My friends, I have a question for you all. I have been hesitant to ask for a lil bit now because I don’t want you to think negatively of me, but please check out my vlog below and give me your thoughts as this is something I’m actually excited about but need a lil bit of push to gett’er going if there is an interest.
Thank you always for all your love and support!
Don’t be afraid to post anything. Positive or negative, I want to hear it all!
-Chelsea
Hey Friends!
How was your New Years Eve? Do anything fun?
Chatter at me. 😀
As I mentioned, It was my Mom’s birthday, so we spent a nice evening at The Keg for dinner…
Nomz. I got to try their baked sea bass! So good, although I wish I got more. #SadFace.
…and then we came back and watched a movie (The Inside Man, good movie!) and then did our usual watching of the ball drop and calling my Nana and Papa at midnight.
I also happened to prep a lil something interesting for my parent’s January 1st breakfast.
Mini cinnamon rolls using that same bread (Cinnabon bread) I made the french toast out of previously. Not the healthiest choice but seriously how cool is it that they turned out lookin like a cute lil roll when it was a slice of bread?
Yes. I can be proud of my most simplest, random ideas. If you want some all I did was soak the bread slices in that same french toast ‘batter’ I mentioned in that previous post, roll them up and stuff them into sprayed muffin tins. Oh and top them with a lil bit of melted coconut oil to get those tops crispy and sprinkle with some more cinnamon if you would like.
Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until they have reached the golden-ness and crispy-ness you like. They may look a lil deformed and small pre-baked, but once they came out, the edges were golden and crisp and they had puffed up a bit and filled out into a nice cinnabon shape.
And voila! Sorry for the gross dark pictures. I made these last night at 9:30pm because I would be at the gym when my parents needed foodz.
For the ‘icing,’ I just used some of my vanilla New Zealand whey and some water. Casein would be best as it’s thicker, or go all out and use a cream cheese frosting for a more authentic feel. Also, these would be great with nuts, like walnuts or pecans, stuffed inside!
They made my parents happy and so they made me happy.
Top Chef over here ya know. 😉
I decided to go all crazy and begin my year with a grueling leg workout because, well, it was leg day anyways and the gym was all like…
The perks of not getting hamm’ed on New Years Eve. Gimme all the squat racks. 😀
Oh and I took them, held onto them and squatted my lil tushie off doing a total of 4 variations of squats throughout my workout.
1 5×5 of back squats
1 4×6-7 of front squats
1 4x failure of pistol squats (this was my secondary exercise to leg press)
3x failure of heavy goblet squats.
Yup, my legs were like cedar blocks crawling walking out of there this morning.
It’s that time of year again…
The time where people feel the need to make goals for changing themselves or modifying things in their lifestyles that they felt were lacking in the previous year.
Top New Years Resolutions you will hear people discussing…
Why is it that when you list them all out that they seem so grueling?
It also makes them seem like punishment, no? Or like this is something you have to force upon yourself to create misery.
The sad reality is that most of these will not be met and will be given up before the month of February. Perhaps that is because of what I just mentioned.
I have a lil bit of an issue with setting New Years Resolutions in general and so I wanted to discuss that in a video that is posted below (click the picture for the link as usual). I also mentioned some tips on how to stick to your goals if you want to make them rather than just giving ideas on what one could consider resolving in their life. It kind of bugs me when someone makes suggestions on what others should be working in their lives because, well, it’s none of the other person’s business really and how would they know what that person really truly needs?
I have to stop and then ask myself if that makes me a hypocrite for saying that because I offer suggestions to you guys all the time. Please note that I’m never trying to push idea on you, these are just things I share with you all to shed light onto things you may not have known previously.
Anywho, check out the video if ya want and let me know what you think.
Although I believe in making goals anytime of the week or year, not necessarily just on New Years (or September), I will give some of my things that I want to work on or continue to work towards throughout this year. They are the basic idea, so nothing too specific or defined, but they are relevant to my own goals and, provided I am able to make progress towards them, the changes they will bring will benefit my life.
Well that’s all for tonight guys, but to end off I thought I would share something that is well suited for this post.
Hope you have had a great start to your 2015 year!
Do you believe in New Years Resolutions? If so, what are some of your goals?
What is the number one reason you think goals are not met or given up on?
What is something you want to do more for yourself that is not related to weight or food?
-Chelsea
Hey friends!
