Wednesday, 29 November 2017

Nutrition: Recipes: Protein Flourless Banana pancakes

Hello my friends!

Welcome back to my blog. Today I'm gonna share with you one of my beloved recipes. Pancakes have always been one of my most favourite options for breakfast (or snack), as I love everything about them, their texture, their taste, how easy-to-make they are. The idea was to increase their nutritional value and adjust them properly in order to fit my lifestyle, macros, needs but still be delicious and satisfying. That's the main reason I experiment in the kitchen, trying healthier alternatives of all the foods I love. 

*Heavy Breathing*


Meow❤
During the past years I've tried the combo "mashed banana+ a whole egg" to create them. It worked out (partly) but I was not really pleased with the taste, it was just neutral, plus I had a hard time making a consistent mixture without a blender leading to disasters in the time of frying. (Not to mention the amount of fat needed to ensure they wouldn't stuck on the pan).

After some experiments, I concluded to my most favourite alternative, according to taste, nutritiousness and texture, which is presented below.




For 2 medium fluffy pancakes you will need:

  • 1 medium to large banana
  • Egg whites ( I used pasteurized eggwhites in carton box so I'm not quite sure about how many eggs you would need. The quantity I used was around 100mL)
  • 1/2 scoop WHEY Protein (around 15gr)
  • 2tbsp of oats
  • Cinnamon
Ingredients I used for topping my pancakes:

  • 2tsp of peanut butter (1 was used for frying the pancakes and the second one was used as a topping)
  • 1tsp of honey
  • 1 medium orange (sliced)
  • Cinnamon

Instructions



Step 1: Mash the banana with a fork, add the egg whites and try to make a consistent mixture.




This fork is a LEGEND. I used it to eat my meals when I was
2-3  years old. And yes I still use it.
😂
























Step 2: Add the cinnamon, oats and protein powder.





Step 3: Add 1 teaspoon of peanutbutter on medium to low heat pan and fry your pancakes.

Tip: I put the entire "dough" in the pan to form one Large pancake instead of making two separate to use the volume and make it thicker. I divided it afterwards with a knife. 



Final Result:

Yum yum yum ❤



That's it! Pretty easy to go, wasn't it? Whenever I choose these pancakes to start my day, I feel really excited, my mood is uplifted and I stay energized for a long time. 
I highly recommend trying this recipe for breakfast, as a snack or even to satisfy your sweet tooth while staying on point with you diet. 
Feel free to contact me for any suggestion you'd like to see displayed here or share with me your favourite treats and photos.
 Have a wonderful week and take care!

Much love,
Irina



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Monday, 6 November 2017

Nutrition: Recipes: Healthy Microwave Lava Brownie

Hello my favourite friends!❤

Eating healthy, avoiding extra sugar etc is the way to go not only for improving and maintaining your physique but also to keep your health strong (which is the #1 priority we should all have).
However, we are constantly spammed by these meshmerizing foodporn pictures, we are overwhelmed by sweet tooth and so on. I am a fierce supporter of healthy eating which is a part of my life BUT i can not deny my weakness to sweets !!! In fact, I once stated that If I could cut down on them I would go for a profession which requires being in perfect shape all year long.
 I have tried to elliminate them as much as I can, mainly by replacing the poor choices with nutritious ones, mostly made at home, which will satisfy my cravings and offer valuable nutrients to my organism (while being metabolic - friendly). Before you give in and consume a dozen of poor sweets (and engage the post-eating guilt as well) try picking a healthier alternative, experiment and conclude to the options that work for you.
Yes, this is the final result.... I ate it maybe within a minute.
Holy Heaven and Hell in a mug.
I also think of maybe creating a new series here on this blog dedicated to such alternatives. Long story short, today's recommendation is a TOTAL CHOCOLATE MASTERPIECE: LAVA BROWNIE #healthier_edition ❤_❤

Why did I choose this?

