"Mostly-Healthy" Almond Joy Brownie Bites

Time for a new recipe!

Who doesn't have a craving for chocolate every once in a while?  If you don't, the rest of the world hates you and I would advise you to keep that to yourself.

It is almost bikini season and I, like most everyone else, want to look top notch in my bikini.  Especially as a bikini competitor, I know that I have to have my body right if I am going to be walking around scantily clad at pool parties, lake get-togethers and beach trips.  All that to say, that even I have cravings for ooey, gooey chocolatey desserts sometimes.  Yesterday was one of those days, so I decided I would come up with a somewhat guilt-free dessert that wouldn't sabotage my efforts to get that bombshell booty by the time I put on my bikini.  Hence, the "mostly-healthy" almond joy brownie bites.  

Nutritional Breakdown per Serving:

Makes 16 servings

126 Calories

7 g Fat

14 g Carbohydrate

9 g Sugar

4 g Protein

Ingredients:

1/2 C Almond Flour

1/2 C Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats

1 T Flaxseed

1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder

2 T Almond Slivers

1/4 C Brown Sugar

1/4 t Baking Soda

1 t Baking Powder

2 T Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1/2 C Coconut Flakes

1/2 C Cooked Quinoa Flakes

1 T Coconut Oil

1/4 C Egg Whites

1/2 t Vanilla Extract

1/4 C Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

1/2 C Dark Chocolate Chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325.  Combine all dry ingredients (except chocolate chips) in a medium size mixing bowl.  Blend thoroughly with a fork.  Add Cooked Quinoa Flakes, Coconut Oil, Egg Whites, Vanilla and Almond Milk.  Blend thoroughly with fork.  Add chocolate chips and mix well.  Coat an 8X8 cake pan with baking spray, lightly.  Pour batter into pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.  

Enjoy!!!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Oatmeal

Hi Bloggers!!!

I have a new and simply delightful recipe for you guys!  I call it Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Oatmeal.  Man, I should really get an award for the creativity displayed in my recipe titles.  Anyway, this recipe is a favorite of mine for breakfast.  It's very filling and well-rounded, nutritionally.  It also tastes almost just like an oatmeal no-bake cookie.

Ingredients:
1 Scoop Chocolate Protein
1 Tbs. Natural Peanut Butter (or PB2)
1/3 Cup Rolled Oats
1/3 Cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1/3 Cup Water

Directions:
Add protein, oats, milk, and water to a microwaveable bowl.  Microwave for 2 1/2 minutes.  Add peanut butter immediately and stir until well blended.  Top with additional almond milk to achieve desired consistency.

Enjoy!!! <3

LiveFit Update

Sometimes life just gets crazy.  I'm sure you all can attest to the validity of that statement.  I apologize for the extended amount of time in which I have produced zero words of motivation, helpful clean-living tips or delightfully nutritious recipes.  I promise I will make up for it.

For now, I am going to briefly update you on what has been going on in my life over the last two months. 

First, I finally competed in my first bikini competition!  I competed in the Open Bikini division at the NPC Midwest Championships in St. Louis, MO.  After battling a terrible stomach bug for 5 days the week of the competition, I was quite nervous about getting on stage. Mashed potatoes and applesauce are, unfortunately, not a part of your typical precontest diet. ;)  However, I am certainly glad that I did.  I placed 3rd in my class and qualified to compete at the national level!  

Second, I received an invitation to join the most prestigious training team in the world, Team Bombshell!  I am beyond excited to be a part of such an amazing group of women and cannot wait to begin training with them.  

Lastly, between all of the training, dieting, competing, studying and working I have managed to squeeze in a few photo and video shoots.  I have uploaded a few of the pics in my photo galleries above and I've attached one of the videos below.  Please take a look and share to inspire others!

Xoxo~

Also, be sure to check out Fitness Motivation Information on Facebook for more fitness inspiration, as well as on their website! 