I had a request to talk give out some vegan recipes and I finally decided to tackle that one for ya! Oh hey Melissa, this ones for you. 🙂 Now, as you all probably know, I’m a complete carnivore (no offense to all the vegans and vegetarians out there) and due tot that, I don’t really have any full meals that are vegan to share with you. I was going to do one meatless Monday this vacation with a soup, but I didn’t think that was very creative so I thought it would be better to just do some bloglovin and share some amazing recipes from the blog-o-sphere. I will however give some tips and factoids about the nutritional requirements I think are important as you have to be much more mindful that you are giving you body what it needs for any diet that requires restriction.
So how ’bout some lil pointers first eh?
The first thing that comes to mind is protein. It’s the question that makes all vegans (and vegetarians) go crazy because it really isn’t that hard to get all of your protein from non-animal sources, it just takes a lil bit more thought.
I will go off the deep end here and say that if you’re a hard core bodybuilder you may need some protein powder of some kind to meet your needs if your diet is also carb restricted. I firmly believe that high protein is needed to build a decent amount of muscle, many will argue against this notion, but this is what I believe.
There are many sources of protein in nature other than in animal products. Yes, vegetarians will have it easier as they can include dairy, fish and eggs, if they chose, and that should mean they have no problem reaching their requirements for protein BUT vegans, it can be trickier.
With plant based proteins, they are incomplete (with a small handful of exceptions which most people don’t eat, like some forms of algae/kelp I believe), meaning they don’t have all of your amino acids. Due to this, it is crucial that you eat a variety of different foods to ensure you are getting all of your amino acids (ie building blocks of any new tissue, muscle, etc in the body), especially those essential ones that the body cannot make on it’s own. Now, I have now come to believe that you don’t need to do complementary pairing at every meal, but instead, having a day full of variety is enough to get what you need.
Here are some examples of foods for your essential ones. Make sure to include these in your diet daily as you cannot make these lil guys.
The only other issue of getting enough protein with this lifestyle is whether or not your body responds well to the protein sources you have left. Personally, not only would I never be able to give up meat without feeling like I’m giving up the best foods (again, sorry to those who are not meat eaters, I’m just being honest), but my body just wouldn’t work eating vegetarian proteins. I can only eat beans and lentils once in a blue moon because they upset my stomach (way to gassy), I refuse to eat soy and well….there’s nothing really substantial left. Check out the video (click on the image) I posted below for my take on this issue.
So now that we got the big one out of the way, some other vitamins and minerals of concern, especially with vegans include:
B12: This guy is very hard to find naturally in non-animal products so you’re kinda stuck going with supplements or fortified foods. One natural source I do know of is nutritional yeast (which more use a cheesy tasting substitute). Guys, you need this one for sure as it can wreck havoc on your system from damaging your nerves, causing anemia or leading to heart problems. Take this one seriously or you will find yourself in a convulsive fit.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids: Without fish, this one can be tough because plant based sources are tricky to use by the body. For example, while flax is a source of omega fatty acids, specifically ALA, the body has to convert that ALA to EPA and DHA and it’s not very efficient at this process. As a result, you are kind of stuck getting a small fraction of what you see on the nutrition label. Best to find a supplement offering a high amount of DHA and EPA. The source is often algae.
Calcium: Although in smaller amounts, this one can be found in a number of plant based foods. Some of those include, dark leafy greens, beans, legumes, nuts, and many green vegetables. The issue once again comes down to the ability to absorb the calcium as there is a pesky thing called oxalate that is found in quite high amounts in those foods and that blocks absorption. Often, supplements are still required to get enough after accounting for lack of absorption.
Vitamin D: Once again, supplementation or fortified foods are your friends here as Vitamin D is a toughie in non-animal foods. Mushrooms are one of the only natural sources I can find.
Iron: Similar issue in a way to calcium. Iron comes in two forms, heme and non heme. Heme, which is in animal products, is much more bioavailable to our body’s to use, while plant based non-heme iron is harder for the body to use and thus you end up with much less in the end. Plant based foods such as grains, beans and lentils are great sources of iron BUT ensure to eat them with vitamin C to help with absorption.
Here is a great website to check out for more info! Click here.
Okay, wow this is getting long and we haven’t even gotten to the recipes yet. Okay, one final comment before I get to the food.
One major trend I see all too often with vegans and vegetarians is the fact that they eat way too many carbohydrates (as they may turn to fast or processed foods) because they don’t eat enough protein and therefore just don’t know what to eat. In the end, because carbohydrates really don’t satisfy you when consumed solo, you find yourself constantly hungry and munching and that can lead to weight gain. Just because meat is taken out of the equation (which is often the center focus of our meals these days) doesn’t mean that all you have left are carbohydrate heavy dishes.
