Steel Cut Oatmeal Recipe

I recently posted on my Facebook page what my favorite meals to have for breakfast are. One of my favorites is steel cut oatmeal. It's so delicious and filling. I buy the Bob's Red Mill steel cut oats and I make the recipe on the back of the package. I usually put a packet of stevia in my portion with some berries on top. It is SO yummy. Sometimes I'll put a tablespoon of flax seed meal or protein powder in it.

I was reading Kourtney Kardashian's blog and she is also a big fan of steel cut oats for breakfast. She posted her favorite way to eat the oats in the morning and the recipes sounds great. I'm definitely going to make it once I'm done with the 7 Day Slimdown. :)

If you don't know what steel cut oats are, they are the whole grain groats that have been cut into pieces with steel rather than being rolled. The groat is the inner portion of the oat kernel. What I love about steel cut oats is that they are chewier and nuttier than old-fashioned oats. Steel cut oats have many health benefits and are very filling. It's definitely one of my favorite things to have for breakfast aside from Tone It Up protein pancakes or an egg white omelet. :) Steel cut oats have a lower glycemic index than instant oatmeal which causes a lower spike in insulin levels when consumed. A 1/2 cup serving of cooked steel-cut oatmeal provides only 150 calories. It is a good source of complex carbohydrates, and provides 4 g of soluble fiber, which works to lower cholesterol. It also provides 5 g of protein.

Here is Kourtney Kardashian's steel-cut oatmeal recipe:

One serving:
1 cup of almond milk
1/4 cup of steel cut oats
2 tablespoons of Bob’s Red Mill ground flaxseed meal
1 teaspoon of Manuka honey (which has health benefits as well as adding some sweetness)

Mix everything together on medium heat and stir until it comes to a low boil. Then put on simmer and leave for about 20 minutes or so…that’s it! So easy and very healthy!

Enjoy! :)

My Daily Goal

As I mentioned in my previous post, I began a daily goal last week to burn 500 or more calories every day. Today is my 8th day doing this goal and I must say how incredible I'm feeling. I wake up feeling refreshed and excited to start the day with a ToneItUp booty call workout whether it be a run or a video. A few girls have joined me in my goal and I couldn't be happier. This makes me so happy to know I've inspired others! If anyone would like to join in on this goal let me know on my Facebook page so we can all check in with each other!

So I'm dealing with the girl issues right now and it sucks but I'm not going to let it bring me down! I do NOT want it to interfere with my daily goal! I powered through my workouts yesterday and it's amazing how it instantly makes me feel energized. Yesterday I did the new ToneItUp Sunset workout and I LOVE it! It's a great workout and I really felt the burn! I also did two NTC workouts.

I'm excited to power through another day- who's with me!? :)

Sunday RUNday

Hey everyone!

I had a great night of sleep and woke up feeling refreshed! Love when that happens. I immediately thought of what my morning "booty call" workout was going to be and decided to go on a run. I have the Couch to 10k app on my iPhone and I love it. I did 'Week 2 Day 3' of the program today and really enjoyed it. My mom tagged along with me which made me happy! It was a foggy morning but it was nice and cool out. I wear a Polar FT4 watch which comes with a heart monitor so it tells me how many calories I'm burning and what my heart rate is. On my jog/walk I burned 375 calories and once I got back home I stretched then decided to do a 30 minute NTC (Nike Training Club-iPhone app) work out so I could reach my goal of burning over 500 calories a day! I chose the '30 minute Conditioning Corps' workout and loved it. I checked my Polar watch and I burned 272 calories doing that! I took it a little easy today since I've decided starting next week my rest days are going to be Sundays. Since I've started this daily goal of burning 500 or more calories a day, my workouts have really stepped it up and I love it. I need a rest day so my muscles can recover. I will probably do the ToneItUp 'Stretch and Release' video and a foam roller routine on my rest days. You can find the 'Stretch and Release' video here

I'm happy I finished my workouts and daily goal before the afternoon. It makes me feel energized for the rest of the day! Join me on my daily goal! Let me know on my twitter or Facebook if you are going to join me! It's so much fun. It is like a daily game to reach the "high score" of burning over 500 calories! Ha ha.

Now I'm off to the Atlanta Falcon's game with my family! I'm pretty excited.

RISE UP ATLANTA! Let's go Falcons! :)

Been Awhile..

Hey everyone!

