Competition Blues

November 26, 2013 By Laura

When a big event ends it’s a little sad.

What do I DO if I’m not planning and prepping?!

Rest is a good thing, but it can be a hard thing to swallow. I’ve heard people talk about feeling down after races, weddings, babies… and competitions. This time around I’m feeling it more than I did before. I think it’s because I know it’s going to be a long time before I compete again (more on that below).

Today’s Work It Out is my attempt to get over it by focusing on lessons learned at Kentucky Muscle and The Rocky, and getting excited to make improvements.

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Season 2 Lessons Learned

1. Support is Invaluable

Having my trainer and 2 very good friends around throughout the process made it 100x easier. Surround yourself with positive people, even better if they can empathize. Heather and Lisa are versatile friends – they were the perfect partners-in-crime in Napa for my 30th and for competing!

Check out the transformation from July to November (photo-editing courtesy Heather):

From Napa to the stage

2. Big Shows are Tough

I’m not talking just the level of competition (though it is harder). I’m talking mentally. They are long, long days. The Rocky show was the most disorganized situation I’ve ever seen. They let too many people enter, causing the show to run so far behind that my group was just getting on stage for pre-judging when the evening show was supposed to begin. That show began 2 hours late… by the time we went to stage again I no longer cared even a little bit.

It was an exercise in patience, rolling with the punches. Thank you for the lesson… but never will I ever do a Colorado show again. In near-ish the future I plan to stick to smaller shows. If you chose them right, they are still competitive but you don’t end up wasting so much time. I get that they want to make money, but there needs to be a cut off for entries. It’s not fair to the athletes or the people who buy tickets.

3. Celebrate Small Victories

Not placing Top 5 doesn’t mean you can celebrate the small victories. It’s no secret that I hate posing. It’s as far out of my comfort zone as you can get. Lisa, who has seen me almost since day 1, watched me in Colorado and said it’s the best I’ve never done.

Now I need to work on GROWING…

4. Growth Takes Time

I’ve gained a lot over the past 2 years, but I’m still too small. I feel like I look big in the gym lifting, but then you put me next to the other women and I look tiny. My trainer, Steve, has been telling me I need to take a year off to really grow. Competing every 6 months or so means I cut too often and lose some of the gains I make.

Steve and me

So I’ve decided to listen to Steve’s advice. I’m taking a year off to grow. This is contributing to the “blues” because I love having a goal line.

(I’m not always the best listener ← understatement of the year.)

5. Food is Good

My nutrition plan leading up to competition wasn’t so restrictive that I was miserable. You CAN compete in a healthy way. It doesn’t have to be tilapia and asparagus (click here for the “why” on asparagus) for months. You never need to be hungry (I stayed full!).

Towards the end you do need to keep with super clean and avoid anything that could bloat. For me, that meant a couple of weeks that were heavy on the white fish and asparagus. I cooked 2 pans of it for Heather and me the day before our competition!

Photo courtesy of Heather, whose spice drawer I could move into.

The happy part about a bulk year is that I get to have alllll the foods!

Heather’s husband, Kirk, help me kick it off right when he made smoked salmon and eggs benedict for us the morning after the competition. I am still dreaming of this:

#yolkporn

“I can’t wait to find out what happens on page number two.” ~Jennifer Nettles, Page #2

***

Check out Heather’s Rocky recap here. I’m excited she’s already planning her return to the stage!

Have you ever experience the post-event blues? What do you do to cheer up?

Who is on your support team? Tell them how thankful you are this week!

The One Where Food Became Fuel

November 13, 2013 By Laura

Food, in the simplest of definitions, is fuel.

I missed that memo.

Food, for me, has always been entertainment. It’s art. It’s an experiment. It’s what I do when I’m sad, happy, grumpy, tired, bored… I love food. End scene.

You might imagine that a limited diet is my worst nightmare. I’ve been trying to prove you can still be creative on a competition diet. You can… but the last week of cutting is HARD. You’ll notice from last week’s WIAW at 4 days out, I still had a lot of variety. This time around I decided to try something new. Being more ~~boring~~ traditional.

I cut fat and am sticking to lean proteins (mostly tilapia). My main veggie is asparagus. My carbs are oatmeal in the morning and sweet potato after that. I’m not hungry at all… but my palette is bored out of its mind. Food has become fuel.

Why am I doing this? Quite simply, to see if it’s necessary. I want to compare last weekend to this weekend. Will it make a difference if I eat more like everyone else the week before a competition? Only ~~my abs~~ time will tell!

The fascination with experimentation is what’s keeping me on track this week!

I almost feel like I should apologize for the repetitive nature of this WIAW. I am 4 days from my 4th figure competition. It’s the last one for a long while… I promise next week will be more interesting.

Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog for everyone else delicious creations!