On the other hand, I also see many very undernourished vegans because they are eating too many low calorie plant based foods and not enough fats and proteins. Although you may be getting lots and lots of vitamins and minerals from those veggies, your body needs fats and protein to sustain you, and, without them, it will start to break down quickly.
So, the key is balance. Be mindful that you get enough protein at every meal and don’t go overboard with excessive amounts of carbohydrates (as many protein sources are also quite high in carbohydrates), take supplements as needed and listen to your body. If you’re constantly getting sick, feeling tired or just not right, either you are missing something vital in your diet or it’s time to take a hard look at whether this lifestyle and determine if it’s something your body can handle.
Alrighty, now onto the fun stuff!
I have hunted down a good number of recipes that I hope you enjoy. I tried to include a variety of styles, types of meals, ease of cooking and tastes for you all.
Oh She Glows. Protein, check. Healthy carbphydrate sources, check. Greens…I would add some kale perhaps or another dark leafy green. Also, the fat free dressing is not something I’m a fan off. Add some fat with olive oil or add avocado to your salad so it sticks around a lil bit longer.
The Everyday Veggie. High protein but a lil on the carby side for my liking as it’s rice inside a tortilla. I would wrap it all up in a collard green wrap.
Chatelaine. I love the fact that they didn’t put it on a bun! They used portabello mushrooms as their buns which are natural sources of both protein and vitamin D.
Eating Bird Food. You didn’t think you would get away without getting something that looks like oatmeal did you? I would however add some more protein to this dish by either adding some protein powder (vegan of course, peanut flour would be ideal) or hemp seeds.
My New Roots. For the request for a vegan cheesecake, here is a beauty! Do not be afraid of the fats in this one as they are coming from healthy sources including nuts and coconut oil PLUS this is a treat. It’s much better to be eating those fats then the hydrogenated ones found in a commercial cheesecake no?
See, being vegetarian or vegan is not hard, it just takes a lil bit of base knowledge about your bodily needs, some more thought perhaps in the beginning and dropping the stigma that you will be eating leaves for the rest of your life.
Experiment and have some fun!
I hope this post helped some of you out.
It’s officially Christmas Eve tomorrow and I can’t wait!
All the best,
-Chelsea
Happy Thursday friends!
Can you believe that this time next week we will be celebrating Christmas??
So exciting! What are you plans?
As I mentioned in the video, I had just come back home from my leg workout (2 hours of legs to be exact….#Exhausted) so I decided to tackle Andrea’s question regarding my split.
I had a few disruptions during the video so I hope it still explains everything okay, but if you need more clarification, don’t be shy to ask in the comments!
Click on the picture for the link up to my YouTube as usual
Also, I mentioned I would link up a picture or demo of those weighted “press up situps” I believe so here that is. Oh how I love bodybuilding.com. Click on the picture for the full instructions and video demo by Jamie Eason.
The only difference is that I use a plate and bring it back over my head before coming back to press it back up.
Happy “almost Friday” for all of you still working or grinding out those last exams.
-Chelsea
Hey all!
I mentioned that I was doing the Elf4Health challenge, hosted by the lovely Lean Green Bean Mama, Lindsay, and although I haven’t done all of the challenges, this was definitely one that I wanted to do and share with you guys.
As I said in the video, I challenge you to do as many pushups as you can in 1 minute and let me know how you do!
Remember, we are supportive here and no matter what type of pushups you do or how many you get, you did your best, you gave all your effort and did an amazing job so pat yourself on the back.
Check out my attempt on my YouTube Channel by clicking here or you can just click the thumbnail.
Hope you enjoy!
-Chelsea
So here I am again! Procrastination at it’s best 😉
Thank you so much for all of your awesome questions on my last post! The comment number just kept getting higher and higher as the hours went on and it got me too excited to wait to respond. So with that, I bring you the first few questions..
Once again, click on the picture and it will take you to video.
I gots me a halo halo hallllooo…
I just realized that the title of the video included the ACV question (ie apple cider vinegar) that Andrea posted and I totally missed out on talking about it because the video was already like 15 minutes long. Man, I really need to work on that.
…apparently something I fail to compute. I feel like I kinda know what I’m talking about (or I would say I’m not the best to attempt to answer, plus these are my opinions), so please don’t feel like my really long explanations are because I’m trying to pull some BS on you I just need to be a better communicator.
Short and to the point…
Just like me…
Does that even make sense?
Anywho, back to that ACV question…
Andrea asked:
Hi Chelsea, I was wondering if you use apple cider vinegar at all in your diet? I have read so many different opinions about it but not sure what to think. Can you shed some light for me P.S. Love this blog; it’s my daily highlight!! Thanks!
