hello to my fellow veggie lovers. for the record, here is how the veggie preference poll panned out.
the question was.. how do you like your veggies? the results:
roasted= 60%
raw= 20%
steamed 15%
sautéed= 5%
roasted is the winner!
hope you all enjoyed that valuable info because it took me a good 10 minutes to tally it all up. :P
not gonna lie, i had to repeatedly remind myself that it was only tuesday today. another dragging week.. le sigh. maybe i am just antsy for jamaica! speaking of.. have you send in your mini-guest post yet? i would like to get all my readers to participate.. so send them in! in case you missed it, the details can be found here. i would like to get them all in by january 25th if possible. thanks!
before i hope into today’s details, i had promised you all that i’d show you my chai protein shake that i had last night!
ingredients:
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (not shown)
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1/2 cup slightly sweet chai tea concentrate
- generous amount of chai spice
- generous amount of pumpkin pie spice
- lots and lots of ice! (also not shown)
mix it all up in your blender and enjoy! i usually like to add cinnamon to the mix but forgot to last night.
yum. i really want to get some guar and xantham gums as per deb’s suggestion.. but i haven’t made it to the store that carries them. this week, i hope!
okay, moving onto today!
thursday. tuesday.
oh yeah, that’s right.. it is only tuesday. sigh.
well my camera was dead this morning so you don’t have the joy of seeing my protein oatmeal (meal 1 @ 9:30 AM) but i am sure you can imagine what it looks like, right? of course right.
lunch was a winner!
meal 2: meatloaf wrap + veggies @ 1:00 PM
i used two of my turkey meatloaf muffins from last night’s dinner and threw them in a flat out with some reduced sugar ketchup~
paired with some raw veggies, lunch was perfect!
this kept me full for the perfect amount of time.. three hours. that is how i know my portions are right on. if i start getting hungry three hours later then it is a good sign.
meal 3: greek yogurt+berries+chocolate PB2+almond milk @ 4:00 PM
a tad on the random side, i know.. but it was sweet and delicious AND healthy. perfect combo!
mmmm. i love berries. i don’t think i ever met a berry i didn’t like! actually today my roomie told me she doesn’t care for strawberries but loves blueberries. that got me wondering how many different berries there were, so i turned to google. there are so many more berries than i thought! check it out: blackberry, raspberry, cloudberry, boysenberry, marionberry, tayberry, blackcurrant, blueberry, gooseberry, redcurrant, strawberry, acai berry, goji berry, cranberry, grapes (yes, they were listed!), elderberry, huckleberry, juneberry, juniperberry, lingonberry, loganberry, mulberry, ollaliberry, sea-buckthorn berry, serviceberry, chokeberry, bearberry, nannyberry, crowberry, salmonberry, barberry, wild rose berry, oregon grape, indian plum, tomato (botanically classified as a berry! who knew?!)… and i won’t even go into the non-edible berries! ay ay ay.. i had no idea there were SO MANY BERRY VARIETIES! (source here)
moving on.
about an hour after this snack it was time for the gym. i originally had my lower body workout planned but i was really feeling the urge to do upper body.. so i went with it!
upper body workout.
i did something totally different today in regard to format. i wanted to get a stellar upper body session in so i chose three moves for each of these five muscle group: biceps, triceps, chest, back & shoulders. THEN i did one move from each muscle group~ i did three sets of 15 reps for each move before moving onto the next move. after the first block of 5 moves i moved onto the next block of 5 moves and did the same rep pattern and then did the third and final block of 5 moves the same way.
my goal today was to lift heavier while still having proper form. the best way to develop the muscle tone i am aiming for is to lift as heavy as possible while still staying within my ability. i used these guidelines when choosing my weight for each set. you will notice that during the first set of each move i was able to lift heavier and then on some sets i had to gradually go lighter in order to complete the set safely and efficiently. the weight used in each move is noted.
i rested about 30-60 seconds between each set.
OKAY.. now that i have explained that way more than i probably needed to.. here are the deets!