Breakfast:

I still start the day with my Aminos and ACV morning cocktail. I swear it’s more energizing than coffee.

Breakfast was oatmeal with a ton of cinnamon, honey, and pomegranate atop a homemade Turkey Breakfast Sausage Patties. I really do love the turkey “sausage.” It’s something I would make in the off-season too – they’re a great clean, low-sodium alternative to the store-bought stuff.

As usual, I ate it in the car on the way to work. Turkey-oatmeal coffee mug parfait!

Mid-Morning Snack:

Surprise, surprise. Tilapia. I did add some variety with cucumbers, red bell pepper, and purple sweet potato chips (with cinnamon).

Lunch:

Fish variety at lunch – I had Perch with my asparagus. The asparagus I sautéed during food prep with shallots, garlic, lime juice, and herb. I’m really loving the perch – it’s super mild.

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

Tilapia. Again. Added some variety in two ways: I used purple asparagus and I made it into ribbons! Purple asparagus is thicker, so it makes it a bit easier to shred into ribbons. Fuel can be fun. Ish.

Dinner:

Dinner was is my favorite treat – Sea Bass. It even makes asparagus taste better. Purple sweet potato is like dessert. I topped it with some nutritional yeast for a nutty accent.

Dessert:

It’s not really dessert anymore. Tilapia topped with a blend of Mexican spices and cucumber with salt-free mustard. Nom.

***

I prepped all my food to take to Denver today for this weekend’s competition. Tilapia and curry-roasted asparagus are on tap for the plane. Others on the flight are going to love me. #sorryimnotsorry

Do you view food simply as fuel? Fun? Something else?

How do you keep it interesting in the kitchen?

Microwave Protein Cookie + WIAW

September 19, 2012 By Laura

Lifting weights will not make you bulky.

It drives me NUTS when I hear women say they don’t want to lift because they are scared they’ll get bulky or look “manly.” Women don’t have the hormone levels men do, so it’s just not possible to gain like a dude. It takes a TON of work to significantly grow muscle. I should know.

It is especially important for women to have a strength training program.

A few of the benefits include:

Body Fat Reduction – As you increase lean muscle, so does resting metabolism. This means that you burn more calories all day long. Studies have shown that for each pound of muscle you gain, you burn 35-50 more calories each day. That’s as much as 18,250 calories in a year!
Decreased Risk of Osteoporosis and Heart Disease – Women are at an especially high risk of suffering from this disease. Weight training can increase spinal bone mineral density, and – combined with adequate calcium – can be one of the best defenses against osteoporosis. Cardio is important in heart health; however, lifting can help to lower “bad” (LDL) cholesterol, increase “good” (HDL) cholesterol, and lower blood pressure.
Improved Athletic Performance – Research continually proves that strength training improves athletic ability. It enables you to increase endurance, improve technique, and decrease the risk of injury.
Improved Mood and Fights Depression – A Harvard study found that 10 weeks of strength training reduced clinical depression symptoms more successfully than standard counseling did! Strength training often helps women feel more confident and capable, both important factors in fighting depression.
Physical Strength – This may sound obvious, but strength training is important for daily activities – chores, chasing after kids, carrying groceries… basic, daily tasks will be much easier. And how nice is it to be able to open ajar unassisted?

Strength training isn’t the only factor though. I’m trying my best to gain as much as possible before my November competition. Just as important as lifting is diet. Healthy fats, complex carbs, and a lot of protein are key to gaining mass. As much as I’m taking in, I’m still not She-ra…. but I am making gains!

A few people have asked for progress pics. I wish I’d done a better job to tracking and taking pics from the same angles, but here’s the best bicep progress pic I have:

Still a ~~really~~ long way to go, but I think there are some changes!

Speaking of strength training (nice transition, right?), this fall’s What I Ate Wednesday theme: “Fall Into Good Habits.”

Check out my healthy fall fuel below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get ideas from others’ fall eats!

Meal 1:

I probably bore you all with my morning cocktail, but this day started out like every other day with a mix of Apple Cider Vinegar, Glutamine and Aminos (I’ve switched since this pic to ON brand and LOVE it) … with some kombucha and water. This week I had a lavender-rosemary homebrew to mix in. Good for the digestion, skin, and overall energy!

30 mins later I noshed on a random concoction:

A Morningstar veggie sausage scrambled with egg whites and topped with cilantro, 1/2 a grapefruit, and a slice of Ezekial bread with sugar-free strawberry jam. Not super creative, but it was the jam on this rainy morning.

Meal 2:

If it’s going to rain, at least my food can be bright!

There’s no shame in microwave baking! Especially when it is an iced Sunbutter cookie.

This cookie is incredibly easy. I was going to bake it, but that seemed too time-consuming. 35 secs in the microwave for this baby! I blended together cottage cheese, stevia, and apple pie spice as the icing and arranged golden kiwi slices on top.

