myself. A gluten free brown rice wrap makes a great outer tart.

photo 1Ingredients:

  • 1 Tortilla/Wrap of choice
  • 4 oz. Sweet Potato
    • Previously roasted (400 degree for about 50-55minutes wrapped in foil)
  • 1 scoop of VEGA Vanilla Sports Performance protein powder that you can find on iHerb.com
    • Coupon code XUG228 for a $10 discount for first time users.
  • 1 TB Chia Seeds
  • 1 TB Milled Flax
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 10 drops of liquid stevia
  • 1/4 cup milk of choice

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Directions:

  • Combine everything except the tortilla in a bowl.
    • You may need to add a bit more liquid to the mix until a nice thick consistency.
  • Place the mixture onto your wrap & fold like a poptart.
  • Put onto a medium heat pan on the stove for a few minutes on each side until browned & crispy.
  • Cut in half & ENJOY!

You know me, I like things cold so I popped mine into the freezer after & had it chilled! Literally tastes like sweet potato pie so I hope you give this a try.

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Love this quote! Inside of us we have the power to think positively & enjoy life – but until we do it for ourselves, it’s hard to get to that point. So let’s work on this together & know you’re not alone in how you feel.

truetoyou1_thumb,

Red heart Kasey