- warmup 5 minutes on elliptical level 5
block #1: cable moves
| move (triceps) | weight | reps |
| straight bar push down | 45# | 15 |
| straight bar push down | 45# | 15 |
| straight bar push down | 45# | 15 |
| move (biceps) | weight | reps |
| standing cable curl | 50# | 15 |
| standing cable curl | 40# | 15 |
| standing cable curl | 30# | 15 |
| move (chest) | weight | reps |
| single arm cable crossovers | 10# | 15 each arm |
| single arm cable crossovers | 10# | 15 each arm |
| single arm cable crossovers | 10# | 15 each arm |
| move (shoulders) | weight | reps |
| standing cable raises | 10# | 15 each arm |
| standing cable raises | 10# | 15 each arm |
| standing cable raises | 10# | 15 each arm |
| move (back) | weight | reps |
| wide grip pulldowns | 50# | 15 |
| wide grip pulldowns | 40# | 15 |
| wide grip pulldowns | 30# | 15 |
block #2: dumbbell moves
| move (biceps) | weight | reps |
| reverse grip curls | 10# each hand | 15 |
| reverse grip curls | 10# each hand | 15 |
| reverse grip curls | 10# each hand | 15 |
| move (chest) | weight | reps |
| incline press w/ twist | 17.5# each hand | 15 |
| incline press w/ twist | 17.5# each hand | 15 |
| incline press w/ twist | 17.5# each hand | 15 |
| move (back) | weight | reps |
| face down incline rows | 15# each hand | 15 |
| face down incline rows | 15# each hand | 15 |
| face down incline rows | 15# each hand | 15 |
| move (shoulders) | weight | reps |
| incline front raises | 5# each hand | 15 |
| incline front raises | 5# each hand | 15 |
| incline front raises | 5# each hand | 15 |
| move (triceps) | weight | reps |
| face down incline kickbacks | 5# each hand | 15 |
| face down incline kickbacks | 5# each hand | 15 |
| face down incline kickbacks | 5# each hand | 15 |
block #3: mainly barbell & one dumbbell moves
| move (shoulders) | weight | reps |
| dumbbell press w/ twist | 10# each hand | 15 |
| dumbbell press w/ twist | 10# each hand | 15 |
| dumbbell press w/ twist | 10# each hand | 15 |
| move (triceps) | weight | reps |
| barbell extension | 25# | 15 |
| barbell extension | 25# | 15 |
| barbell extension | 25# | 15 |
| move (chest) | weight | reps |
| barbell press | 50# | 15 |
| barbell press | 40# | 15 |
| barbell press | 40# | 15 |
| move (biceps) | weight | reps |
| barbell curl | 25# | 15 |
| barbell curl | 25# | 15 |
| barbell curl | 20# | 15 |
| move (back) | weight | reps |
| barbell bent over row | 25# | 15 |
| barbell bent over row | 25# | 15 |
| barbell bent over row | 25# | 15 |
um. that’s the end. yeah, told you it was long! the workout, including warmup, took me an hour and twenty minutes. whew! it felt good though.. and my arms feel like noodles now. can’t wait to see if i can lift heavier next week~i am aiming to strengthen my upper body as much as i can. it has been almost 3 years since i broke my humerus and i am still pretty weak in old lefty.
i came home and had my (meal 4) muscle armor+whey protein post workout drink along with a handful of blueberries.. no photos! i was too famished to bother with the camera.
after regaining my strength i got to work on dinner. it turned out being rather random because i forgot to bring my leftover chicken home from work (which was my original dinner plan).
i chopped up a bunch of veggies: asparagus, yellow squash, zucchini and broccoli.
i coated them in balsamic & olive oil and then.. what else? roasted them!
i needed to add some protein to my meal so i went with two hard boiled eggs+1/2 cup cottage cheese.
meal 5: randomness @ 8:30 PM
all components were delicious!
i washed it all down with some iced green tea~
i made a jug of this tazo iced green tea and have been sipping on it. it is delicious and very convenient! thanks for the jug, mom.
whew! that wraps up today’s meals & moves! that took forever and a day to type.. but it was worth it. i really want to track my weight training closely so i can see when and where the muscle gains occur! sorry if i lost your interest halfway through ;)
geez, another long post.. and no time to discuss fun bloggie things! ah well, there’s always tomorrow. i will talk to you all then!
Qs~
1. do you prefer your tea hot or iced? how about your coffee? i typically prefer my coffee hot and my tea iced.. but honestly i like both of them any way they come! i am not picky when it comes to my caffeine fix!!
