flashback friday: what a difference a year can make.

hello! happy friday :)

today’s post is going to be a bit out of the ordinary.. then again, when am i ever ordinary? don’t answer that.

i wouldn’t want to slack off and not give you guys some of my most recent meals & moves, so i will quickly show you the details and then i will jump right in to this special installment of flashback friday, which is what i am really excited about today! and last but not least, i will announce the giveaway winner!

meals lately have been pretty typical.

mighty maple chocolate protein oats

1/3 cup oats, 1 serving chocolate EAS protein powder, 1 egg white, 1 TB mighty maple

345 calories, 11g fat, 27g carbs, 38g protein

tuna wrap & green bell peppers + hummus

 

1 tumaro’s garden vegetable wrap, 1 can albacore, 1 TB nayonaise, 2 tsp dijon mustard, sprouts & lettuce.

bell peppers & sabra on the side.

 

260 calories, 8g fat, 18g carbs, 29g protein

somehow my snacks missed the camera’s eye, that is why i love thursdays.. i don’t worry about photos. i had a plain chobani yogurt+deep chocolate vitatop pre-workout and i had a green protein smoothie post-workout. AND I GOT MY HAIR DONE. wooooooo!

last night was crock pot night and i fixed chicken masala which is a type of indian curry.

 

into the pot went two boneless skinless chicken breasts (cubed), a large broccoli crown (chopped), half a head of cauliflower (chopped), a small red onion (diced), half a bag of baby carrots, one jar of trader joe’s masala sauce, 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes and enough cumin & curry powder to make you blush.

this made four servings and each serving has 245 calories, 5g fat, 25g carbs and 25g protein

 

i served mine over garbanzo beans marshall ate his over potatoes and had some naan on the side.

the addition of the garbanzo beans (1/2 cup) upped this dinner to 355 calories, 8g fat, 42g carbs & 31g protein.

it was super delicious. randy and penny didn’t get any.

 

this morning i had a little bit different breakfast:

 

alternative bagel brand english muffin topped with 1 TB whipped cream cheese + 1 TB sugar free raspberry jam

4 egg whites + 1 TB heinz reduced sugar ketchup.

i used to always eat english muffins with cream cheese and jam on them! i forgot how much i love this pairing. if you haven’t tried it, i really suggest you do.  jam and cream cheese pair excellently together.

 

all together: 215 calories, 4g fat, 22g carbs, 24g protein

i had a great lower body workout yesterday. i have intense DOMS in my hamstrings already.. but not in my quads. i am not sure what is going on but my quads have not had DOMS in weeks. i am needing a change and i thought this workout would do it since i not only did extra quad exercises, but i also did different ones and lifted heavier than normal. 

i know, i know, not having DOMS is NOT a sign that you didn’t work hard enough.. but i am masochistic and i really love to have a nice case of DOMS in my quads!

i took a cue from dawn’s post and utilized the smith machine yesterday:

[source.]

during my first body for life challenge, i did all of my quad and chest exercises on this machine. i am not sure how i got away from the smith machine.. i think i ended up opting for free weights instead.. but i really am able to squat heavier weights with the smith machine (since i don’t have a spotter and the squat rack scares me if i am all alone!)

anyway, here is the workout (i’ve linked to the moves where possible):

• warm up 0.5 miles / 1.0 incline on treadmill (4 minutes)

quads:

move	reps	weight
smith squat	12 @ 10 @ 8 @ 6 @ 12 @	105# 115# 125# 135# 105#
smith split squat	12 (each leg) @	95#

*i did 25 weighted (10#) ball crunches between the first four sets for a total of 100 crunches.

hamstrings:

move	reps	weight
smith deadlift	12 @ 10 @ 8 @ 6 @ 12 @	45# 55# 65# 75# 50#
stability ball ham curls	20 @	body weight

*i did 30 seconds of butt kicks between the first four sets for a total of 2 minutes of butt kicks.

calves + extra quad work:

move	reps	weight
calf raise on sled	12 @ 10 @ 8 @ 6 @ 12 @	120# 140# 160# 180# 120#
single leg calf raises on sled	20 @	body weight

*i did single leg (quad) leg press between the first four sets @ the same weight as the calf raises and the same # (so for the set with 12 reps @ 120#, i followed the calf press set with a set of single leg presses~ 12 each leg, and so on for the set of 10, 8 and 6.)

abs:

