Fit Pantry - a Fit Foodie's thoughts, tips and recipe

Saturday, November 29, 2014

A PICKER UPPER SHAKE: Mocha Espresso Shakeology

 
Half a banana
¼ cup of Almond Milk (unsweetened)
½ cup cold water
5 Espresso Beans
5 Almonds
1 tbs Oatmeal
1 serving of Chocolate Shakeology
Ice about 1-2 cup

Put all ingredients in the blender in the list order. Blend until all ingredients are mixed. For chunky mixture, stop it immediately after the ice is all crushed and blended.

ENERGY BITES: Chocolate Shakeology Peanut Butter


  • 1 cup Oatmeal
  • ½ cup Almonds (or other nuts)
  • ¼ cup Raisin/Craisin
  • 4 tbs Peanut Butter
  • 2 tbs Agave
  • 2 tbs water (may be used if mixture is too dry)
  • 1 packet Shakeology Chocolate (vegan or regular)
  • 2 tbs shredded coconut (dry unsweetened) for coating

In food processor, pulse: oatmeal, almonds, craisin/raisin until small bits.

Add in Shakeology Chocolate, peanut butter and agave. Pulse again until blended.

Test the mixture for consistency. It should be like a wet thick paste, not too dry, and can be rolled into a small balls or molded. If the mixture is too dry, add in the water, 1 tbs at a time.   

Shape the mixture and store inside an airtight container in refrigerator. You can also freeze the bites for longer storage. 

Recommend storage in the freezer about 1-2 week. NEVER leave the bites inside a hot car! If you are going to the gym, bring them with you in a bag.

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

SHAKEOLOGY ENERGY BITES: Choco Banana Nutter



ENERGY BITES: Choco Banana Nutter


  • 1 cup Oatmeal
  • 1 Ripe Banana
  • ½ cup Almonds (or other nuts)
  • ¼ cup Raisin/Craisin
  • 4 tbs Peanut Butter
  • 2 tbs water (may be used if mixture is too dry)
  • 1 packet Shakeology Chocolate (vegan or regular)
  • 1 cup crushed nuts for coating


In a food processor, pulse: banana, oatmeal, almonds, craisin/raisin to coarse bits.
Add in peanut butter and Shakeology. Pulse again until all ingredients are mixed - visually you should see it balled together to a thick paste.
Test the mixture for consistency. It should be slightly wet and can be rolled into balls. If the mixture is too dry, add in the water, 1 tbs at a time.  Add oatmeal if the mixture is too wet or too soft. 
After you shaped them into balls, roll them in the crushed nuts to coat the outside.

Lay the balls out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and put in the freezer until harden. Recommend storage in the fridge about 1-2 week. 
NEVER leave the bites inside a hot car! If you are going to the gym, bring them with you in the bag.

DESSERTS: Chocolate Coconut Shakeology



DESSERTS: Chocolate Coconut Shakeology

  • 1 cup Frozen shredded coconut meat
  • ½ cup cold coconut water
  • 1 serving of Chocolate Shakeology
  • Ice – at least 2 cups! (Unless you have Vitamix®, start with 1 cup and see how your blender can take it)
  • Dark chocolate chunks and coconut meat for topping.

Put all ingredients in a strong blender in the list order. 
Blend until all ingredients are mixed. 
Chop the dark chocolate into small bits for topping.
Serve immediately.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

PiYo - Defining Myself

Maintain your body properly and it will serve you long 
and well through the years. 

At 40s, I rethink what I'm doing to my body — what I eat, what activities I do. I’m more cautious of injuries and rightly so because older cells don't regenerate and recover as fast as when I was in the 20s.

Granted I'm more active now and definitely in better shape then I was 20 years ago, I still can't defy time.  I’m not waving the flag or throw in the towel, … heck, I can probably outlast you (younger folks) in INSANITY workout any day if you challenge me.  But,  

I plan to age gracefully, 
              without the aches and pains on my joints. 