Recipe at the bottom.

Meal 3:

Monday night’s dinner was a healthy version of Crab Eggs Benedict. I remade it for WIAW because it was so delicious. I’d probably be eating it again right now if I wasn’t out of my local farm fresh eggs.

However, I’m a tease. The recipe will be shared tomorrow… sorry, but I felt it deserved its own post. 🙂

Meal 4:

Tilapia again… but I did prepare it differently! I’m working on a project making my own (salt-free) spice blends. This was cooked in a grill pan with my Mexican blend and fresh lime juice. On the side was roasted broccoli slaw and brussels, topped with more of my blend, rice vinegar, and nutritional yeast.

Meal 5:

I’m trying not to Instagram everything before I post it on WIAW… but I couldn’t help myself last night.

This pizza combo knocked my socks off. I toasted a low-carb tortilla as the crust, then slathered it with a sweet potato mashed with lemon juice, cumin, and chili powder. Meanwhile, I sautéed asparagus and chopped fennel in a splash of garlic-infused olive oil. That saute, arugula, and pre-cooked salmon topped my pizza.

I put the whole thing in the oven on broil for a few mins, finish with freshly ground pepper, thick balsamic, and cilantro… and viola!

Total foodgasm. ♫ The neighbors complain about the noises above… ♫

Meal 6:

An old favorite… with a new twist. Remember my Carrot Cake Protein Batter? I made it chocolate.

This Chocolate Carrot Cake Protein Batter was basically the same recipe, but I added 1 T cocoa powder and use almond extract instead of vanilla.

Side note: Did you know that 1 T of cocoa powder has 1g of protein?

Meal 7:

In the interest of honesty… this happened:

I get an extra cheat each day in effort to gain weight… ~~although this may not be what my trainer had in mind…~~

It was delicious though! Terrapin is a Georgia brewery, and their Pumpkinfest beer is fantastic. It combines two styles – pumpkin beer and Oktoberfest – to create a spiced pumpkin beer that isn’t overly sweet.

Never fear! I got my protein in too:

A maple-casein version of my 150 Calorie Microwave Protein Cake topped with fresh figs.

Nutty Microwave Protein Cookie

2 T peanut flour
1 T water
1 T Sunbutter
2 T egg whites
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
5-6 drops liquid stevia

Mix ingredients in a small bowl.

Coat small, microwave-safe plate with cooking spray. Spread dough on plate and microwave 30-40 secs.

Serves 1.

***

Protein count for the day: 191.3g from fall clean eats!

Do you do any strength training? Why or why not?

What foods have you been loving the most this fall?

Things That Make You Go Hmmmm…

September 14, 2012 By Laura

Strange, but good.

That’s going to be my new tagline.

Training for a figure competition means my diet is a little odd. It may make you go hmmmm.

I need certain combos of food and certain times. Rather than view these parameters and restrictions, I try to turn them into opportunities to create.

I love trying new flavors. Adding sweetness to things that are traditionally savory and vice versa. Using spices that are not-so-common to give the ordinary a little something extra. Sometimes it doesn’t work… but when it does it WORKS.

Today I want to share a few that I’ve tried recently, and a couple of “proof” shots from others:

1. Recovery Sweet Potatoes

This was born of a craving. It was early in the morning and post-workout. I wanted something breakfast-sweet, but also had a craving for sweet potato. Then there was the matter of getting my protein to feed muscles growth and aid recovery. This vanilla-cinnamon concoction fit the bill!

Recovery Sweet Potatoes

1 small sweet potato, pre-cooked and cubed
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
3 T unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of cardamom
2 T raw rolled oats

Place sweet potato cubes in a bowl.

In a small bowl, mix protein powder and spices.

Pour sauce over sweet potatoes and top with oats. Devour.

2. Tequila Lime Tilapia and Kiwi

For meal 2 I get a fruit, a protein, and a tablespoon of seeds. It was close to noon before I was able to eat, so I wanted something more savory as my protein. With this leftover Tequila-Lime Tilapia, I made a sort of fruit salad by adding golden kiwi and peptias (pumpkin seeds).

3. Salmon and Peach Salad

This pre-workout meal was eaten in the car on the way to the gym (hence the blurry-in-a-hurry pic). Again, it was a late Meal 2, so I needed my fruit and protein. I had some leftover grilled salmon in the fridge that needed to be eaten. Salmon is slightly sweet to begin with, so I paired my leftover it with a late-season peach. I mixed in a little Greek yogurt (maybe 2-3 T?) to add moisture. With the slight smoky-char flavor from the grilled fish, the sweet peaches were absolutely fantastic.

For those of you who are short on time, this is an easy, fun meal that can be thrown together 5 mins before walking out the door and eaten on the go!