• 100 oblique twists w/ 10#
• 100 crunches on decline bench
• 40 reverse crunches on decline bench

finished with:

• 10 minutes @ level 8 on stairmill, facing different direction every minute
• 5 minutes stretching

total time: 1 hour, max HR: 168, ave HR: 135, calories burned: 325

i have HIIT on the agenda tonight. not sure which one i will pick but you can see my various HIIT ideas on my moves page :)

******************************************************************************************************

flashback friday!!

as you all know, tuesday marked my one year of blogging here on meals & moves! i have had a hay day looking back at my first few posts. they were pathetic. i laugh at the ridiculous photos i was taking and posting.. i am not sure i would want to eat the items with such horrible photos and preparation methods!

needless to say, both my photography skills and cooking skills have come a long way in this past year. i have learned several things from books, from magazines, from blogs and just from good old trial and error!

for this week’s flashback, i thought it would be fun to compare my eats in a then vs. now format along with my comments about the comparison. i ate LOTS of the same foods, obviously, since i’ve been doing body for life for so long now, but boy.. have my photos and cooking methods advanced.

enjoy the flashback!

protein oats

then:

 

now:

comments:

um, did i really used to eat that top bowl of moosh? i used to make my protein oats in the microwave and added the protein powder before cooking, so the powder would cook up into a weird, rubbery substance and i called it breakfast. now i cook my oats on the stove top, add the powder after they are cooked and make sure to top them with something delicious every time! the only good part of the “then” photo is the copious amounts of cinnamon ;) the backdrop in the “then” photo was the kitchen stove. in the “now” photo it is my boss’ nice hardwood floor. UPGRADE! also, notice i no longer use disposable bowls. i went green!

salad

then:

now:

comments:

same dish! but much better photo. i started using place mats. and no longer use the dingy kitchen table for my backdrop! these salads are very similar. my salad palette has not really changed. i always throw together whatever i have on hand and call it good!

greek yogurt mess

then:

now:

 

comments:

i still utilize the yogurt container whenever i can. i like to save a dish. the real difference here is the photography. the greek yogurt messes are practically the same, but the second one is WAY more appealing due to the photographs. i would never look at the “then” photo and say “oh yum, i want that!”

hummus & veggies

then:

now:

comments:

again, i used to use styrofoam plates.. and here i use a glass plate. also, my veggie photos are more up close and personal, which i believe is way more appealing to the eye! the hummus is sabra brand in both photos. love it. you can definitely see my

egg scramble

then:

now:

comments:

natural light. an actual plate. a place mat. much better! the “then” photo has ham and laughing cow in the eggs. the “now” photo has ham, laughing cow, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, onions and avocado. UPGRADE!

protein shake

then:

now:

comments:

i started adding spinach, xanthan gum and guar gum to my smoothies. MUCH better. also, i try to use better backgrounds and natural light since smoothies are really just so boring to look at.

wrap

then:

now:

comments:

again, no more styrofoam plate! and i cut my wraps in half now to show the cross section instead of holding them up with my hand. i try not to show my hands in photos ever, if possible. obviously the photo quality is ten million time better..

protein pancakes

then:

now:

comments:

um. would you even want to eat the “then” photo?! haha. i use the same protein pancake recipe, but now days i have a few i rotate through. this “now” photo is a batch of allie’s low carb pancakes. i think i learned a thing or two about presentation.

out to brunch

then:

now:

comments:

well.. which would you rather eat? i think the photos speak for themselves!

stir fry

then:

now:

comments:

this one is pretty bad! i think it may be the most drastic one of the whole bunch!

BBQ action shot

then:

now:

 

comments:

i learned a thing or two about angles of photos. and how to make things look appealing. i remember the “then” BBQ like it was yesterday.. and it was delicious! it just didn’t look like it ;)

penelope jane

then:

now:

comments:

i chose these photos because i thought this was funny and random. i took a photo of penny last night and she is in the exact same position as the flashback photo. some things never change. except for my roommate now has a much more tasteful couch than the old one ;) you may notice, she is laying on randy’s butt.

randy dog

then:

now:

comments:

well. not much has changed. he is still a lazy pup.

marshall

then:

now:

comments:

 clearly nothing has changed here!

last but not least.. i want to flashback to my first five commenters..

