Fast Food, Brilliant Edition: 3 Fast-Food Salads That Won't Derail Your Diet!

Good Good Gooood Morning All! 

I'm really excited about this little post today - short and simple but hopefully valuable to you! :)

I work in Car Sales and for any of you that have had friends or family work in the industry, you'll know - there is a LOT of fast food involved! One of the keys to being successful in sales is that you've gotta BE there to sell - so we definitely do spend a lot of time at work and a lot of the days will revolve around someone asking "What's for lunch?!" The guys take a few minutes to negotiate through which kind of burger or fried junk they should get today, then someone runs out to grab a bunch of brown greasy bags filled with sweaty beef and french fries for the team to quickly chow down on. 

While it definitely makes for a challenge, I am able to stick to my guns (almost) all of the time and enjoy the healthy, nutritious meals that I've packed for myself the night before.  I 110% believe that dedicating time on a regular basis for prepping foods for the week is one of the keys to living a healthy, happy life, but -- I also understand that sometimes that just doesn't work! I'm at the gym untill 11, I'm out of groceries, I stayed at work late...  life happens! 

Now.. obviously eating fast food every day isn't going to get you anywhere towards any health goals you may have, but what I'm here to tell you is there IS a way to still grab food from fast food restaurants and not get too derailed! What I think is the key here is, is how often you're grabbing food and what you are grabbing! Personally, I try to keep it to 1-2 meals per week max, and only eat from places that I can get my food to order -- point at a big table of veggies in a row and tell them how much I want of each! As for the what -- here are a few of my favs! :) 

Mucho Burrito

If I could eat one style of food for the rest of my life, it would be Mexican. I LOVE Mexican. There are pretty much a bajillion types of salsas and types of tacos out there... Ooohh just thinking of all of the options gets me excited haha! Fresh salsa, and limes and cilantro and beans and spices.. yum!

Mucho Salad!! I switched it up with this one and
went with steak instead of chicken. 

Mucho’s kinda a hidden gem because when most people think Mexican, a lot of people think more of the burritos and quesadillas which aren’t that awesome. If you take a big tortilla, add a pile of rice, beans and one of the fattier cuts of meat (beef or pork) it’s easy to end up with a really carby, starchy, heavy meal. The key here is to load up on the fresh veggies and salsas and keep the protein nice and lean and you can absolutely build a great, nutritious and balanced meal! This salad's super filling and I've even converted some of the GUYS at work to salad-eaters with this lunch! 

What I Order:

Salad, no bowl. Romaine, black beans, sautéed veggies, corn + black bean salsa, chopped red salsa, medium red salsa, cilantro and guac  <3 When I’m looking for a little treat and I’m not dieting for a show, I’ll add a side of the tortilla chips!

Pita Pit

Ok.. this is hands-down my #1 FAV at the moment!! Lots of fresh veggies that are full of nutrients, a lean protein and low sugar/calorie dressing = awesome. The salads here are really similar to Subway, but they have a few extra exciting veggies that Subway doesn’t, and a few light salad dressings so the selection’s a bit bigger. I really love how you can throw veggies on the grill too – they add volume to the chicken so it makes the salad more filling, which is always a nice little bonus! The guys at work love this option too and order their lunch as a pita instead of salad.

What I Order:
Small “Make Your Own” salad with Extra Chicken. I get romaine, sprouts, green pepper, cucumber, tomato and banana peppers in the salad bowl, chicken, mushrooms, red onion and pineapple on the grill, and hot sauce as a salad dressing. If it fits into my meal plan at the time, I also get them to put some tzaziki on the side... sooo good.. you don’t even know!

Subway

Can you handle the heat??? ha ha!
Spicy Subway salad

Another one of my go-to grab-a-salad spots... Subway! There’s so many of them around, so even on roadtrips through small towns.. you can pretty much rely on spotting one. The chicken portion size here is 2.5 oz, so again, I get extra chicken (a good portion size for a 150 lb female is 4-6 oz).

What I Order:

Chicken salad with Extra Chicken (plain, not teriyaki which is loaded with sugar and other junk). Shredded iceberg, tomato, cucumber, red onion, green pepper, banana peppers and hot sauce as the salad dressing.

Now, while these options are a great alternative to grabbing a burger and fries from the food court or drive thru, I do want to mention that because they are from fast food restaurants, the food is still going to be fairly processed. For this reason, I do want to remind you that buying actual chicken breasts from the store, cooking them yourself and chopping your own veggies is absolutely the best way of fueling your daily activities!

Until next time... remember that "your future is created by what you do today, not tomorrow".  

Whatever you have going on in your life today -- Rock it Out!!! ..... life's too short not to! ;)

xo Brooke

The World's Most Delicious Salsa Recipe + My Next Fitness Adventure: Mission Hardware 2013

Hot Off The Press :) Today's Special:  A peek into my next fitness adventure + one of my favorite recipes in the WORLD.... Avocado Black Bean Boyfriend Salsa. No.. there’s no boyfriends in this super nutritious and deliciously amazing side,  (hehe) but this was one of mine + my boyfriends-from-the-pasts favorite snack (with a bag of wholegrain Tostitos... holy moly.. yum!) and so it is named. Ha ha! Is that weird? Naming a recipe after an ex? Lol! Ah well.. wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been told I’m a little “special”... ;)

This salsa is super bright and perfect for so many different occasions, so it’s easily one of my favs. I’ve brought it to parties, BBQs and family dinners and I’ve got to say.. it’s one of my most requested recipes of all time. Tons of fresh veggies which are packed with vitamins and minerals, some avocado as the healthy fat, and the black beans to add some fiber and protein, this salsa is a serious HOMERUN! On it’s own, added to salads, or on top of a BBQ’d chicken breast, this salsa will add more flavor and awesomeness than you’ll know what to do with! Promise. :) 

