3 Variations of 3 Bean Salad!

Hi!

Today I want to share with you a couple variations of bean salad. Beans are very good for you – low in fat, and high in protein, not to mention – delicious, and they fill you up!

I am a big fan of prepping some meals at the beginning of my week – this way I have healthy options at my fingertips. I find that I eat far less junk when I have good, wholesome meals available to me whenever I am hungry. One of my go to recipes is a 3 bean salad. You can treat this salad just like a quinoa salad, in the sense that anything goes really! It is fantastic for throwing on top of a bed of lettuce, spinach, or kale for a quick lunch, or is delicious as a side dish or all by itself.

This week I made bean salad out of whatever veggies I had in the fridge:

• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed
• 1 can garbanzos, rinsed
• 1 cup sprouted mung beans
• 1 1/2 cups sliced cucumber
• 1/2 cup sliced baby carrots
• 1 1/2 cups sliced bell peppers
• 2 cups chopped broccoli
• 1 cup diced red onion
• 1/4 cup light Italian dressing
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Also try these variations:

Mexican 3 Bean Salad

• 1 can black beans, rinsed
• 1 can garbanzo beans or white beans, rinsed
• 1 cup (dry measurement) sprouted mung beans
• 1 cup sliced green onion
• 1/2 cup sliced red onion
• 2 cups diced bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup diced jalapeno (optional)

Cucumber Mint 3 Bean Salad

• 1 can black beans, or northern beans, rinsed
• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 1 cup sprouted mung beans
• 1/2 cup chopped mint
• 1 cup diced red onion
• 2 cups sliced cucumber
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

All of these salads are complimented well with a sprinkle of fat free feta cheese and are extremely easy to prep. Have fun and let me know if you come up with another delicious combination!

-C

600 Rep Challenge

Hi guys! Today I have an awesome and extremely challenging workout for you. It comes from Zuzka Light-an amazing trainer with at home workouts that are generally short, intense, and highly effective. She also has great high rep workouts, which are my favorite. You can check out over 200 free workouts on her website http://www.zuzkalight.com.

This workout is a high rep time challenge. In order to complete all 600 reps, you must go through the workout twice. This is an awesome way to improve your strength! If you are not quite at the level of fitness to finish both rounds all the way through, then just go for one, and next time, try to beat your time for 1 round. You will see your strength improving and eventually, be able to slaughter both rounds in record time! Above is a snapshot from my “little black book.” In this book, I write down every workout that I have done, and my time for each workout. This way, when I return to do a workout again, I have incentive to try and beat my original time. It is a great way to stay motivated, and I find it awesome to always have options for my workouts which are both handy and portable! Try starting your own little black book! There is a video of the workout at the bottom of this post – make sure you watch it to learn the proper form and execution for each movement.

As you can see, I have only done this workout once before, and I was only able to complete 1 full round. It took me 41 minutes, yowza! I went for a 4 mile run this morning, with an 8.3 min mile average, and afterward I was able to complete only ONE full round of this workout… but I beat my first time substantially! I completed the round in just over 34 minutes. I’m telling you, this workout completely kicks my butt. I am going to keep trying for 2 full rounds, but for today, I am quite beat, and it feels great to see how I have progressed so much just since the beginning of the month.

As always, do not forget to stretch and warm up before attempting this workout. Remember to keep the proper form, and pay attention to your body! If you are having trouble with any of the movements, such as the 3D push ups (which completely kick my a**), try using a modification, like moving to a push up from your knee. The key here is just to push all the way through the workout, even if you need to modify some of the exercises.

-C

Amazing Protein Pancake Recipe

 

Protein pancakes with apples, cinnamon and yogurt topping!

These protein pancakes are one of my absolute favorite things to make, because there are so many different yummy variations. They are delicious, low calorie, high in protein, and keep me full all morning. Plus they make a great snack to take to work. I have included a protein powder-free version of this recipe as well.

Enjoy,

Crystal

Protein Pancakes

• 1/4 cup dry rolled oats
• 1/2 cup egg whites
• 3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
• 1 tsp agave

Calories 362

Total Fat 4g Sat. Fat 0.8g Cholest. 36.1mg Sodium 351.9mg

Carb. 31.6g Fiber 3.6g Sugars 10.4g Protein 47.5g

 

Variation (for those who do not use protein powder):

• 1/2 small banana
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese or egg whites
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon agave (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon

Calories 293

Total Fat 4.7g Sat. Fat 1.8g Cholest. 5mg Sodium 380.9mg

Carb. 45.4g Fiber 4.8g Sugars 19g Protein 18.8g

 

** In a food processor, blend  the oats first, before adding anything else until it becomes ‘flour’ like. Add all other ingredients and blend until smooth. Melt some coconut oil into a pan over medium heat (not too hot or they will burn before they cook!), and scoop the batter into the pan. The pancakes will cook fairly quickly, so don’t forget to watch them. Flip when golden brown.

Enjoy!

-Crystal

Protein pancakes with fresh blueberries!