I do use ACV in my diet but with some restraints. Yes I truly believe it’s amazing for you…
It is recommended to start off your day with a ‘shot’ of ACV (you can really use any very acidic substance I believe, but I will have to check up on that) to cleanse your body and start your day off with something alkalizing. Yes, contrary to the fact that vinegar is super acidic, it’s actually alkalizing (or de-acidifying) in the body. Alkalizing of any kind does wonders for the body because acidic bodies are inflamed bodies and the majority of our American diets support acidity. Hello carbs, sugars and proteins..not to mention stress.
So try it out! Take a tablespoon or so of the lovely vinegar and shoot that stuff back when you wake up before eating and you will feel a nice little energy boost! If you can’t tolerate the vinegar as is, then you can dilute it in a bit of water too. Personally, I can drink vinegar, but for many, it’s too strong. I guess I just have the taste buds for all dat tang. I swear I was balsamic swiggin European in a past life.
Many people have a hard time digesting their food, resulting in indigestion and heartburn and one contributing factor could be low stomach acid. We have our gastric juices (acids) in our stomach which do a large part of breaking down the food we eat and so if you are running dry, an upset stomach may result. By adding more acid, you can help your body out if it’s runnin a bit short. So either you can take a shot, or just have a salad with an ACV vinegar (or any vinegar/lemon juice) based dressing and see if you notice a difference.
I added the …. because most people do very well with it. For me, of course being the exception to the majority of the population (story of my life for realz #TheStruggle), I have to be careful how much vinegar I have because I’m actually the opposite and overproduce acid. So much so that I actually have a prescribed medication to take daily to ensure that I don’t decay my teeth. Crazy I know and, yes, another random quirk of mine.
So, to conclude this answer, I believe it has great benefits and I urge you to try it out and see how you feel. If you feel good, then by all means, continue using it as we can all use a lil alkalizing in our lives. On the other hand, if you feel like it’s giving you heartburn, then be careful with how much you have.
As with many things, it’s all about listening to your gut body.
So I hope you enjoyed the video and feel free to keep posting questions and I will get around to answering them as I motor along. As for the links I mentioned in the video, here is the link to Robyn’s awesome blog
I’m so sorry that I blanked on your name in my video Robyn. I love your blog and really enjoy hearing your thoughts as a future RD to be.
As a lil extra, here are some cool green smoothies..
This one doesn’t include fats or protein as I mentioned so make sure you can eat something else soon after or add something to it.
This site is a great resource for a variety of types of smoothies and it gives you ideas for fillers to make it more of a meal. Just ignore the fact that it’s for weight loss as that’s not what I’m getting at.
…and some not so green smoothies that still give ya a good boost of veggies…
Round of applause for this one! Fiber from the chia, spinach for dem greens, avocado for a dose of healthy fats and a creamy texture, protein powder for some staying power and bloobs for some sweetness.
Hope they help you out!
Much love!
❤
-Chelsea
…In zee dark…
Sorry about that. As I said, I really want to do more vlogging and add to my channel but with that said, I do not own any fancy equipment so please bear with my poor iMovie camera. It does it’s bestest in the dark and I have to love it for giving at least trying. I will test out my iphone camera and also try not to vlog so much at night to see if that helps with zee quality.
Link up to my channel if you want to catch a still slightly ghostly and tired Lil Miss Fitness Freak for a few rambles.
Clicky on zee picture
So as I said, hit me up with some fun recipes to tweak and test out on my parents and if they turn out well, I will post them up for ya!
Much love and thanks always for all your support!
-Chelsea
Hey Friends!
I headed home today and will be heading to my Aunt’s house tomorrow for the dinnah with my parents, Maggie and my Nana and Papa all stowed in the car. Should be fun times. FamJam Partay Bus!
National Lampoons reference anyone?
Anywho, this short lil post will just introduce a video I posted up on my still naked YouTube channel. I have gotten quite a few questions regarding macros and macro counting and I really wanted to get a video out it up on the topic plus a lil blurb on IIFYM. Sorry it took me like a year to do so, but here she is.
Just clicky on the screencap for the linkup to my channel.
I’m sorry if this video is a lil bit scattered. I’m really bad at staying on topic…as you probably are aware of with my 400000000+++ word posts…Like I mentioned in the video, if you have any further questions post them in the comments and I will get back to ya with video part 2. 🙂
Here are a few links that might be handy to check out if you’re interested.
Layne Norton’s take on IIFYM
IIFYM Calculator and information regarding macros and counting
One thing I’m thankful for every day is my support system in life, which includes all of you. Many thanks and much love. ❤
-Chelsea
Hey Friends!