2. what is your favorite kind of berry? wow i had no clue there were so many. but i would have to say the strawberry has the number one spot in my heart!
xo. janetha b.
Next Comments →
woo hoo for roasted veggies!! and your mug of yog/pb2/berries, etc looks so good!
1. hot! hot!
2. oh man, how can you ask me to pick? definitely includes strawberries, bloobs, and blackberries. and raspberries. ahh i can’t wait for summer!
Hot or iced, I wouldn’t mind. Although I am not a huge tea fan!
I love all berries, really, but best of all strawberries (with Greek Yogurt) and blueberries (with porridge)
Noodles is such a funny word, and DOES not fit you at all. It’s funny because I do not really enjoy berries except in the summer. There’s something not good tasting to me until they are dripping down my throat for some reason. I also hate berry flavored tea (did you sign up yet for my tea exchange?)
But your chai tea, that sounds lovely! Also, super green protein shakes are lovely this time of year. I guess I crave spicey-ness. Pomegranite berries in rice with roasted apples and squash, mixed with curry yogurt and grain…that was my dinner last night!
I much prefer iced tea to hot tea, but I like coffee either way! As for berries? Blueberries & raspberries!
the chai protein shake looks great and the gums… Deb and Allie and maybe Heather are the only people who can make these “work”. Girl. I have ruined so many sauces and drinks b/c i can never get my ratios right. I just need Deb to come over for a personal tutorial :)
Glad you enjoyed and bookmarked my balls n holes post today :)
Fave berry= black, blue, rasp, straw. I aint picky.
Same as you w/ the caffiene. Come summer, it’s totally iced coffee all day, all the way!!!!
hmm. hot tea. preferably green. i still drink hot drinks when i’ts 100degrees outside! =D
coffee- i only drink it hot and VERY rarely.
berry: blueberries and strawberries.
1. Coffee usually hot, but I love iced coffee in the summer. Tea both hot and colde.
2. I love blueberries (when they are good and sweet!).
WHOA!!! That is a MONSTEr shake!!!
I like hot tea when it’s cold and cold tea when it’s hot. Coffee, I almost always prefer it hot.
I love blueberries! :D I haven’t had much good strawberries yet. They’re usually picked too early.
I love a good cup of hot coffee and have always made my morning protein shake into a “latte”. I HAVE to find the chai powder…I love that flavor so much, I have been flavoring my “latte” with a little chai tea.
I never met a berry I didn’t like!
How do you plan out the moves in your workouts…impromptu? ahead of time? Did you take pictures or a book with you before you knew what you were doing?
I guess this title doesn’t apply to me since I am a veggie hater. :)
I don’t really like coffee unless it has alot of crap in it so I don’t drink it. But I LOVE berries – strawberries are my fave!
Killer workout!!
1) My preference for hot vs. iced tea/coffee changes with the seasons. Right now, I’m all about the hot beverage!
2) My favorite berry is the blackberry. But I love all kinds of berries!
Killer workout. My arms would be jello!!!
I definitely swing with the weather when it comes to beverages. If its cold, I go with the hot and vise versa.
Favorite berry is blackberry. I could eat these ALL THE TIME! I love the combo of blackberries and pumpkin for some reason. ;)
Wow that smoothie looks delicious!
I girl, I hear you on this week crawling by! When I woke up yesterday I told myself to go back to sleep because it was Friday. Nope–Tuesday. then all day I was convinced it was Wednesday. Sigh. That looks like a phenomenal upper body workout, just like you said ;) Hope your week gets faster! xoxo
I like my coffee and tea both hot in the winter and iced in the summer! No other way.
And my favorite berry has to be the blueberry!
xoxo
Kris
oh man i hate to say this..but im not a berry girl! i DO like berry flavored stuff tho, like strawberry and blueberry!! :)
that meatloaf looks ridiculously good to me..and i dont even like meatloaf!
great workout, as always girl!
Hot or iced. It really depends on the flavor. I LOVE blackberries. I could eat them 24/7
Delicious wrap with the Turkey meatloaf and yummy dinner even though it was a tad random you got all your food groups in!!
Oh, that chai shake looks so great. Your food always looks so great though. Can you please come cook for me?