  1. Lava Brownie is LOVE
  2. It is extremely easy to make
  3. It needs a few simple ingredients that you always have at home
  4. It needs just 1,5 minute to be ready, listing is at #1 EMERGENCY solution
  5. It actually keeps you full, you don't crave more (as it happens with chocolate bars and stuff)
  6. The lava element lets you put anything you prefer, making adjustable to any taste
  7. The recipe works even with different format of substitutes (ex. stevia or honey instead of sugar)
  8. It is super cheap to make
  9. You only need a mug! No additional equipment washing! 


Are you convinced yet? ❤_❤




You will need:


I'm the happiest Goofy you'll see in Town
when it comes to food.
  • 2 tbsp Black Whole Wheat flour
  • 1tbsp Bitter Cocoa Powder (the one used on cakes) 
*TIP* 
*You can use 1 tbsp of carob powder to substitute some of the bitter cocoa and flour).


*Another alternative is to use 1spoon of whey protein powder to cheer up your muscles too.😏
  • 1tbsp Sweet Cocoa Powder (the one you mix to your milk) 
  • 2 spoons of sweetener (can be honey, stevia, brown sugar, coconut sugar etc)
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 tbsp of olive oil (virgin olive oil is the best one you can use, covering your daily needs in healthy fats)
  • Water 


Instructions: 
*Piece of cake* (literally muahahahah 😈)


Put all the dry ingredients in a large mug and mix them.

Add the olive oil and some water. I would suggest beginning with 4-5 tbsp of water and start stiring. You need a thick but CONSISTENT mixture, if there is still dry material left at the bottom which is not being mixed, add a little more water, but when i saw a little i mean 1 sip. Blend it all together as great as you can. I figured out (after the 1234325 time i made this) that a tea spoon works better than a fork.

Put the mug into the microwave oven for 1 and a half minute. This time is usually perfect for these proportions. If your mixture is not as thick maybe it will need 45 more seconds. In any case check it at 1,5 minute and then decide if it needs more time. 

Once your brownie is ready, open a hole in the center and infuse any topping you like. You can go for nutella, molten chocolate (single or with peanut butter) or anything you prefer. Be aware of the extra calories though. I usually go for molten bitter chocolate and crunchy peanut butter.




Conclusion:

I apologize in advance because I have a feeling that you will be addicted to this microwave miracle ( i usually tap this during the night 😈 ). Whoever tried this recipe has been highly amazed so I recommend it as an easy and fast-to-go treat at gatherings as well! ( You just need enough mugs hehehe). Enjoy yourselves guys and feel free to leave me a feedback on your experience, suggestions and questions! Follow me on Instagram for more fitness and motivational posts on a daily basis !😉❤


Much love,
Irina


Cheers!

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Monday, 23 October 2017

Fitness: Workouts: Fullbody Resistance HIIT Workout


Hello Autumn buddies!

One of my most favourite progress shots.
Hope all of you are fine, healthy and on your way to achieve your goals!
Today's article is a Fullbody Resistance HIIT Workout I constructed and tried yesterday.
 I combined some of the most well-known bodyweight exercises along with some resistance ones under a HIIT pattern.
I tried this workout together with one of my Personal Training clients whose fitness level is Beginner and she completed the entire program successfully.
I think most of you will be able to complete it, but note that it will be a challenging one, pretty hot and fast.
It's constructed of two basic exercise sequences , part A and B, each one repeated 2 times.
We're basically aiming for supersets with none to minimum rest in between exercises followed by some rest at the end of each circle.
If you find it tough enough to begin with, try 1 circle of part A and 1 circle of part B instead but try to work on the superset pattern.

Let's answer some FAQ around it:

Where to perform this routine?

Basically anywhere. It can be done at the gym, at a park even in your own house. Just make sure you're having enough space, free of dangerous objects to eliminate the risk of accidents. It would be a perfect option to find a place you can concentrate with as less interruptions as possible.


What's the duration of this program?

Well this is really subjective, depending on your efficiency, speed and rest time. Invest some time to feel comfortable and not stressed about the clock.


Is there any equipment required?

