Marvelous Smoothie Crack: Mocha Beet Frappuccino

August 12, 2013 By Laura

Crack is whack.

Thank you, Whitney Houston for that insightful quote.

After a long hiatus, I am jumping back into Heather‘s Meatless Monday link up!

I would never expose you to something whack, so this post isn’t actually about crack. It is a super-energizing smoothie though!

This week’s MMAZ link up is about making someone else’s recipe. Unfortunately, I am unable to follow recipes (or directions). Rather, I took inspiration from someone’s recipe.

Sarah created this vegan Mocha Chip Mousse last week. I loved how she used tofu to create a protein-rich healthy-ish dessert. It made me remember my favorite Carrot Cake Batter Shake, where I used tofu to get a milk shake consistency. Why hadn’t I done it with chocolate?! And coffee… this was a frapp waiting to happen! There may have been some strangeness too… I’ve been loving chocolate-beet smoothies lately and I carried that idea over to make this a Mocha Beet Frappuccino. 🙂

Recipe for this crack-like creation at the bottom…

First I have to share some marvelous!!! I had the pleasure of dining with one of my favorite ladies: Sarena! She invited me over for dinner with her family. I’d never met her crew before, but felt like I already knew them thanks to social media. Tony (her husband) said he felt like Instragram was coming to life. 🙂

If you’ve never tried any of Sarena’s gluten-free baked goods before, let me assure you this stuff is the jam. She made a loaf of gluten-free bread that was better than most of the “real” bread I’ve had.

We started with a salad, then for dinner enjoyed succotash, grilled pork, and homemade bread. And more bread. I wish I’d gotten a pic of the Pavlova Sarena made for dessert too. It was fantastic!

Also marvelous was a sunny Sunday run up Stone Mountain. Remember those booty building incline sprints? I’m back at it. 🙂

While we’re talking about booty, I finally picked up a pair of the Nike Pro booty shorts I see everyone on Instagram wearing. They are actually amazing – comfy and breathable.

I shamelessly wore them all day long. Including to 2 grocery stores.

Killer bicep/tricep workout, followed up with more crack.

Check out what else is marvelous in blog land this week in Katie’s link up!

Mocha Beet Frappuccino

1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1/2 serving (1.5 oz) tofu
1/4 C roasted beet (or 1 tsp beet powder)
1 T instant coffee granules
1/2 T cocoa powder
1/4 inch piece fresh ginger
1 cinnamon stick (or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon)
5-6 drops vanilla liquid stevia
Pinch of xanthan and guar gums (optional)
Ice and water (adjust according to thickness preference)

Toss it all in the blender and mix until smooth.

Inhale. Bounce off the walls.

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Why don’t I ever remember that it’s a bad idea to run up mountains the day before leg day?! Doh.

Do you run around in your gym clothes all day?

Do you even gluten-free products even though you don’t have an allergy? I like trying all the foods!

Work It Out: Booty Building

July 16, 2013 By Laura

When one door closes, another opens.

Or maybe another butts in? Hee hee…

I’ve written multiple Work It Out posts about the booty. My mission is to get one. Last season I made some great progress, but there’s a lot of room to grow. Since I am limited on my upper body, I’ve been really focusing on my butt.

I knew I was in trouble when I told my trainer that my new additions made my arms look smaller and he replied “I bet they make your butt look smaller too.”

He was right. Doh.

After speaking to Lisa (who competed in Bikini at the last show I did), I took her advice and put together my own booty building program. I am now training glutes 3 times a week! Before you tell me that’s too frequent, know that I’m still not able to go heavy so a 2-3 day cycle works. 😉

I shake things up each time, but this has been my favorite ass-kicking workout to date:

Click the names for explanations:

Side Lying Clams
Single Leg Glute Bridge
Deep Squats (you can do these with or without weight)
Weighted Hip Lifts
Low Jacks

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Thank you all SO much for all the birthday love yesterday. It make the day that much more special. ♥♥♥

How deep do you squat? Try going ass-to-the-grass. The ~~soreness~~ level of effectiveness is glorious.

What is your favorite booty-builder?

Work It Out: Baby Got Back

February 12, 2013 By Laura

I don’t want none…

Unless you got buns HON!

This week’s Work It Out is selfish. My goal this year is to grow a booty. When I first started with my trainer, he told me I literally ran my ass off. Nice, right? But he was correct. I had NO arse.

My friend Jessica and I decided that it is time to become more well-rounded, and take our glutes to the maximus.

We are off to a great start. Walking/sprinting inclines is great for the booty, and last weekend Jessica, our friend Kathleen, and I all hiked up Stone Mountain.

Jessica, Kathleen, and me

Beyond hiking, there are a ton of exercises you can do in the gym that will help to round out your rump (yes, I’m having way too much fun with this theme).

Today’s Work It Out is composed of my favorite booty-building moves. I do 4 sets of these, 15 reps each. You may want to start out with 3 sets of 10-12 reps and work your way up.

Two-Leg Glute Lifts

Lie face down on a stability ball, making sure your hips are on the ball and your hands are shoulder-width apart on the floor in front of you. Engage your abs, squeeze your glutes, and draw your heels together and your toes apart. The knee should make a right angle. Press your heels up towards the ceiling 15 times.

Need a challenge? Wear ankle weights!

Banded Side Walk

This is awesome for hitting the area where your glutes meet your hamstrings – an area where many women carry body fat.

Tie a resistance band just below your knees. Lower your booty about half way to a squat position, with your feet slightly more than shoulder-width apart (as pictured above on the left). This should be just enough to put tension on the band. Remain in your half-squat, keep your core tight, and step to the right with your right leg first, then your left. Be sure to keep tension on the band through the entire exercise. Repeat for reps, then switch sides to lead with your left leg.

Barbell Hip Lifts

This particular move killed my backside last week. You can perform this on a bench with a barbell or plates, or you can use the Smith Machine. Start light and work your way up as you get used to the movement – it can feel awkward at first!

To begin, sit on the ground with your back against a bench and your feet in front of you. Hold a (padded) barbell or plate in your lap. Extend your hips sky-ward to raise the barbell, keeping your core tight. Take care to push the hips upward using the glutes. At the to of the left, your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your knees (full hip extension). Squeeze at the top, then slowly descend back to the ground.

One-Legged Deadlifts

Want to hit your glutes AND hips at once? One-legged deads are the way to go. This move does require some balance. Take your time, start with a light, and don’t be embarrassed to rest your hand on a bench to steady yourself.

Stand on one leg with the opposite foot slightly back, resting on the toe. Hold a weight in front of your thigh and lean forward from the hips, keeping the back straight and core tight. Slowly bring the weight towards the floor. Lift the back leg up as you lower the weight, reaching hip-level at the top of the move. Squeeze the glutes, returning to the upright position and repeat for reps before switching sides.

Disclaimer: I am not licensed or a professional anything. If you don’t rock a Beyoncé booty after this, it’s not my fault. Don’t sue me. End scene.

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Check out my free Macro Calculator, which helps time your meals to get the most out of your workouts!

People talk a lot about losing, but do you have a specific body part you’re looking to GROW?

What is your favorite booty move? Or favorite booty joke? Extra points if your comment makes me laugh out loud in my meetings tomorrow. 😉