• momma b. was my very FIRST commenter! on this post she said:
  

  Wow girl, you are wearing me out, but I LOVE your new site!! So informative and I love the photos of your food. I will for sure copy some of your meal ideas, I am SO in a rut……..apples, chili, string cheese, water, vitamines, chicken……..you know a real RUTTTTT!
  Love you to pieces!!

• hayley c. was my SECOND commenter! on this post she said:
  

  Ok I am officially addicted to your blog…!!! You take really good pictures, too and now I want to make the spice muffins along with the omelet and boursin cheese. :)  On another note, do you count calories? I know you haven’t been able to work out recently so I’m wondering if you’re just eating your BMR? I listen to Jillian Michaels’ podcasts and she’s always telling girls to eat whatever their BMR is – and that’s WITH working out. I’m 5’3″ and ~120lbs but lookign to lose 5-10. However, I always think that eating my BMR (which is around 1350) seems a little low. Just curious to know what you do because I think we are similar in height?

• danica p. was my THIRD commenter! on this post she said: 
  

  It is sooooo hard to resist those samples at Costco! I have found the only way I can is to put gum in my mouth and not walk near the sample ladies. Great job at getting picks of it all. I am with you completely on ice cream – if there was a way to sustain on it, I would! Thanks for stopping by my blog – your blog is entertaining :)

• coco q. was my FOURTH commenter! on this post she said: 
  

  thanks for stopping by my blog so I can find yours. I’m really impressed by your before and after pics! AWESOME work!!! :D

• em h. was my FIFTH commenter! on this post she said: 
  

  hey girl,I just found your blog and I am lovin it! You seem like a really fun girl, just thought I’d stop by and say hey! hope your having a great day.

what is pretty stellar about this is that everyone listed above still comments or i am still in touch with! (the first four still comment, and i keep in touch with em via facebook because she doesn’t blog anymore)  i have even met danica and coco in person at the foodbuzz festival last november!  a few of my other first commenters who i still keep in touch with include HEABs, k, ashley, susan and lauren.

ATTENTION to the TEN gals listed above! (mom, hayley, danica, coco, em, HEABs, k, ashley, susan & lauren!) as my way of thanking you for being my first readers and STILL reading even though i posted such hideous photos (see above) i would like to send you a little gift! send me your mailing address ASAP!! (mom, danica, k, coco, ashley & susan~ i have yours if it has not changed) xo.

other differences i noticed between a year ago and now:

• i used to separate the meals posts from the moves posts, how inconvenient. now, i do them in the same post but use the “meals” and moves” headings to designate their places.
• i never had a set schedule of posting. i would just post in the middle of the day with no coherence and no consistency. now, i post once a night, documenting the whole day at once. hooray for order.
• um.. people actually read my blog!
• there is more advice, information and interaction in my blog now. before, it was just “this is what i ate, this was my workout”.  now days, there is a lot of interaction from you guys and i try to make my posts a lot more informative!
• i introduced flashback friday and waffle wednesday which have both caught on like a wildfire!

things that haven’t changed a bit:

• i still celebrate national food holidays <—this post is from a year ago today! happy national cherry cheesecake day!
• i still ramble and use ridiculous words
• i still do body for life style workouts
• i’m still obsessed with HIIT
• i still enjoy free day!
• i still create baked goods with protein powder
• i basically eat all the same stuff!

 

WOW.

a year ago i never thought i would be where i am today. yes, i am engaged, going back to school, a new home owner and a lot more mature…

but there is a whole other aspect in my life that i NEVER expected to exist. i am a blogger. and i like it. a lot. i have made what seems like hundreds of friends, had SO many adventures and opportunities (food festivals, culinary tastings, etc), i have excelled in both my pohtography and writing skills and i have had the time of my life.  i often try to remember what i did with my spare time before i knew about healthy living blogs.  i mean.. we are talking hours here, people.  i don’t even know what i used to do. watch tv?

granted, blogging and blog reading takes up a huge chunk of my time.. but i wouldn’t have it any other way :)

did you think i forgot the giveaway winner?!

holy crud, i had a lot of entries. 327 to be exact. you guys floored me with the amazing comments~ thank you!

 

entry #170!

CONGRATS sarah!! send me your address and i will ship out the loot :)

Qs~

1. what differences do you see in your workout habits and what you eat between a year ago and today?

2. what has blogging / blog reading taught you?

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND! THANKS FOR READING!

xo. janetha b.

Tagged as: blog business, blog highlights, dogs, egg whites, english muffin, flashback friday, protein oats, tuna, winner, wraps