I know it has been a long time since I've posted something on here. I've been kind of busy with school. Thanksgiving break is coming up though! I'm excited. I love spending time with family and eating yummy food. That brings me to a question that I have been getting lately. "How do I remain healthy on Thanksgiving?" and I always say enjoy the food and family time but always remember 'PORTION CONTROL'. Do not go overboard with the food! Sometimes our eyes are bigger than our stomachs. Also, enjoy talking with your family while you enjoy the food. Do not sit there and shovel the food in your mouth like you haven't eaten in months! Haha. What I'm saying is: don't eat fast! If you enjoy your company and eat slow your food will begin to settle and digest and you will become full faster. Which causes you to not eat more than you should! :)

I hope this helps!

I'm going to start blogging more and I will hopefully be getting a new camera soon so I can take better pictures of my meals, etc.

Love, Nicole

You Are Beautiful

Miss Representation 8 min. Trailer 8/23/11 from Miss Representation on Vimeo.

This video is about how media of all kinds destroy women's and even men's self-image.

You are ALL beautiful, don't let anyone or anything let you think differently.

xoxo

What's In My Gym Bag?!

Y'all make a video too! I love watching everyone's videos :)

xoxo

Enjoy!

My Current Workout Music Mix

Here is my playlist of what I am currently listening to while I run/lift weights etc...

Bulletproof -- La Roux

The Golden Age -- The Asteroids Galaxy Tour

Hot -- Inna (freaking LOVE Inna for workout music!)

Teenage Dream -- Katy Perry

Disturbia -- Rihanna

Baby -- Justin Bieber (I have bieber fever haha)

Keep Your Head Up -- The Love Willows

Amazing -- Inna

Never Say Never -- Justin Bieber

What The Hell -- Avril Lavigne

Last Friday Night -- Katy Perry

Hello -- Martin Solveig & Dragonette

Wannabe -- Spice Girls (throwback! :) )

Tonight Tonight -- Hot Chelle Rae

Bad -- Michael Jackson

A Day In My Life -- The Love Willows

Piece Of My Heart -- Haley Reinhart American Idol

Rise -- Samantha James

Best I Ever Had -- Drake

I Feel The Earth Move -- Haley Reinhart & Casey Abrams American Idol

S&M -- Rihanna

Til The World Ends -- Britney Spears

Rude Boy -- Rihanna

Empire State Of Mind -- Jay Z & Alicia Keys

Cheers Drink to That -- Rihanna

Super Bass -- Nicki Minaj

High Life -- Kelley James

Evacuate The Dance Floor -- Cascada

What's My Name -- Rihanna & Drake

Whoa Oh! -- Forever the Sickest Kids ft. Selena Gomez

American Boy -- Estelle ft. Kanye West

On The Floor -- Jennifer Lopez

Like A G6 -- Far East Movement

Who Says -- Selena Gomez

In The Dark -- Dev

Strut My Stuff -- The Love Willows

Loser Like Me -- Glee Cast

This mix makes me so happy while I'm working out. It also makes me push harder and not give up! Hope you all download some of these songs and listen to them during your next work out!

Enjoy! xoxo

Motivational Monday

Today is Motivational Monday and I found a video on my tumblr feed that really inspired and motivated me! Her name is Miryah Scott and she is a 3 time World Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation World Champion, a model, a Columnist for Oxygen Magazine, a Bodylogix Sponsored Athlete AND she works a job Monday through Friday. That's amazing. Watching her video and seeing how dedicated she is to clean eating and exercising while working everyday really shows how possible it is! You just have to DO it and WANT it. I prepare my meals the night before probably 3 times a week but this has inspired me to do it every day! I hope this inspires you and motivates you because it definitely did for me.

Run Like Hell 5K

I just signed up to do the Run Like Hell 5K race! I'm really excited. This isn't my first 5K nor my first race but I'm really excited to be running with some of my friends from the tone it up team! It's going to be a fun, easy going 5K. Most of the run will be through the historic Oakland Cemetary in Atlanta. It's a beautiful cemetary and it is where Margaret Mitchell (author of Gone With The Wind) and Bobby Jones (legendary golfer) is buried. It's during the day, thank goodness! Doubt I would do the race at night, I'd be too scared running through a cemetary at night. Ha Ha! It's on October 22.

If you'd like to check out events and races in your area, I highly suggest you check out the website www.active.com - Type in your zip code and it pulls up tons of events in your area! It's pretty neat. Let me know if you find a race you're interested to run in!

Enjoy!

My Workout Tonight...

I will be doing the ToneItUp detention workout 3x through!