So mixing up the workouts is my long term plan. Gradually phasing out the high impact workout is part of the plan, but …. not quite yet :) 

My grand plan will kick start in August, along with my first PiYo Challenge Group. I am excited!  I am too hyper to stay still too long in yoga and too impatient doing pilates. So what makes PiYo different?

PiYo is a combination of pilates and yoga, a workout format created by Chalene Johnson.  It has been exclusively taught at select gyms, until recently Beachbody produced the home version. This PiYo home version is an all inclusive workout program from meal plan, peer support, and of course the workouts (total of 8 + 1 bonus): core, upper/lower body, cardio, strengthening, balance and body alignment, along with calendars to schedule the workouts. The pace in the workout varies from slow to moderate. Holding long enough pose to increase flexibility without falling asleep…. Ok I am exaggerating :)  Basically you move through the workout gradually from slow to medium pace, increasing flexibility, coordination and balance at the same time.

Another enticing factor of PiYo is the lack of equipment needed. Just like INSANITY, my body is the only instrument needed in the workout, making it super convenient!

So, NO JUMPING, NO WEIGHTS. Sounds good to me. 

If you have taken yoga or pilates before, you know that moving at a speed of slow doesn’t mean you won’t be sweating. At times it is harder to hold the pose and maintain your balance.  I know that flexibility means better range of movements and helps me perform better in other workouts — kick higher, squat lower, move faster, etc.  I know core strength is never bad and the benefit will carry on until I’m old — the idea is so that I won’t ever need a cane to walk :)

I have been doing yoga and Body Flow once a week for the past month.  And I’ve noticed the difference by adding this type of workout into my routine already. However, those are gym workouts. I want something I can easily do at home, because my gym time has been occupied with the crazy intense ones, like INSANITY, Body Combat, and Turbo Kick. 

Hence PiYo is perfect. I can do it at home and I have a schedule to follow, so I won’t be sporadically guessing what to do each day.  I want to gather more people into my Challenge Group: Lean and Tone, because it’s just more fun when you know there are others doing it together with you :)

Can’t wait until my PiYo package arrive. Counting the days now…..

A glimpse into PiYo (video) ->
Info on Challenge Group ->
Get PiYo Challenge Pack->
Get PiYo the workout only ->


The quote in the picture above is taken from Chalene Johnson. I claim no ingenuity of the phrase, although, it does apply perfectly in my life.

AUGUST CHALLENGE: LEAN & TONE with PiYo

http://tinyurl.com/xtremecatchallenge 

** I need MOTIVATED PEOPLE to join this Challenge.  Spots are limited (with bonus Reebok top). Simply get your challenge pack here: http://tinyurl.com/xtremecatchallenge choose PiYo, the Shakeology flavor, make sure that XtremeCat is listed as your Coach in the sign up process, then message me your confirmation number.**

This challenge is only for people who are READY and COMMITTED to take better care of their bodies.  

What is LEAN & TONE with PiYo?
Strengthen and sculpt your body with a low impact workout, with no equipment.  Your body is your equipment. It is all you need (plus a yoga mat if you need. I personally like to downward dog directly on the floor :) ).

In PiYo there is no jumping and no weights. Designed to improve core strength, flexibility and balance. The workout will sculpt your body without adding bulk.  There are 8 workouts in the program, including core, upper and lower body workout, cardio, body alignment, strength training and simply sweating you out!  Oh, you also get one more workout as a bonus (think buns!). 

The duration of the program is 60 days. Too long? Try it for 30 days and see if you don’t want to move on the next 30 days.  Get Lean meal plan is included - as we all know, 80% of the result is affected by what we eat.

Why join a Challenge Group?
  • Peer support, guidance and support from your Coach, me :)  - that means I will make sure you push play everyday according to the schedule and help you with meal ideas.
  • Nutrition - supplement the workout with one Shakeology a day. It is part of the challenge to help you get the result.
  • Convenience - your place, your time.