You can find my athlete profile on the Athlete/Model Hall of Fame.  If you click on my photo, it will take you directly to my Facebook Fan page.  Check it out!! <3

www.fitnessmotivationinformation.com

www.facebook.com/kelithomasonfitness

www.facebook.com/YourFitnessExperience

Meal Preparation

Today I'm going to tell you how I prepare my meals for the week. I have found that this is pretty much the only way I can stick with my diet as I need to during contest prep. If I prepare my meals ahead of time then I have no excuse to not eat clean and it makes my crazy week just a little less crazy since I don't have to think about preparing my food.
I prepare my meals on Sundays and Thursdays. That is just because those are the days that I have the most time.
I begin by thawing my chicken breasts. While those are thawing, I prepare my Oatmeal Protein Pancakes (see my recipe page for the full recipe and nutritional info). I do not cook the pancakes at this time. Instead, I place the batter in the refrigerator.
Next, I cut up and season my vegetables for my chicken. After the chicken is thawed, I trim the fat and lightly coat it with olive oil. I then season it with Mrs. Dash Salt-Free Chipotle seasoning. After seasoning the chicken, I spread my vegetables on top of the chicken in a baking dishing and bake at 350 for approximately 50 minutes.
While the chicken is baking, I clean up the kitchen and then cook my pancakes. These are the only things that I prepare ahead of time, as the rest of my meals are pretty quick to pack each morning.
I hope you find this helpful and will give it a try! It has been such a lifesaver for me during my prep for my upcoming contest!

<3 Keli

My Philosophy

I just wanted to take a minute to share with you my philosophy.  It is nothing profound and you may not even be interested, but it is important to me so here it goes...

I believe that the best way to reach one’s optimal quality of life is dependent upon two things: physical well-being and inner well-being.  For me, physical well-being is achieved by finding some form, or many forms, of physical activity that can be enjoyed throughout a lifetime.  I have achieved and continue to maintain physical well-being through my own training sessions, mountain biking, trail running, kickboxing and hiking...just to name a few.  Believe me, the list could go on.  Inner well-being is found by cultivating relationships and sustaining peace within oneself.  I have found inner well-being by surrounding myself with people that I love and that I know genuinely care about me.  I find it through being actively involved with my church family.  It is when we make the effort to lose sight of ourselves long enough to look into the lives of others that we are given the chance to experience a glimpse of divinity. 

As always, LiveFit. 

     <3 Keli

Strawberry Drizzle/Strawberries-N-Cream Protein Shake

     This morning while making some more of my delicious Protein Oatmeal Pancakes, I decided to try to come up with something with a little less calories and sugar than the store-bought fruit spread that I have been using.  What I came up with is what I like to call Strawberry Drizzle.  It complimented my Protein Oatmeal Pancakes quite nicely.

Strawberry Drizzle

Ingredients:
1 C Whole Strawberries
1/3 C Vanilla Greek Yogurt

Directions:
Puree ingredients together in a blender.

1 Serving = 1 T
Makes 16 Servings

Nutritional Info/Serving:
6.7 Calories
0 g Fat
1.2 g Carbohydrate
0.5 g Protein
   
     Now that you know how to make the Strawberry Drizzle, I will tell you how to make the Strawberries-N-Cream Protein Shake.  Keep in mind, if you use only 1 T of the Strawberry Drizzle the strawberry flavor will be fairly mild.  I preferred it that way, but if you want more Strawberry you can obviously add more.

Strawberries-N-Cream Protein Shake

Ingredients:

1 Scoop Vanilla Protein

1 T Strawberry Drizzle

½ C Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

Mix all ingredients together in aBlender Bottle.  You can add water to it if you prefer a more "liquidy" consistency.

Makes 1 Serving

Nutritional Info/Serving:

123.7 Calories

2.2 g Fat

6.6 g Carbohydrate

21.9 g Protein

I hope you have a fabulous day and enjoy these tasty, nutritious treats as much as I do! 

As always, LiveFit.

<3 Keli

Protein Oatmeal Pancakes

     I have a new absolutely delicious and healthy recipe!  It might be my new favorite.  It's called Protein Oatmeal Pancakes. I made these this morning and loved them.  I top mine with either Sugar-Free Syrup (be sure to watch out for and stay away from sugar alcohols and substitutes like aspartame or saccharine) or 100% All-Natural Fruit Spread.  These can be frozen after they have cooled which makes for a quick and easy breakfast later on.

Protein Oatmeal Pancakes

Ingredients:
1 cup Old Fashioned Oatmeal
1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
3/4 cup Egg Whites
1 Whole Egg
1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Cinnamon

Makes 12 medium size pancakes
1 serving = 1 pancake
Nutritional Info/Serving:
57.3 Calories 0.9 g Fat 5.6 g Carbohydrates 6.7 g Protein

Directions:
Blend all ingredients together in a blender.  Let batter sit in refrigerator for at least 5 minutes.  The longer it sits, the better.  Can even sit in refrigerator overnight.  Heat a skillet to Medium, spray with cooking spray and cook pancakes as usual.  Top with sugar-free syrup or 100% all-natural fruit spread.  Toppings not included in the nutritional information above.