I’m sorry I have been so offline as of late, I just moved to my new city to start school tomorrow at the University of Guelph in the their Bachelor of Applied Sciences Nutrition program and I’m kinda excited. I’m also really busy which is why Lil Miss Fitness Freak hasn’t been speakin much to you all. I promise I will get back to the bloggie soon.
Speaking of speakin, I posted a new vlog giving a quick update and answering a reader’s question about balance during school if you wanna check it out. I would also love your opinions on the question I asked you guys at the end!
Here’s the link-up -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6pMSfanPF8
Onto the noms. This is just a mish-mash of things I have been eating lately, whether at home (Acton with my parents) or back in Hammertown. Enjoy!
I don’t like that Fall is officially be said to be ‘here’. We never really had our summa…sadface!
A typical dinna on this girls plate. Baked marlin steak with pesto and avocado, roasted squash (that kabocha I have been using up from my store has been absolute crunchy perfection!) and greens.
This was amazing! Post workout lunch using up freezer stuff before the move and lookie lookie who had massive scallops just chillin in the freezer? Woe is me, have to use them up right? 😉 I made my concoction (sans chicken) and topped it off with those beautiful scallops seared perfectly in a Lil Miss Fitness Freak fashion.
Post Leg Day bliss on a plate. Used up that final elk steak to give me some good ol’ iron and creatine. Stirfried asparagus, shitake mushrooms and onions accompanies and a sweet spud.
My “Cheat” of the week was my favourite Thai take-out on the way to Acton after a long and exhausting day of packing and unpacking and moving. I got a medium spicy basil stirfy, hold the rice and add moooooore veggies. I kinda wish I had gotten the cashew version because 1. Cashew’s are delish and 2. this held me over for a whole hour…
Makin my own stirfry at home with the parentals. Brown long grain rice was ‘fried’ into bok choy, eggplant, onion, asparagus, water chestnuts and mushrooms along with copious amounts of garlic, ginger and chili flakes. Simple and tasty. 
More stirfryin‘. Seeing a trend here? Shrimpies!! 😀
See another trend? Shrimpies! Messy but always good saladbeast in a mixin bowl.
Speaking of saladbeasts, my parents and I visited the Eaton Centre for some shoppin so of course I had to get my insanely expensive customized salad at Fast And Fresh.
Fueling up for LegDay with ma voluminous proats.
Amazing grilled dinnah with my parents and Nana and Papa. I had a grilled mahi mahi kebab, grilled portabello mushroom cap and a big plate of salad.
Eat all things grilled! Leftover grilled veggie kebab with some prepped grilled pesto turkey and brown long grain rice.
Post workout lunch of baked chipotle seasoned basa (Mrs. Dash salt free seasoning blends), roasted Japanese purple sweet tater sprinkled with rosemary and a mini salad.
That’s it peeps. Talk at you soon! Don’t forget to pay a nice lil visit to Jen over at Peas and Crayons for more #FoodPorn.
Good luck to everyone who is starting school this week. 🙂
Aaaannd to end off with a lil something something nice…
Shoutout to Instagram.
-Chelsea
Hey Friends!
Thanks for all the love and questions in response to yesterday’s post! I’m so happy that you liked the workout and I hope to hear from anyone who decides to try it out. I actually ran another HIIT session with those guys again this morning and boy was it a good and sweaty one. I had them legit dripping sweat in a mere 40 minutes. Aw yeah! I shall hopefully post it up soon as another possible one to try out. 🙂
Anyways, I wanted to drop in real quick to answer a question that was posted yesterday in my comments section. Specifically Tanya’s question…
Hey!
So, I’ve been a big fan of your blog and read it religiously everyday 🙂
Since you’re a personal trainer you can probably answer my question. So, I run like 50 miles a week. and do weights about twice a week
and throw in yoga about once and twice as well. I eat about 1,300-1,400 calories a day, mostly organic, and I have not lost a pound and
it’s been 4 months. Could it be something else you think?
First off, thanks Tanya for the blog love! It always makes me happy to hear that my readers enjoy my rambles. I have answered your question in the vlog link I posted below and I hope that you (and others!) can find some use in my response. 🙂
Have a great Tuesday friends!
-Chelsea
Running and sweating as much as possible!
High protein, low carb recipes perfect for a busy lifestyle
Celebrating the simple beautiful things in life!
Real food for real life
a 20 something massage therapist with a sweet tooth passionate about health & fitness
Cooking, Dining, and Living Life as a Vegetarian Girl
never let anyone dull your sparkle
"And though she be but little, she is fierce"
Lil Miss Fitness Freak 