Bonus: Get a Reebok top, courtesy of your Coach (me ^_^). Simply get your challenge pack here: http://tinyurl.com/xtremecatchallenge choose PiYo, the Shakeology flavor, it should say that XtremeCat (or Catharina Soesetyo) is your Coach, then after you have finished with the purchase message me your confirmation number.

NO RISK!
PiYo Challenge Pack has 60-day money back guarantee. So if you are not happy with it, you can return the program within 60 days of your purchase date to get a refund, including the Shakeology, even if you have finished the bag.

New Challenge Group is initiated each month, but bonus gift may change. Email me for details or contact me on Facebook. (http://facebook.com/fitfunbeyond)

PiYo is a home workout program which includes workout videos (8), a bonus workout, Get Lean meal plan, workout calendar, and coach support. PiYo is created by Chalene Johnson. The home workout program is produced by Beachbody.

Sunday, July 6, 2014

21 Day Fix Challenge with Fit Fun Beyond Beachbody Team



For the past 3 weeks, along with 4 ladies, I did the 21 Day Fix challenge. Another challenge, you said?!?  Well, yeah! I love challenges!  Because they make life interesting, keep me focus, and give me goals to look forward to.  I believe in any fitness program, there should be a goal. Otherwise, you aimlessly going through the routine and pretty soon you get burnt out. A goal directs your attention towards something specific and provides you with measurements and gauge for your progress.

Ok. What it is about and why people could benefit from doing it.  First, a quick video on the program itself.




The WHAT is, it is about PORTION CONTROL. In the challenge, you workout 30 minutes a day using the videos provided, while eating within the calorie range as measured by the colorful containers provided. Each color represent a food group - carb, protein, healthy fat, oil, seeds, vegetables, fruits.  There is a simple calculation to determine how much calories you need, which then translated into how many of each color container you need a day.

My calorie range falls in the first range (1200-1499 calories), which then translate to: 3 GREEN, 2 PURPLE, 4 RED, 2 YELLOW, 1 BLUE, 1 ORANGE. In a day, I have to eat and finish that much food.

The WHY is because we tend to either over shoot our calories intake by too much or too little. While the science is not precise, this program still leaves you in the ball park of calorie intake your body needs. The beauty of the program is, it is not that strict and a bit more forgiving. "As long as you can fit it in the container, you can eat it."

Like any other challenges I had done, I approached this one with caution. I workout a lot. And I need to have enough fuel to energize my workouts.  No time for starvation diet.

I read the guide book. Twice. Then once again. Seemed confusing at first. I needed to visualize the amount of food I am allowed to eat in a day. So I cooked all of my food for the day, measured them by color containers and put them all in front of me. I was surprisingly satisfied with what I saw :)  Enough food. Great. This challenge won't starve me. The portions make sense.
The amount of food I need to eat in a day. Nice :)

Divide the food into meals.
After that, the days during the challenge passed quite easy. I started to THINK about FOOD in COLOR. I developed a better eyeballing skill, thanks to this program. I cooked my meals and I also eat out. I even had *gasp* fries, burgers and pizza (thin crust). All in portion that fits my calorie budget, of course.

Be advised that if you eat cleaner and better than me during the challenge, your result would have been better, meaning you'd lose more pounds (if your body still need to lose weight) and more fat and inches.  You also need to adhere to the calorie and food guide. Don't try to skip a YELLOW just because you think carb is "bad" for weight loss. On the contrary, you need ALL of them. Part of the challenge is to eat a BALANCE diet.


The RESULT.

 See this photo? This is Wanda, REAL PERSON, REAL RESULT and REAL FRIEND of mine. She personifies "discipline". She did it by the book and she reaped an amazing result.She didn't skip any meals and hit all the colors in a day. She even brought the containers when she went eating out!



