Mother's Day Cookout & Some Great Veggie Burgers

We grilled out with the family this Mother's Day and had a delicious plant based meal!

We found some really good pre-made veggie burgers to bring with us to Summer cookouts.  They're Hilary's Adzuki Bean Burgers.  We discovered them in the Freezer section at Whole Foods a while back and we really like them.  They have a little bit of a cumin flavor and go really well with guacamole, lettuce and tomato, served on a bun or just eaten the way they are!  

They taste really good, they stay together on the grill and are free of a lot of common allergens. They're Vegan and gluten-free, dairy free, non-GMO, corn free, soy free, etc.  Get yourself a pack and let me know what you think!

http://www.hilaryseatwell.com/products/adzuki-bean-burger

Heavenly Tropical Fruit Salad

I've been trying to cut back on snacking on dark chocolate and other sweets that may be hiding in the pantry, so I made a nice big bowl of fruit.  It turned out so pretty that I couldn't resist posting a photo.

YUM!  This salad made a great little after dinner treat.  I cut up half of a cantaloupe, some fresh local strawberries (hand picked by yours truly), a mango and a kiwi.  Everything was ripe and so sweet - it was the perfect healthy dessert!

Weight Loss Progress Update - Week 3

I've lost 2 pounds and .4% body fat since last week!  

My 6 week Fitness & Weight Loss Challenge!

On May 2nd, my fabulous trainer challenged me to set some goals (I've got goals!) but then she asked me to set a date that I planned to achieve those goals by. Yikes! How intimidating?  What was at stake? Three weeks of free training if I could do it. 

Stats as of 5/2/13:

Weight: 140.4 lbs.; Percentage Body Fat: 24.1% (I've been "stuck" at this weight since March after losing 17 pounds.)

Goals:
- Weigh 125 lbs.
- Percent Body Fat: At most 22%
- Feel good in a bikini this Summer

In order to reach my goals, I plan to do the following:
- Exercise 5-6 times per week (working out with V a couple times)
- Keep my calorie intake at 1200/day (even on the weekends - BIG CHALLENGE FOR ME)
- No sweets, no wine, no excuses! (I'm only allowed one latte a week!) :)

As of 5/15/13:
Weight: 139.8; PBF: 23.4% (I lost 1/2 a pound and .7% body fat)

Not much lost but it was a loss, so that's good.  This weekend should be easier because there won't be as many temptations as there were last weekend - we had a big family get together to celebrate Mother's Day, my Mom's birthday and my parents 41st Anniversary and there was a lot of good food present!  I'll be posting weekly updates on my success.

Super Yummy Vegan protein shake!

Based in a suggestion from my personal trainer, I decided to experiment with making a new kind of afternoon snack and boy was it tasty.

I based my shake off of a Nutribullet recipe. It was tropical, sweet and I couldn't get enough!

Thai Spicy Peanut Quinoa Bowl - Vegan & Gluten-free!

 

Holy mother of goodness ~ this meal was fantastic!  I've been on a peanut butter kick lately - I'm in love with the "do it yourself" fresh ground peanut butter at Whole Foods.  This peanut butter is awesome because there's no added sugar, it's unsalted and there are no added oils.  Yum!

Oil-free & Vegan Balsamic Salad Dressing

This dressing made my day! I have been trying to find ways to decrease my oil intake and I found this gem while strolling the Whole Foods salad bar today.