I'm also going to do a 15 minute Nike Training Club workout.

If you have an iPhone, download the NTC app. It's free and the work outs are amazing! :)

What was your work out tonight?!

Great deal at Whole Foods

Amazing deal today on LivingSocial for Whole Foods!! I love saving money through LivingSocial coupons and this one today is the best I've seen. Whole Foods can be pretty pricey when it comes to buying healthy and organic food but this coupon helps tremendously. Only pay $10 and you get $20 worth of groceries! Perfect for the ToneItUpteam! See the greal deal by clicking here: WholeFoods

Enjoy! :)

Mediterranean Quinoa

I created this recipe on a whim while I was craving something with extra virgin olive oil and veggies. After I took one bite, I fell in love. It’s satisfying and so delectable!

I personally like to make a big batch of quinoa every week to keep in the fridge and I can use it whenever I need to. Usually it’s for this recipe or the Perfect Morning Quinoa recipe from the Tone It Up Nutrition Plan! :)

This recipe calls for:

1 tomato

As many asparagus stalks you’d like since it’s unlimited green veggies :) I usually use about 5 or 6.

If I don’t have asparagus in my fridge, I use kale or spinach.

1/4 cup of sliced baby bella mushrooms

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

-First prepare your quinoa like you normally would and spoon about 1 1/2 cups into your serving bowl. Also, pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil over your bowl of quinoa.

-Saute the mushrooms in a pan on medium heat with nothing in the pan. This allows the mushrooms to sweat a little bit.

-Once the mushrooms have been cooked down a little bit, cut the asparagus into 1 inch pieces and put them in the pan (or throw in kale, spinach, any other green veggie) and pour a tablespoon of olive oil into the pan. Saute the mushrooms and asparagus together and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and pepper.

-Once the mushrooms and asparagus are cooked, pour in 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and saute for a little bit until they have soaked in most of the balsamic.

-Pour the cooked veggies over your quinoa. Take the tomato and slice it into cubes over the top. Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over the tomatoes and VOILA!

Stir and Enjoy! :)

Spanish Salad

I was in the mood for a salad with lots of mexican ingredients and once again I made this up on a whim and it turned out to be a delicious recipe!

ingredients:

1 cup of kale

1 cup of baby spinach

1/4 cup natural salsa

Half of an avocado

1/4 cup of cooked quinoa

1/4 cup of black beans

A few slivers of red and green bell pepper

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Cilantro

First, heat a pan on medium with the Olive oil and add in your kale. Sprinkle with some sea salt. While the kale is cooking down, grab your serving bowl and put in the spinach. Let the kale cook down until it is soft. Add in the bell peppers and black beans to the pan. Cook for about 2 more minutes. Pour kale, bell peppers, and black beans over the spinach in your salad bowl. Then, add in your quinoa and avocado. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt to bring out the flavor in the avocado. Top with your favorite natural/organic salsa and chop some cilantro to throw on top! ENJOY!

How to make quinoa

I get asked this question a lot and it makes me smile because quinoa is a wonderful food. It’s so beneficial to our health. Quinoa (pronounced /keen-wa/) is a complete protein which is very rare in foods that are not meat. Many people assume it is a grain but it’s actually a seed from a flowering plant. When cooked, it’s a delicious staple to many meals including salads, side dishes, dinners and even breakfast with some fresh fruit and agave or 100% pure maple syrup.

Here are my tips on preparing quinoa:

•Always rinse quinoa before you cook it. I use a strainer and rinse the quinoa under warm water. This washes the dustiness off of the quinoa.
•Always use a 2:1 ratio when preparing quinoa. (Ex.: 2 cups of water, 1 cup of quinoa)
•I always use a pot to cook quinoa because it plumps up and expands a lot.
•Boil the water and once it has come up to boil, dump in the rinsed quinoa. Be careful not to splash yourself!
•Stir the quinoa and put a lid on the pot. Turn the heat down to a simmer and let it cook for around 15 minutes. I like to use a clear lid so I check on the quinoa without opening it and letting the steam out.
•When the quinoa is done cooking, it should look plump and you should see little white strands that have come out of the seed. Use a fork to stir it up. It’s kind of like rice or couscous- there should be no liquid remaining in the pot and it should not be sticky.
•I prefer to make a big batch of quinoa every week to last me all week so I can throw it in salads, etc.

You can make quinoa dishes sweet or savory! Add walnuts or almonds with agave nectar and berries to make a filling breakfast! :) It’s a great food that is very nutritious and filling!

Enjoy!