My transformation is less shocking, but more defining. I immediately saw a drop in body weight after the first week.  After the second week passed, I drop more pounds. After week 2, body fat has gone back to below 20%. *whew* :)  I am most happy with the inches lost, especially around my hip and thighs. Those Fighter Girls Combat shorts will now fit more comfortable and not as snug :)

My result from the 21 Day Fix Challenge:

BeforeAfter
Weight112 lbs107 lbs
Body Fat21.2%19.4%
Waist26"25"
Hips34.75"34"
Thighs21"20.25"

Less bulgy, sharper definition. Hello~ abs and hello~ thighs :)

Flatter lower abs. Leaner in general. No, I wasn't holding my breath -__-

More confident showing the side views :)
 
Every month I am hosting a new Challenge Group on Facebook. It is an accountability group within the same program. To join my Challenge Group*, get a program here: http://tinyurl.com/fitpantry-21daychallenge 

*Find me on Facebook.com/FitFunBeyond and send a message or post a comment.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Really Simple Mushroom Stir Fry

I like to keep things simple. Nothing elaborate, especially when one or more of the following applies: I'm hungry, I have no time, I'm tired, I only have what's in the fridge. So, simple stir fry is my go to meal. Everything in one wok, basically.   The only prep work for this stir fry is the roasted Red Pepper (here's how you make some), or not. You can use diced raw/fresh ones as well. You won't get that roasty, delectably sweetness of the paprika, but it will work. :) Remember, it should be simple. 


Simple Mushroom Stir Fry

1 box mushrooms* -  large diced
Half large onion - diced
Half Green Bell Pepper - sliced
Half Red Pepper (Roasted or not)
a handful of fresh Parsley - chopped coarse
1 tsp Olive Oil
Fresh ground black pepper and Himalayan Salt to taste

*of your choice (that small container sold in the market)





Set heat to high and start the onion with the olive oil.



When they start to cook (you can tell they turn translucent) add in the mushrooms.


Keep stirring on high heat about 1-2 minute, until the mushroom soften. Add in the bell pepper (the fresh ones). Yup, you guess it. Keep stirring.


When it's about done, add in the roasted pepper (skip this if you are not using roasted pepper),


... add in parsley.

Stir it one last time and serve.

(I just looove the #21DaysFix containers. They make for a great mold :p )


Saturday, May 3, 2014

A Ridiculously FUN Afternoon

May 3, 2014. The day was hot. Sun was out, no clouds in the sky, no breeze. At the Orange County Great Park Irvine, hundreds of people swarmed the flat empty scape. Music filled the air, you can smell the excitement and of course, the delectable fragrance off the grill from the food trucks.  The ROC Irvine commenced today! ROC as in Ridiculous Obstacle Challenge.

And that was where we were today. 12 obstacles, ranging from doable to ridiculous dotted the course. Some of the obstacles are ridiculously hard. Almost impossible, like jumping on top of 3 inflatable balls across two platforms. Injuries are to be expected. Fortunately, our team only suffered minor ones.

I started feeling hungry by the time we were walking towards the ninth obstacle. OH man... I couldn't wait to cross the last obstacle and check out the food trucks!!

We got water sprayed, bubbled, swinging from ropes, jumping across obstacles, hanging on monkey bars, got clobbered by swinging balls into cold water, then slid head down to the finish line ... it was fun! I would have double-back to do the last slide again had my stomach not calling me to hurry and get food :)

A nice peace and quiet afternoon on a hot day like today was a sweet idea. But once in a while when an event like this is available, go out. Get some friends to join and do it together with you. It is an experience you will remember and it would strengthen the bond of friendship, as a team won't leave a member behind.


We finally got to eat!