Yes, you will need an elastic resistance band and a dumbbell (one of 2-3kg will do the work). If you don't own any dumbbells, a heavy but small sized object will do the trick. Just make sure it's SOLID, steady, handy and allows you to have complete control over your movements.























Is it suitable for beginners?

Absolutely. As stated before, I tried this workout with a beginner level client, It was a hard challenge but she made it. However, everyone is different so there is a possibility that someone is not ready to complete the entire session at once. In that case he can try just 1 circle per part to focus more on growing his resistance under the HIIT pattern. For intermediates, I insist on being strict around supersets and rest time. If you repeat this workout some time later or you are an advanced level person, try increasing your reps, use heavier weights and increase your speed. If you're advanced and crave a strong burn aim for 2 circles of part A, 2 circles of part B and again 1 circle of A and 1 circle of B.


Any tips around it?

Well if you choose an outdoor place, which is a good thing as fresh air and an outdoor environment tend to really refresh the mind, make sure you're finding a stable place to workout. Be aware of the dirt around and it would be a good option to have some workout gloves to protect your palms. We chose a park for this session so we had a lot of dirt around us while performing ground exercises (such as planks). Some music would also be nice to keep you cheerful during the process. If you don't have a training buddy, maybe spot on the duration of the songs on your playlist to estimate your training and rest time. Keep an eye on your breathing.

So, let's go for it !


Click on each exercise to view the hyperlink of how to perform it.




*Warm up* 
 Try your usual warm up routine. It can be some jogging, cycling, walking and dynamic stretching or whatever works best for you.


PART A

Burpees (12 reps)
Jumping Jacks (60sec)
Plank (15sec)
Push ups (15reps)
Jumping Squats (12reps)
Plank (20sec)



PART B

Lunges (12reps per leg)
Resistance band side kick (12 reps per leg)
Plank (15sec)

*2-3 minutes low intensity cardio*

*Stretching*
You can find my related article on stretching here



That's how I looked after this session. The Phantom of the Opera itself.

This is a wonderful sunset I captured prior to this workout. Dumbbell power.


That's where this super hot workout ends. If you give it a shot, leave me a feedback of your experience, post-workout results and suggestions. I will be posting more workout plans in the near future so make sure you'll have an eye here frequently. Don't hesitate to follow me on Instagram to get daily insights on my nutrition/workout/health tips and announcements of my new updates. You can find my contact information below to ask your questions, request articles, share your thoughts and make your suggestions, feel free to express yourselves! Have a lovely week full of pumps and progress my dearest people!
Take care.
Love,
Irina



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Saturday, 16 September 2017

Motivation: We are what we choose to become

Hello to every single person here!

 It's a lovely Saturday today and I found some time to post a new update about mentality's impact in our lives. To begin with, I was having my breakfast today while processing some thoughts in my mind. I made a relevant Instagram post, where I wrote down the main idea I had in mind, which will be the initial brick to compose this article. The post goes like this:

Photo taken from my latest personal self-project. Copyrights reserved.
" Amazing how do things and people change. 
Amazing how you can either improve yourself or destroy your good parts just by manifesting the energy around you. 
Impressive how each person's will is so strong that can either help him grow in a hostile environment or get fucked up even though everything around him is fertile and optimum. There are no boundaries after all.

There might be some, physically, but for sure the mental aspect contributes far more.
If you have the mentality of a winner, you will eventually win. If you have the mentality of mediocrity you'll always be around it.
What is more interesting here is how does the same person swing not only in between stages but also on the edges. 
We are what we choose to be. "


 I will stand on the last two sentences. It is true that we all, as human beings, do not have the absolute emotional stability. We get through introvertial and extrovertial phases, we elevate between cheerful days and dull ones, we make good and bad choices (referring to their outcome), we make mistakes but that's alright. That's what the journey is about. It's about to mature, learn and realize both our own selves and whatever consists our further environment (in terms of interaction). So what's the case here? It is normal and healthy to have period swaps. What I do not seem to get is how can someone swing from the one edge to the other. Of course, It is a matter of choice. Not completely a conscious , controlled one, but always a choice. 

