A Wonderful Waffle Wednesday

In case you don’t have me on Twitter or Facebook, this is the e-mail I got shortly after hitting publish last night.

I am calm about it now but you better believe I freaked out!!

Oh screw it, I’m still freaking out!!!!

I legitimately believed that I wasn’t going to get the 80% required to pass my personal training exam. I was worried about paying the extra $100 to do it again. Embarrassed over how I would explain to people that I’m a fitness delinquent.

Needless to say I’ve been on cloud nine all day. I didn’t even realize how stressed I was about the thing!

I still have to do my practical exam next week. This will consist of taking one of my friends through a fitness test and hour-long training session while my PRO trainer watches and grades me. I’m practicing tomorrow with a couple girls after work. I still need to learn all the proper spotting techniques. But I’m feeling a lot more optimistic about this one. Although, I must say, being watched like a hawk for an hour is nerve wracking, especially for a girl who suffers from serious social anxiety.

Woke up this morning with a big grin on my face. A beautiful day outside and Waffle Wednesday!

 
The usual protein waffle recipe (equal parts oatmeal, cottage cheese and egg whites). I’m obsessed with crispy waffles, and each time I leave them in the iron for juuuust a little bit longer. I almost burnt them today! But they were delightfully crispy.

Topped with lemon flavoured yogurt, almond butter and All Bran Buds. I never buy flavoured yogurt, but it was on sale during a moment of weakness. Yoplait Source brand, tasty.

Snacks today were my new homemade chocolate banana peanut butter protein bars. Got that?

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 4 scoops (120g) chocolate protein powder
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
• 1 tsp banana extract
• 1 heaping tbsp chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup water

Mixed and mixed and mixed in a bowl until the protein powder was all dissolved, yet still super thick and sticky. Flattened into a 9×9 pan, hardened in the fridge, and cut into 8 bars.

Loooove the extra cocoa powder in these, but I am still on the fence with banana extract. It tastes booze-y! (actually, so do bananas sometimes) I think some banana baby food would be much better ;)

Oh, and in case you haven’t noticed, today is a rest day. But I went on an hour-long walk with a co-worker at lunch and it was awesome. It’s so nice to get a shot of fresh air midday, and I got back to the office feeling energized for the afternoon. I highly suggest a noon-hour power walk!

I took the pup for another mini-walk once I got home (rather, he took me). I spent the whole time dreaming up ideas of things I could make for supper with the random ingredients I had on hand. Here’s what I came up with:

 
Okay, totally random, but totally delicious! I cooked up some butternut squash and chili powder in the microwave. Added it to a skillet with Yves Mexican veggie ground beef, onions, green pepper and salsa. Then topped with a fried-egg. Kind of along the lines of a wonky Mexican hash.

Um, yeah. It was good. Real good. Random ingredients make the best meals.

Speaking of which! I lovedlovedloved hearing about all of your favourite food pairings! Here is just a snippet, but I highly recommend going back to read them you want ideas:

• Apples + Sardines (John)
• Ham + Cheese (Cassie)
• BBQ chicken+ Feta cheese (Lori)
• Popcorn + Tabasco (simplyshaka)
• Peanut butter + Pickles (Madeline)
• Salmon + Dill (Hallie)
• Squash + Hummus (Alyson)
• Nut butter + Honey (Diana)
• Haagan Daz coffee ice cream + Magic Shell (Angela)
• French fries + Chocolate milkshake (Angharad)
• Muffins + Milk (mashed together!) (ellie)
• Chili + Cornbread (janetha)
• Chicken + Red grapes (Diane)
• Cashew butter + Spoon (Erin)

That’s just a fraction of them!! A lot of classics, and then some wonderful ideas for new things to try. Peanut butter and pickles at the top of that list I think. Maybe a pickle peanut butter? ;)

If you’re looking for something else to read, The New York Times recently featured an interesting article on the role (if any) exercise plays in weight loss, and the role it plays in maintenance. Basically, there is research out there that shows exercise is not necessary to lose weight, but helps a lot in weight maintenance. I actually agree with this, as I didn’t exercise a lot during the period where I lost most of my weight. However, I do think regular exercise has been the key to my maintenance. I love to eat, and it allows me to do that. Plain and simple.

Last but not least,  I must share this Bob Greene quote from an interview he did with Fit Bottomed Girls.

“The best advice I can give is to know the life you want, know that you deserve it, and go after it with a passion.” 

Amen Mr. Greene. Amen.

 

Question of the Day: What is the best advice you can give? Mine actually comes from a Lululemon bag: “Do one thing a day that scares you.” You’ll be surprised by what you’re capable of.