I like it best after it has about an hour for all of the flavors to mix together, but if it’s just too tempting, you can dive right in.. I won’t tell anyone! ;) 

Avocado Black Bean Boyfriend Salsa

½ can black beans, rinsed + drained

1 avocado, pitted + chopped

½ red pepper, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

¼ cup chopped banana peppers

½ bunch green onion, chopped

½ cup chopped cilantro

10-20 shakes of franks’ red hot sauce (to your taste)

Juice of 1 lime

Super easy + simple – just chop, mix + enjoy <3

Anyways... enough about boyfriends.. and salsa.. ha ha! Let’s get to the good stuff... Operation Hardware 2013: Muscle Beach Fall Classic. I have officially started my contest prep for my next competition, the Muscle Beach Fall Classic in October... and I am REALLY EXCITED! J In the past, my prep dieting/training has been a bit shorter – a 12 week process, but after talking to my trainer and deciding that if I want to do this show, I am going to bring home some METAL, we’re doing the 16 weeks. Now... a little something about body fat. I am actually starting this prep at the same weight (152 lbs) as my 2012 Muscle Beach prep but last year, I was at around 24% BF and this year, I am starting at 15%. Kinda crazy considering last February I was close to 28%!

My trainers and gym fam have been telling me over and over again that it takes time to get your body to that peak, but me being insanely impatient of course, wouldn’t buy it. My understanding of “it takes time” was “you’re too big or you started with too much fat and you can’t have a perfect body right now”. Ha.. if you’ve ever had more than a 5 minute conversation with me, you’ll quickly realize that I don’t take no for an answer. So, I would keep thinking “I’ll show you, I’ll work 10 times harder than everyone else, and I’ll do it now, I don’t need all that time” – but I’ve finally come to understand that that isn’t what they meant at all. I have now been training (lifting 5 days a week, and cardio 5-7 days/week) and eating clean or dieting with my trainers, Rob and Asha of Excel Fitness and Nutrition, for just over a year now and the changes I have seen in my physique – muscle definition, shape, size, body fat are just unbelievable. Now, starting my contest prep at 15% body fat, and 152 lbs, (my goal stage weight is somewhere under 138 lbs and 12% BF) I finally understand that what they mean by “it takes time” really means that you’ve got to be consistent with your training and over time, your body comp will change. As your “offseason” or “everyday” body comp changes (your body comp is your body’s ratio of fat vs. muscle, and your body weight), your “starting point” for each show or shoot is that much better and therefore, the “package” you bring to the stage is that much better and more improved. Anyways! As promised...here are the goods :-)

14 wks out - Muscle Beach 2013 /// 12 wks out - Muscle Beach 2012
Rounded delts, tigher core, tighter legs... yeeeeah buddy!!
Also: I think it's safe to say my posing has improved... lol!
My pics from last year is like a bad mug shot! haha

14 wks out - Muscle Beach 2013 /// 12 wks out - Muscle Beach 2012
Nice + toned up top, smaller waist, tighter, higher glutes and tighter legs ...
What a difference a year of hard work + consistency makes!

Until next time... Here is one of absolute fav mantras for a long run, a tough leg day or KILLER candy cravings....  Repeat this over and over in your head until you believe it - "I will persist, until I succeed" 

Have an amazing and aerobic day you beauties!!!! :-)

xo Brooke

Brilliant Breakfast: Chocolate Banana Protein Pancakes

Good MORNING fitfam!

Going to keep this post short + sweet today -- here's the long-promised recipe for my protein pancakes and a few tips to save some time in the morning :)

chocolate banana topped with maranatha choc
almond butter + SF syrup + banana 

berry pancakes with raspberry "jam"

Pancake Recipe
1/2 cup oats (use blender to chop into oat flour)
1/4 tsp baking powder
cinnamon (2 big shakes)
1/2 tsp splenda brown sugar sweetener (or natural sweetener of your choice!)
1/2 c egg whites
2 tbsp water

for chocolate banana pancakes add in:

1 - 2 tsp cocoa powder

1/2 extra ripe banana 

Other optional add-ins:
berry:
1/4 c frozen berries (raspberry/blueberry)

pumpkin spice:
1/2 c pumpkin puree
a few shakes of pumpkin spice

prepping baggies ahead of time
makes breakfast quick + easy! 

Blend dry ingredients, add in egg whites and water. Heat non-stick pan at medium or just under medium heat, and use coconut oil or EVOO spray to cook. Top with greek yogurt, cinnamon, nut butter, pure maple or SF syrup, nuts, fruit, or raspberry "jam" that can be made by heating up a handful of frozen raspberries in the microwave then mashing with a fork.

PREP TIP:
I like to prep 5 "batches" at a time so I'd do 2.5 c of oats and x5 all the rest of the dry ingredients too then divide into ziploc baggies so that I'm not spending time measuring and chopping oats in the AM! :) I keep these baggies in the cupboard then when I get up, just throw that into a bowl, add my egg whites, berries and water and heat up my pan.

PREP TIP: 
When I've  got a bit of extra time the night before, I'll actually make the pancakes and wrap them in tinfoil and then store the in the fridge. When I get up in the morning, I just throw them in the oven 100* and get ready while they're heating then take to work or eat in the car!

Until next time, remember: "There is no glory to be found in living a life that is less than the one you are capable of" - Nelson Mandela

Have a fantastic, fit and sweaty week all!!

xo Brooke