No body's born perfect and nobody has to be. The regular/positive/healthy flow of things commands that a person grows inside out, tries, experiences, in order to learn. Then as he matures, he can consciously process the valuable lessons he got through experiencing in order 1) not to repeat the same mistakes , 2) to use them on his own benefit to improve the quality of his life and 3) handle as efficiently as he can the circumstances around him. 

Though, this is not the easiest thing in this world as usually this flow gets interrupted by critical facts, emotional pressure and personal factors leading to a non-grammical route. That's how the ups and downs mentioned above are justified. If we zoom out and take a pace of year(s), we can easily notice that most of these "interruptions" don't even matter after some time. The sub-periods might have ups and downs but what matters most is the general progress you make overall. Each time you hit your pick, you are able to observe everything clearly, you get stronger to overcome the next puddle you will face. Every time you work your ass off to pass through the puddle you get wiser, your mind state rises, your conscious mind gets bolder and more efficient to handle everything better and better, serving your own well being. Every individual is different and as a result the time required to proceed to the next, higher level mentally can not be the same for everyone, which is completely fine. What is not fine is the lack of progress. Not the pompous one. Even the slightest step of improvement is progress. That is where mentality plays it's role on this multidimensional show we call "LIFE".

We can not avoid sadness, we can not avoid tiredness, we can not avoid negative people, bad luck, traumatic experiences, despair or anything unpleasant forever. All these are a part of life, all these have a purpose and it is all a matter of how we choose to respond. Gradually, we observe and understand the scars all these leave, we understand the dynamic between ourselves and them, we realize that things -and most importantly inner peace and happiness- , are more a matter of our own conscious choice rather than a sum of unstable factors. Our feelings, our daily routine, our moments are all a result of the choices we make with what we have. The longterm attitude we develop is who we ARE.

As I mentioned above, there are indeed people who are in the least beneficial state, however, they take charge of themselves. They don't live an illusion, they know how to evaluate the circumstances and then they CHOOSE wisely to use everything, even the negative parts, to gain something valuable for their journey. These people are the same who survived the worst and when they meet the best, they 1) appreciate everything a thousand times more, 2) ENJOY all the goodness they have around, 3) flourish- as they do not consume as much energy to struggle and fix everything anymore. Since things are fine they enjoy them and use all this spare energy to do whatever refills their energy tank and uplifts their soul. In simple terms, they ALLOW themselves to be happy, work hard and GET BETTER. This didn't happen overnight, they suffered, they got through fire and flames but they chose to become this. These are the WINNERS.

On the other side of the coin, there are persons who might have the most possibly fertile soil and all the optimal conditions to grow but they don't. This does not cover the little periods in between peaks, -in fact- these are rarely friendly and easy to deal with. The persons I am talking about are those who refuse to take a step forward despite the fact that the road is smooth and clean. They are those who have always been this way or they have suffered, been traumatized but never really overcame their pain. The trickiest part here is that they usually swear they got over what stained their hearts, they might even got over the particular facts, but the sad truth is that something remained. The energy, the way they felt about themselves, the impression of themselves and eventually, what really got stained is their eyes. 

When you are really done with your past, it has no single power on you anymore. In other words, it does not cause any negative effect in your present life. For sure, a significantly negative fact will never be a pleasant topic to discuss but this is far different from carrying the fear, preoccupation, judgement and arrogance of it with you today. Whether they realize it or not, they live an illusion. They have the privilege of a clear sunny sky above and instead of going out to enjoy the precious sunlight they craved for so long, they stay in - just in case it rains. They go out fully covered, carrying two umbrellas and they remain static under a shelter instead of going out and run freely on the clear sunny field. In case it rains. This extreme precaution is a result of fear not only of the possible traumatic fact of their lives (= the rain, used in our metaphorical example) to take place again but also caused due to the lack of self confidence that they will be able to make it through. They hide themselves behind the "safety" of their so called "foresight" to justify their inability to just deal with this system which includes a percentage of rain. So what do we have here? Individuals who swear they got over the pain but still act like they are afraid and sure they will crush in case they face it. If they had really been free from all these, they would run outside, seize this sunny and rare day, enjoy it at the maximum possible degree, appreciate every single ray of light touching their skin in a multiple level. They would rise up themselves, they would be hopeful, energized and uplifted. They would be WINNERS. Instead, they don't. 