I like blueberries best.
omgggg, i have SUCH noodle arms today. serious DOMS. i spent a ridiculous amount of time in the gym yesterday as well (i’m usually in and out in an hour). But my friend who gets personal trained every other day came in and showed me some moves which turned my hour workout into almost two! geebus!
i wish i could go to the gym with you & learn all your moves, i need to incorporate new exercises in my routine and not be afraid of certain machines that i dont fully understand, lol.
sounds like your workout was a huuuge success! :) and that chai protein shake looks amaze. i love chai!
fave berry? hmmm, strawbs i think. and i like my tea & coffe, both hot :) although an iced soy chai is pretty darn good in the summer months!
My arms are sore just reading your workout…! I like my tea hot hot hot and my coffee hot in the winter, iced in the summer. And my favorite berries are raspberries…and I’m very sad they’re not in season…!
I love random meals! Nothing’s better than throwing some weird food together ;).
Wow that looks like a killer workout! Need to get more inspiration for strenght training and will definitely stalk your moves page laters.
Tea. Ah, the love of my life. ;). More often than not I drink it hot but I love it cold as well. Not a huge coffee drinker but I like it with a bit of milk and nothing else.
Blueberry girl all the way but strawberries are a close second
That shake looked huge! It was like a little mini-hand behind it :P
I’ve gotta say I like my tea hot and I’m not into coffee anymore (I want it all sweet and coffee is too bitter for my current taste :O)
My favourite berry….hmm, I don’t think I’m in a position to say, there are so many berries I still need to try: elderberry, gooseberry, huckleberry (is that a real berry or is it just a name “huckleberry finn”?) and uhm, I’m surely missing a few there… But I do like my blueberries…and strawberries
xxx
P.S. Thanks for the link, it was a good blog, I might contact her to ask her about some raw stuff ;)
You know I had that exact same chai but didn’t use it up in time and it went bad. If only I had known about that delicious shake! :(
Love the random meal of veggies/protein. Looks good.
1) That’s a hard one, I’m going with all of the above. I love iced tea and iced coffee in the summer and hot coffee and hot tea in the winter.
2) Either blueberries or raspberries.
Yay for noodle arms – well done! Your chai protein shake looks so good – agh!
Tea and coffee – I don’t discriminate either to be honest. I love both, both ways!
Favourite berry? blue or rasp.
xx
Janetha,
Your chai protein shake sounds so good, and no wonder your arms feel like noodles. Another intense workout Janetha. How are you feeling today? Does it hurt to type? ;)
Love my veggies any way but raw. Love steamed roasted stir-fried, but not a fan of most raw veggies ‘cept spinach and carrots for the most part. Raw broccoli…blech!
Favorite berry – hmm, that’s a tough one. Too many to choose from. Strawberries…no, blueberries…ahhh, can’t do it.
Love hot coffee in the winter and Starbucks iced coffee in the summer. :)
That is a killer workout lady! :)
1. do you prefer your tea hot or iced? how about your coffee? both hot. I’m not an iced tea fan at all.
2. what is your favorite kind of berry? blueberries
That is one heck of a workout. I can NEVER seem to squeeze that many moves in under an hour and a half. You must have magical powers! I noticed that on a few moves where you alternated weights, you started with the heaviest first? Does that have its benefits? I usually up it as I go and do as many as I can of each set. Is one better than the other? Is maintaining the same weight throughout beneficial? I never do that either.
I like my coffee and tea hot, just like I like my men, weather and salsa. HA!
My favorite berry is raspberry.
;)
Killer workout!! I think someday we should meet up and just do some strength training!
And is that chai drink high in calories? I love chai flavor but all the ones I’ve seen are so high in sugar and calories!
1. And I prefer my tea HOT!
2. And favorite berry hmm.. blackberries!
Your workouts are INSANE woman!
I prefer tea iced. And my favorite berry? I guess red raspberries.
Must.get.CHAI.seasoning!!
I love tea; it depends on the season and the tea. :)
I knew you’d ask about the berries – I love all berries, but my favorites are raspberry – not overly sweet, but not as tart as blackberries.
gahhhh berries i LOVE LOVE LOVE them! i just hate the winter, because i try not to buy berries out of season, but i LOVE them sooooo much! fave? probs strawbs, bluebs or rasps.
i like my tea like i like my men…HOT!
loving the looks of that chai shake…have a great humpday my dear janetha bean!
yum, i love the hard boiled eggs! that reminds me that I have some in the fridge to use :)
LEGUME SPREAD! =D of course. that’s how i call my pb!
