Healthier grubs

I started slacking off on my cooking at the beginning of February. Groupon (if you haven't heard of it, you must live in outer space) was selling a coupon for River Oaks fitness, 5 personal training sessions for cheap. So I thought "why not?" and bought one. After my first session I learned that my body is completely out of alignment and that I am the least physical person on the planet. I also also learned that River Oaks Fitness was looking for a freelance designer to make some brochures for them. So I asked to do a barter: designer for a trainer. They agreed! We went straight to work, on my end and on theirs. For two months I was either at work, the gym, or my home computer designing comps. No time for cooking, nor did I want to because everything that I enjoy making was definitely off limits. Good news is I lost 10 pounds. Bad news is my passion for cooking was on hold. But I'm back in action and loving not being on a diet! Is that wrong to say? So I thought I would make a post about some of the things I ate while working out. I still continue to eat these things too!

During my 2 month decline in food consumption this guy named CLIF was my lifesaver!

Chocolate Mint is the only way to go. Taste like a thin mint girl scout cookie. BJ prefers the peanut butter, which tastes like play-doh to me. The chocolate is my second favorite.

My trainer had me on a 60/20/20 diet. Meaning 60% protein, 20% carbs, 20% fat. Wow, that was a lot of meat. Almost a disgusting amount. So I had 2 protein shakes a day to help.

Protein powder + fat free frozen yogurt + crushed ice = Jen friendly milkshake





Almost taste like a Wendy's Frosty! Seriously, if you're looking for a good protein powder, this stuff is yummy even if the packaging looks intimidating.

River Oak Fitness is a gym owned by the creator of My Fit Foods. So occasionally I would eat some of their meals, and I have to say they are pretty delicious! I recommend their Turkey Pasta, Green Chicken, and Chili. They are a little pricey, so to cut costs I would buy the large and get 2 lunches out of it with a salad from home. http://www.myfitfoods.com/

Even though I loved my CLIF bars, I needed other snacks. These items also helped me get through the late night munchies:




I couldn't give up cheese.

For dinners, we had a ton of chicken. Marinaded, mostly. This recipe I found was the best marinade for grilled chicken. I highly recommend it if you're looking for something new:

Dijon-lime marinade



4 boneless, skinless organic free range chicken breasts
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (or bottled if you don’t have limes)
4 cloves garlice, minced
1/4 cup vegan Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp dijon mustard

Marinate for a few hours or overnight. Grill and enjoy! One night I added half a slice of swiss cheese and ate with a a serving from a bag of steamer vegetables. Oh! Another staple while cutting calories:



I also considered adding the chicken sliced on a salad with my honey lime vinaigrette! I call it mine, but I found the recipe. This dressing is so good, I even got my anti-vinaigrette husband eating it (and loving it).




1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup canola oil

Blend everything in a blender, or whisk oils into other ingredients.

BEST DRESSING EVER! I have some in my fridge right now.

Another great lunch option is Kashi frozen meals. These things are the only frozen meals that don't have that previously-frozen taste. To me, anyways. Amy's meals are also delicious, but are meat-free. They can be found in gluten-free too. That helped with my mac and cheese cravings.




Oh mac and cheese...