They prefer to shrink in their virtual "comfort zone", miss all the fun out there, choosing not to enjoy what they lacked for so long and eventually be miserable in a mediocre sterilized routine. But you know what? The more "sterilized" the environment you stay longterm, the more your immunity weakens. What does this mean is simple words? The more you accept mediocrity in your life and the more you cage yourself in your "safety" walls, not really taking risks out of your safe zone, the more your ability to understand and enjoy happiness and life itself, weakens. Then comes a day, you have all you ever wanted but you are not happy. You have more than you could ask for, but you don't really appreciate them in your heart. You might be able to recognize them and even acknowledge your luck to have them but they mean nothing to you. You might have a thousand reasons to feel bold feelings, get a crazy heartbeat, experience the greatest of moments and all the conditions to shape all of your dreams but instead you stay still. You don't feel it. You don't really work for it. You are not letting it happen. Why? Because you forgot how to live. You just exist. You encircled yourself in a safe environment without critical ups and downs, not letting yourself free of doubts, fear, preoccupation, insecurities when you had the best conditions to do so, you didn't live it. You just missed one more sunny day, no matter if it's the only one or the first of a row. And you are fine with it. This is the mentality of mediocrity.



Don't settle with this. Stand up.
 It's your life and you are the
only one who can let the sunlight in again.
You can make it.
For sure a mediocrity oriented person can finally end up as a winner through maturing process and most importantly after his own will to evolve so. How can a winner end up like a miserable mediocre person in long terms? No matter the disappointment, the pain or suffering he always had features which he gained through fighting that made him a winner by a long term applied attitude. They have always been here. Why did he accept this state? Why did he ruin them? It was a choice. A choice not always clear, even to his own eyes, frequently camouflaged behind exhaustion and emotional frost. Such people think that this is the reason they are stuck in this state. A state which they even view as a short phase, something definitely not true considering the already excessive part of it in their life's timeline, talking on a wider scale. Do you know why? It is wrong because if it was a temporary puddle, their mentality wouldn't allow them to be neutral around it, accept it for so long, missing the entire point, missing life. This would be the strongest push to overcome it. Waking up one day, been missing all the blessing around because they let them go, they didn't charge to enjoy, mentain and evolve them. 


It is finally a choice. Not always an absolutely conscious and controlled one, but still, always a choice. What do you choose to become?

It's about living it. Make it a well handled, pleasant and rich experience. 



No epilogues for today. I wish you to remain with the last question i made above.
Hope you are all doing good and you found some value on this.
Find me through the contact info below - I'm open to your feedback and suggestions.
Take care,
Irina






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Tuesday, 5 September 2017

Nutrition: Recipes: Homemade Healthy Donuts


Hello September, hello Autumn!

Welcome back dear friend. My favourite part of the year is approaching so I'm super excited. What's the best way to celebrate the new season? Welcoming it with an extra sweet article and of course new  blog layout ❤


Fitness: Nutrition: Recipes: Homemade Healthy Donuts



Two weeks ago, I decided to make my own homemade donuts. The reason is that industrial ones are full of sugar (and i don't even know what else), their nutrition value is pretty low so they're a bunch of (heavenly) delicious bites which offer nothing valuable to our organism, they do not contribute to our health maintainance aaaaaand if consumed on a regular basis they are really harmful.

Brightside? I decided to look up at some recipes and substitute almost all the ingredients with the healthiest alternative i had in my cupboards. I was pretty unsure about this attempt since it was the first time I would make donuts and I didn't know how the substitutions would work since their structure was different than the original ingredients. I experimented and the result was this.....