When I grow up can I be just like you please? That is a killer upper body workout! You are seriously my weight lifting inspiration. If I hadn’t found your blog I would have never done BFL and never fallen back in love with weights. Just thought I had to tell you that haha.
<3<3<3
I’m allergic to raw berries! It’s awful because I really love them! I’m also allergic to raw tomatoes and kiwi fruit. Oral allergy syndrome is a pain. :(
Go you! I just got done doing yoga and my arms totally feel like noodles! lol!
That shake looks delicious! The only berry I have tried and NOT liked are lingonberries, they sell them at Ikea (random).
Tea and coffee….I can only drink iced in the summer and hot in the winter. I would freeze if I tried drinking iced anything right now… I even microwave my water :)
I like my tea iced and my coffe hot! Strawberries are my fave berry!
ooooh i want noodly arms! i’m stealing like all of those shoulder exercises for tomorrow :) spank ya berry much
speaking of berries? hmmm i love blackberries but have them maybe once a year. i also like blueberries but they’re never on sale. and strawberries are also very good but they’re always pretty expensive too.
mmm i love HOT like scoldering hot drinks in the winter and FREEZING cold drinks in the summer! i’m a girl of extremes ;)
Mmm your berry meal looks unbelievably delicious. I wish berries were cheap like they are in the summer!
1. I like hot drinks, almost exclusively. The exception is when I’m working out. I like hot water, hot tea, hot coffee…even in the dead of summer.
2. Blackberries or raspberries, can’t decide. Can I mix them and call it a day?
This is the longest week ever!!!
1. Hot coffee and iced tea fo sho. But I do like iced coffee during the summer and hot tea when I’m really cold. I could live without hot tea pretty easily though.
2. Raspberry probably. I really don’t like bloobs. Call me crazy!
Have a good day girl!
Whoa, I just printed that upper body work out, can’t wait to try it on Saturday!!
Your veggie meal looks great, random berry snack yummy too, you sure are eating so very clean, proud of you!!
I like the herb tea hot and my coffee ice cream cold!!
Has to be the good old raspberry, yummmmy!!
xoxo
that chai protein shake looks delicious. I love chai tea!
Wow, I didn’t know about all of those berries either! A cloudberry sounds interesting to me though. I love berries, my favorite kind are blackberries.
Thanks for linking to some moves! I need work on my strength training, love it!
I prefer iced tea and coffee because it’s sooo hot where I live!
Daayyyum! That’s one heck of an upper bod workout! Very inspiring :)
Those veggies look delish!
I like my coffee hot and my tea iced – both unsweetened now.
Fave berry? Strawberries:)
Hi! Your meatloaf wrap looked so good. I perfer my tea iced! I don’t really drink coffee. My fave berry is cranberry.
haha i love your random dinner combo! sometimes it’s fun to go with foods that you like/are craving but that dont really “go” together at all. i would have to say hot tea and coffee…except sometimes i really dig a good iced coffee, especially in the summer. and wow! that is a lot of berries. i dont even know if i can pick my favorite?! strawberry? blueberry? cranberries (esp dried…)…that’s a tough one!!
roasted is the winner! YAY…it is the best way in my opinion!! the chai looks SO good! that oregon chai company makes the best mixes!! thats such a great dessert idea :)
tahts crazy about the types of berries, I do love blueberries the most (I think) but then again I havent tried all of those other types before!!
I prefer both of these items HOT in the winter and COLD in the summer. Well except in the morning-I will only drink and NEED my coffee hot in the morning even if it is 90 degrees out. Something about hot coffee in the AM makes me SMILE :)
killer workout, Janetha, seriously you are kicking ass with this!! and fueling properly which is important!
xo
Yay TAYberries!! I love how there’s a berry names JUST for me ;-)
1. Iced tea – I can’t too hot. Makes me feel nauseous – not sure why. And I love hot coffees, but LOVE iced ones. Tie there!
2. Blueberries are the winner by 330359087 million miles. For sure.
Whoa! That meatloaf wrap looks and sounds AMAZING. I might have to recreate that with some lentil loaf.
1. Hot tea, all the way.
2. Blackberries! I just wish they didn’t have so many pesky seeds.
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