.:Competition Training:.

My trainer, Monty Mabry, has been bodybuilding 20 years and has survived coaching me since Jan. He is a fantastic trainer, I know I'm in good hands :o) Contact me for his info!

Monty creates my nutrition plans and answers the relentless questions I berate him with on a daily basis. He loves to lie awake @ night creating fun, new tortures for me every week, the following are some of my favorites:

KETTLE BELL SWINGS

KETTLE BELL "GET UPS"

STABILITY BALL PIKES: we do a variation of these


We also do a series of muay thai kickboxing that I especially enjoy b/c it's the ONLY time I'm ALLOWED to kick Mont :o) He makes training so much fun! Off to a session right now. PRAY for me! :o) <3

.:Chocolate Cherry Protein Bites:.

Ingredients:

•1 cup Oats ground to flour
•4 Egg Whites
•2 scoops Chocolate protein powder
•½ cup Splenda or Stevia
•½ tsp Baking Soda
•¼ tsp Salt
•2 cups black cherries (pureed)
•3 tbsp Baking Cocoa
•4oz Water

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.Mix dry ingredients (oat flower, protein, baking soda, salt, cocoa) together in a large bowl.
3.Mix wet ingredients (egg whites, Splenda, cherries, water) together in a medium sized bowl.
4.Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together.
5.Spray 9x9 cooking dish with a non-stick butter spray and add batter to dish.
6.Bake 20-30 minutes in oven. Prick with toothpick in center. *bars are done when toothpick returns clean*
7.Allow to cool COMPLETELY, cut into 16 bars (4 rows of 4) Cut each square into ¼’s.

ENJOY!

THE JOURNEY OF 1,000 MILES BEGINS WITH A SINGLE STEP

*DISCLAIMER: So yes, I'm in my skivvies, which is why I'm not posting this directly on FB (I just didn't feel like it was appropriate). I figure, "Hey- In 32 weeks, you're going to be on a stage in less than a bathing suit & heels in front of your family, friends AND a room full of strangers- STARING at you. You probably need to get comfortable with people seeing your body."

AT MY HEAVIEST: 217LBS! I WAS A CLYDESDALE! (Jan 08)

“The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.”- Oliver Wendell Holmes

“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.”-Michelangelo

“Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal.” E. Joseph Cossman

Lots of work to be done, so I hope you'll follow along this journey with me!

KB'S SWEET POTATO FRIES

Ingredients:

* 2 sweet potatoes (1 lb.)
* 2 tbsp. olive oil
* 1 tsp. sea salt
* 1 tsp. dried oregano
* 1 tsp. paprika
* ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
* ¼ tsp. cumin (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a non-stick baking sheet in the oven.
2. Peel the sweet potatoes. Cut into 3-inch long and 1/4-inch wide sticks. They should look like mini 2x4’s, uneven ends will burn.
3. Toss the potato sticks with the oil & spices.
4. Spread the sticks on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
5. Turn the sweet potato fries after 15 minutes and bake approximately 15 minutes more or until a light brown. Be careful when turning because the sticks will be soft

Tips for Crispy Sweet Potato Fries

Sweet potato fries can be a little tricky in terms of getting them to turn out crispy.

* Be sure your baking sheet is not “over crowded” and that the sticks are spread out as much as possible. Use two baking sheets if necessary.
* Do not bake sweet potato fries with any other foods in the oven.
* *Lining the baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil (shiny side up) seems to turn out crispier fries. Using parchment paper or foil also prevents the fries from sticking as well.*
* After baking for 30 minutes, if the fries are not as crispy as you’d like, take them out of the oven and loosen with a spatula. Return to the oven and bake another 5 minutes.

Nutrition Info:

Serves 4

Calories: 130 | Fat: 7 g | Cholesterol: 0 mg | Sodium: 590 mg | Potassium: 144 mg | Carbohydrates: 16 g | Fiber: 2 g | Protein: 1 g

.:CARDIO PLAYLIST:.

Nothing keeps training fun like music with a good beat! It helps me dig deep through a hard lift & makes 60 min. on the treadmill seem like 6! Here's part of my playlist right now. Apparently, I like a mix between hood rap & Miley Cyrus? Weird. Whatever gets the job done! I'm a music hound, so please let me know if you have any new suggestions!