Fitness Junkee

I’m Crystal McGehee and that is my amazing husband, Cody. We live in South Lake Tahoe, CA, with our 2 dogs. My husband is the love of my life, and I contribute much of my success in achieving a healthy lifestyle to him. Having someone who appreciates you and supports you in all of your goals is a very spectacular thing to find in life! He is an amazing skier, an incredibly talented juggler, and a cross country runner. He holds several state records, and really helped coach me to fall in love with running. We are very lucky to live in such a beautiful place, with so many outdoor activities to offer… and the dogs stay happily active too! We take full advantage of our surroundings – running, biking, hiking, camping, river rafting, canoeing, disc golf, snowboarding, snowshoeing, etc. I believe that the key to a long, happy life is to stay moving, eat right, and get enough sleep! It isn’t really that complicated, or difficult when you break it down like that, right? 🙂

Wherever you are geographically, there is always something you can do to remain active. There is something for everyone, right?! I definitely do NOT believe that you need to pay a gym to stay in shape! Honestly, you don’t need anything at all, but yourself. (and maybe a pair of shoes!) Being able to lift your own body’s weight is a great challenge in itself, and will make you very strong. Having that kind of strength actually goes much further in your day to day activities than you might realize. Having a strong core, good range of flexibility, and heightened endurance all contribute to easily navigating through life. Muscles cushion our joints, and protect us from becoming injured, while simultaneously burning fat, improving our posture and metabolism, giving us more energy and actually protecting our hearts from disease. Achieving an elevated heart rate and getting cardiovascular exercise is also very easy to do in a small space with no equipment. Cardiovascular training does amazing things for our circulation, increases our tolerance to exercise, reduces body weight, blood pressure and bad cholesterol, and actually increases good cholesterol and insulin sensitivity. Exercise even increases brain functions such as memory and information processing, and actually treats depression! Are you sold yet?

The purpose of my blog is to share knowledge, and hopefully spark inspiration within some of you who read it. I think one of the main issues which holds us back from achieving our goals is fear! We simply don’t know where to begin, and we don’t have the tools to get there yet. We are also afraid of the unknown! Achieving change requires a challenge…so If we do not challenge ourselves, we are not changing anything. A lot of our behavior only exists because we choose to reinforce it on a daily basis. For example, we brush our teeth on a daily basis because we have trained ourselves to do so over and over and over until it eventually it just became a part of our lives. So, if you are trying to change a behavior such as stagnation, or choosing to eat unhealthy foods, all you need to do is re-train your brain to habitually make decisions that benefit our health. It really is THAT easy. It is actually amazing how we actually begin to crave the healthy behavior, because the reward is mentally and physically beneficial. Our body and mind is capable of re-setting itself and re-learning the proper skills and behaviors for a healthy, happy lifestyle.

I look forward to continually sharing my regimen, along with delicious recipes and random tidbits of information! Let’s feed our needs and nourish a healthy addiction!

-Crystal

Melissa Bender Workout – Booty and Belly

Hey guys! I figured a great start to my new fitness blog should definitely include a workout! I have been doing at-home style workouts which utilize body-weight exercises, and occasionally incorporate some weight training. This was my workout this morning. I ran through this twice, and am going to follow it up with a yummy smoothie, a cup of ginger lemon tea, and of course STRETCHING. I ran 6.2 miles yesterday, so today I am resting my legs. Recovery is very important to your health, and recovery days should always be complimented by a clean diet, and some stretching. I work as a bartender/waitress, so I am on my feet most of the time. I have to work tonight and I wanted to get in some kind of workout beforehand! Remember, doing SOMETHING active each day is much better than doing nothing, even if it is only for 15 minutes. YOU have to be the reason for your change, not your own obstacle, right? 🙂

As my blog progresses, I will tell you more about my personal fitness regimen, and the items which I use to stay fit. Melissa Bender is an AWESOME trainer who’s workouts have almost single-handedly whipped my butt into shape (literally!), along with running, hiking, and other outdoorsy type activities. I highly recommend that you check out her sight at www.benderfitness.com

Hard work paying off!

Hi guys! My name is Crystal McGehee, and I am very excited to introduce my first blog! I believe that through eating right and exercising, we are capable of curing physical and mental ailments, living longer and stronger, and conquering the world!

Over the past 2 years, I have embarked on a journey of what I like to call “personal realization.” My personal realizations have included a fitness and health discovery which has COMPLETELY changed my life – from my daily thoughts, aspirations, and overall outlook on life, to my physical and mental strength, agility, and endurance. In my late teens, and throughout my early 20’s, I had developed such unhealthy habits, that by 2010, I became nearly 40 pounds overweight! I had an addiction to cigarettes, drugs and alcohol, and food. I was completely drained all the time, and began having symptoms of mild depression, anxiety, and loss of motivation. Not only was I becoming mentally unstable, I was also physically sick on a regular basis–constantly fighting a cold, flu, headaches, and fatigue! THAT was NO way to live, if you ask me.

I began to realize that my lifestyle was not one that I wanted. I thought back to my teenage years, and remembered times when I was racing mountain bikes, hiking all over the place, lifeguarding  on the beach, running, swimming, and going to the gym – I remembered how I used to be an athlete! …how I had tons of energy, and nothing could stop me! I wondered how I “let myself go,” and began to realize that if anything was going to change, it had to be ME and ME alone that was going to change it. This would begin my shift of reality and perception – a journey of personal realization which has only just begun.

I am here to share this ongoing journey with you. I want to inspire others to make healthy changes in their own lives, and help others achieve their personal goals through positive, healthy re-enforcement. Through this blog I want to share recipes and diet tips, fitness advice, workouts, and overall support for anybody who is looking to become a happier, healthier individual.

I hope you enjoy the content that I will be bringing you!

-Crystal

Work in progress folks! Living proof of hard work and dedication.