4. Greek Chocolate-Orange Protein Yogurt

Chocolate and orange probably isn’t a strange combination to many of you. I haven’t been a big fan of the combo in the past. I like my chocolate served with a side of chocolate! Keeping an open mind (and in need of a quick meal 2), I eyed the half eaten orange in my fridge.

I wanted Greek yogurt, but I try to limit my diary as I find it makes my face break out. Often my solution is to eat just half a serving and combine it with 1/2 a scoop of protein powder to get at least 20g of protein (my minimum at each meal)., which is exactly what I did here.

Greek Chocolate-Orange Protein Yogurt

1/2 c Greek yogurt
1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder
3-4 drops of chocolate flavoring (I use these Capella drops)
5 drops of orange liquid Stevia.
1/2 segmented orange

Mix together yogurt, protein, chocolate flavor, and Stevia in a small bowl.

Top with orange segements and (optional) sprinkle of cinnamon.

5. PB & Jeggs (and Aggs) Proof

I have a little PB & Jeggs (Aggs/Peggs/etc) addiction. This egg white-peanut flour-fruit combo is a staple in my diet. It’s the perfect high protein fuel, and suitable for breakfast, snack, or dessert.

Sounds weird, taste good. But I’m not the only one who thinks so! My friends Eiren and Meg agree:

Meg’s PB & Jeggs (with oats):

Eiren’s PB & Jeggs (isn’t this the coolest graphic?! So sweet of her to make it):

And Eiren’s awesome twist on the PB & Aggs… PB & Aggs in a Jar:

***

In other weird food news, I remain addicted to Carrot Cake Protein Batter. I’m eating it as I draft this post. Pretty sure this will never get old.

Have you tried PB & Jeggs? Just trust me on this one.

What is your favorite strange food combo?

Eat Your Tequila Lime Tilapia

September 13, 2012 By Laura

Drinking is a training no-no.

Let’s be honest… I indulge on cheat day ~~and sometimes at night I sacrifice a carb for a wine~~.

Booze isn’t just for drinking though! It makes for a wonderful marinade. So wonderful that I have made this Tequila-Lime Tilapia dish 4 times in as many weeks (that NEVER happens). It is a great dish to make in bulk to take for lunch throughout the week!

My trainer insists that booze doesn’t completely cook out. We should be so lucky. I don’t believe it. I’ve eaten a lot of this tilapia and didn’t feel the least bit buzzed.

A study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Nutrient Data Laboratory DID show that alcohol content diminishes with cooking time. When food is baked or simmered for 15 minutes, 40% of the alcohol will be retained. After an hour, 25% remains. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal here, as this is just a marinade and the amount of alcohol in an individual serving will be minimal.

Adding liquor and/or citrus to recipes has always made me a little nervous. It seems all too easy to add too much. The recipe has taught me to let go of that fear. More is more (to an extent… that time my aunt challenged me to a margarita contest wasn’t my finest moment).

Like chicken or tofu, tilapia is a blank canvas; it will take on whatever flavor you soak it in. The bright tang from the lime and smooth silver tequila really shine here. I love the garlic and the warm, almost peppery quality of the cumin.

This is one place you don’t want to go overboard with the chili powder. Remember, you can always add more but you can’t take it back. Just a hint of heat on the end is all you need with the delicate fish.

Ever the Mexican fan, I served mine tostada style (read: I over-stuff what was originally going to be a taco) over a corn tortilla with salsa, spinach, red pepper, cucumber, and cilantro. I guarantee you this is more fresh, healthier, and just as tasty as what you find at your local El Whatchamacalit.

I think this would also be good with tofu for my plant-based friends. Please let me know if you try it!

*Important note* Don’t use this as an excuse to rid yourself of crappy alcohol. Just like drinking bad booze, cooking with bad booze won’t have good results. If you wouldn’t drink it, don’t eat it (this applies to cooking with wine, too).

Tequila-Lime Tilapia

3 T fresh lime juice (1 medium lime)
3 T tequila (I used Patron Silver)
3 T fresh cilantro, chopped
2 T red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 lb tilapia (or other white fish)

Combine all ingredients except the fish in a resealable plastic bag.

Add fish, seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 30 min – 1 hour, turning once.

Heat grill pan (or grill) to med-high, and spray with oil or PAM. Remove fish from marinade and place in pan to grill for ~3-4 mins each side, or until the fish is no longer translucent in the center (it will vary depending on the thickness of the fillets).

Remove from heat and allow to rest a moment before serving.

Optional: garnish with lime wedges and fresh cilantro.

Serves 4.

***

I would say something insightful about the nutritional content of seafood… but I’m feeling a little loopy after my fish tacos…. *hiccup*

What is your favorite Mexican dish?

Have you ever cooked with booze? Any recipes to share?