“All the Way Turnt Up”: Roscoe Dash
“Roger That”: Young Money
“O Let’s Do It”: Wacka Flocka feat. Lil’ Wayne
“Steady Mobbin’: Young Money & Gucci Mane
“Super Bass“: Nicki Minaj
“Did It On ‘Em”: Nicki Minaj
“Knockout”: Nicki Minaj & Lil’ Wayne
“Beautiful Lasers”: Lupe Fiasco
“The Show Goes On”: Lupe Fiasco
“Blow”: Ke$ha
“Monster”: Kanye, Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj & Bon Iver
“I Get Off”: Halestorm
“It’s Not You”: Halestorm
“Won’t Back Down”: Pink & Eminem
“Kush”: Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg
“Victory”: DJ Khaled & John Legend
“Look @ Me Now”: Chris Brown & Busta Rhymes
“Til The World Ends”: Britney Spears
“I Just Can’t Get Enough”: Black Eyed Peas
“Rolling in The Deep”: Adele
“Outta Control”: Baby Bash
“Fire Flame”: Bridman & Lil’ Wayne
“Work It Out”: Chady
“Prima Donna”: Christina Aguilera
“Gimme Dat”: Ciara
“Rompe”, “Gasolina” & “Impacto”: Daddy Yankee
“Feel It” “ DJ Felli Fell
“Over”: Drake
“Go Girl”: Pitbull feat Trina
“Smash Sumthin”: Redman
“S&M”: Rihanna
“Raining Men”: Nicki Minaj & Rihanna
“Shake My”: Three Six Mafia
“We Belong to the Music”: Miley Cyrus & Timbaland
“More”: Usher
“We Are Young”: 3OH!3

*CREPE ESCAPE/ Pancake recipe*

Sweet Crepe/ Pancake Recipe:

1/2 cup water/ unsweetened almond milk (for crepes, use 1 c water- batter should be very thin)
4 egg whites
1/2 cup oatmeal (ground in food processor to flour)
1/2 t cinnamon
1t vanilla
1 T Stevia/honey
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 c greek yogurt/ lowfat cottage cheese- I leave this out b/c I don't do dairy during prep but it REALLY adds to the flavor/consistency



*cooking spray for griddle*

Heat pan/griddle to medium high. First, blend oat flour & egg whites in blender. Add remaining ingredients & blend for 30sec. (batter should be thin) Add 1/4c batter for each crepe into the pan/griddle, tilting until circle of thin batter forms. (this can take some practice haha) Cook for 1-2 minutes 1st side or until the bottom starts to bubble/edges appear dry. Next run a thin knife or spatula under the edge of the crepe/pancake to lift off & flip over. Cook for 30 sec.

Savory Crepe Recipe:

1 cup water
4 egg whites
1 tbsp olive/grapeseed oil
1/2 cup oatmeal (ground in food processor to flour)
1/4 tsp salt
(sometimes i have to add more oats b/c the batter gets too thin)

Favorite Fillings/toppings:

Sweet
2T peanut butter melted w/ 1/4c sugar free syrup
Fresh strawberries, blueberries, blackberries
Sugar free jam, marmalade, preserves, pie filling
Apple sautéed w/ 1 T honey & cinnamon
Cottage cheese w/ blueberries/pineapple on top
Banana baked @400 for 10-15 w/ cinnamon & 1T honey
1 c frozen black cherries sautee'd w/ stevia & a little sugar free syrup

Savory

Lean ground meat & salsa
Sautéed onion, pepper & mushroom w/ salsa
Egg whites w/ turkey sausage, Canadian bacon & fat free cheese
Spinach, artichokes & feta/goat cheese
Grilled chicken, light Caesar dressing, spinach, Parmesan

*Depending on the filling, I play w/ the spices as a way to boost flavor w/o calories-

Sweet: almond extract, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange/lemon zest, sugar free syrup on top, flavored protein powder (in batter for flavor& extra protein)

Savory: garlic, onion, Italian spices, thyme, oregano, chili powder, hot sauce

Caloric breakdown: about 350 for the whole batch of batter (makes about 5-6 crepes)

1 serving lean protein (egg)
1 serving whole grains/ "good carbs" (oatmeal)
1 serving good fat (oil)

Change it up! Get creative! Enjoy!

Inspiration: The Catalyst to Change

Chady Dunmore lost more than 60 lbs. post-baby and transformed herself through training & nutrition to win the Arnold Classic Bikini 2010!

Tabitha Klausen Leandri is 5'11.5" so she inspires me by showing that tall can be strong AND sexy!

Jamie Eason was the first female figure competitor I ever heard of back in 2007. She is incredibly inspiring & encouraging through training!

Last, but CERTAINLY not least: J.C. She is the first competitor I personally know (she's 6'4" and DROP DEAD GORGEOUS.) She constantly encourages me through training and answers all my questions about the process. I don't know WHAT I would do without her!