They were extremely delicious, fluffy, healthy and i prefered them better than any donut I've tasted before. I posted this photo on Instagram, where a lot of people messaged me for the recipe. I decided to create this article so all of you who love this type of treats while taking care of your body or are into fitness and stuff can enjoy a healthy alternative.

To get started: The Ingredients

  • 200mL lowfat milk (can be almond/coconut/whatever milk you prefer- I used lactose free)
  • 1 envelop. dried yeast
  • 50gr honey (another alternative can be 25gr of honey + 25gr of coconut sugar or stevia or anything you use)
  • 2 vanillines
  • 2 egg yolks (you can also substitute this if you are vegan)
  • 30gr lowfat butter (or almond/peanut butter to enhance the protein intake and add a lovely flavor)
  • Orange and/or lime zest (i used orange)
  • 330-350gr black whole wheat flour (you can substitute even a part of it with carob powder)
*would be good to have some more flour in stock to help the dough sheet making.
  • Oil for deep frying

*Optional: you can also add some WHEY Protein powder inside if you want. I didn't because I didn't want to affect the flavor and the donuts wouldn't be consumed by me so It wasn't necessary to be high in protein. If you workout regularly i insist of using some vanilla WHEY to make sure you're not ruining the taste.

The equipment:
  • A rolling pin
  • A large bowl
  • Cellophane
  • A large cup
  • A shot cup

The process: Instructions

Use a large bowl to mix the butter (it has to be molten), vanillines and milk all together. Up next comes the zest (you can also put some drops of the orange juice for extra scent) along with the egg yolks and dried yeast. 

You need to stir them with some intensity to allow the yeast form bubbles in the mixture. 

Start adding the flour gradually. You need to perfectly blend each portion of it before you add the rest in order to form an elastic, smooth, coherent and easy-to-use dough. Let the dough sit in a warm place for aprox. 1,5 hour. 

*I wrapped it with cellophane and placed it in the oven (it was off) to ensure a slightly warm temperature.

After 1,5 hour of sitting, your dough is ready to use. With the help of some extra flour and a rolling pin, you need to form a dough sheet of aprox. 2cm thickness. Use the big cup to form your donuts and then the shot cup to create the whole in the middle. Gather the dough leftovers, blend them all together and keep repeating until you use it all.





*I created most of my donuts out of a little thinner dough but they still turned out lovely, just not as huge as the 2cm ones. 

In the pan you can see how fluffy they get❤

Then comes the deep frying. Do not freak out. These donuts do not absorb any oil, I tested that. I placed them on a tray with a lot of paper to absorb the extra oil right after the pan. 
Frying time: 3minutes on the one side and 1 minute on the other until they get a caramel colour.

Dry your donuts with the paper and then you are ready to optionally add some filling and top them by your own preference. I made some with chocolate/bisquit topping, others with strawberry/blueberry jam.bisquit and sugar powder and some with honey and cinnamon (the ones i ate). As for the filling, nutella and jams slip easier inside the donut so they're more preferable.

I ate these: Honey, cinnamon & some spare powdered sugar









Other suggestions: 

Unfortunately when this idea cross my mind my kitchen was kind of empty so I couldn't really use a lot of things. If i had the chance I would definitely try topping combos such as: dark molten chocolate + peanut butter , strawberry jam (or paste) with powdered coconut, honey + lime zest, honey + peanut butter + linseed/nuts.


Chocolate & Bisquit Porn ❤

Super duper fluffy ^_^























Conclusion:

Strawberry/Raspberry jam, bisquit & powdered sugar
I really loved the texture, they were fluffy, delicious, really special for the orange scent which was always present but not overlaying everything. 

It is a great daily source of carbs and can satisfy your sweet tooth while offering some nutrients to your body. 

The feedback I had from all who tasted was glorious so I'm definitely making them again. If you do so, I'd love to see yours too! Feel free to send them or post them & tagging me. :) 




Thanks again for visiting my blog. Make sure you have an eye on my Instagram since I post nutrition related posts everyday ;) Have a sweet week and stay tuned for more posts! September will be really productive!
Love,
Irina




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