Information on ROC: http://www.rocrace.com
ROC on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/ROCrace

#roc #fitnessfriendshipfun #teamwork

Friday, May 2, 2014

Live Life Happy - 100 Happy Days Challenge

When I started this yesterday and shared this on Facebook, several people told me that it was impossible for them. Well, come to think of it, if by 100 happy days means you will be cruising the days with a smile on your face, or grinning the whole day then, of course it's unrealistic. In fact, that would be down right creepy!! And I would have nothing to do with you. Delete you from Facebook friends. Block you, and delete your numbers..... Just kidding :)  That is extreme :p

Anyway, living a happy life doesn't mean that you will have no negative emotions like stress, sadness, anger in your daily life. There is no way around those negative energy. It is life and many things are beyond our control. That said, how we react to the negativity around us especially when we got affected, and how we handle our own emotions is within our power. I am not going to lie and say that if someone cut me off on a freeway I would just smile and wave at that car. Dude, I'd probably *censor* and give a *censor* kind of wave. BUT, would that ruin my happy day? Would I let that drag me down? That, my friends, is the question and to me, what the challenge is all about.

Following this seemingly outrageous challenge for 100 days is actually an exercise for our emotion. Can you bounce back from a negative feeling to a neutral even positive one? How fast can you do that? Granted we are not built with a switch. There will be process in between and this challenge is going to help you focus your thoughts and mind towards the right direction, which is up - "up" being a direction we associate with positive energy, thoughts, feeling.

I will give you an example which actually had just happened. I woke up feeling dead tired, got up from the wrong side of the bed, hit my toes on the way to the bathroom, missed my facial appointment, burned my breakfast, forgot to cover the blender when hit "start"....  How do I feel? Like *censor* censor* *censor* !! Right??? I mean, wouldn't you? And only on the second day of the challenge nonetheless. Then a friend texted me and asked me if I'd join her at the gym.

Option A. I could simply brush her off and say "nah, don't feel like it. I have hell of a day to start!"  In short, I could wallow in my gloom and doom day and holed up in the room hoping nothing bad would fall on my head.  But I took a moment, and option B, I answered YES! I was still dragging my ass while getting ready, but I kept thinking of the feeling I'd get after the workout.

When I arrived at the gym, I hit the car bumper on the curb.... -___-;;;; Oh *censor*.  Moving on, I walked inside the gym, smiled at my friend, which felt like I had a 5 pounders on each corners of my lips, then started focusing on my workout. In no time, I felt better. Inadvertently I thought about how lucky I was to be able to do this. Despite the crappy morning, I arrived safely at the gym, got to work on getting myself fitter, stronger and healthier. And that makes me happy. BOOM! Right, THERE. So you see, yes, I am happy.   

Crappy day should never define you and how you live your days. You can be 365 days happy every year. 

The point I want to make is there is always something that we all can be thankful, feel blessed and be happy about. And that spark or sparks are there. We often forget about them, overlooked them, ignored them. I am not going to draw examples for you, because you know you and your lives better than I do. But I bet you that yes, you have something in your live that you can use to bring yourself up.

Hm... now that song plays in my head, "Happy" by Pharrell Williams. And now I smile again :)  

You don't have to sign up for the challenge, you can simply do it on your own. A challenge is set up to keep us accountable and focus. It is human psychology that if there is no goal, we tend to wander. The official website to sign up is here: http://www.100happydays.com
Now go live life happy :)

#Livelifehappy #feelblessed #100happydays

Friday, February 28, 2014

If you haven't met yourself yet, find you, then BE YOU.

In the past, I tried so hard to fit into this image of how a young woman supposed to look like and to act according to Asian fashion and pop magazines. Down from the shape and color of the toenails, the way she stands (poses), style of clothes, how to put on the make up and hair style. What a painful experience now that I'm looking back! Forget the image of a woman toting a designer handbag, flowing silk scarf, dainty hands with fingernails all painted perfect, hair puffed up in soft curls framing the face just right, lip gloss always shimmery and luscious, mascara that doesn't run, and fashion up to the tee. .....*inhale-exhale* Uh-uh. NOPE.

I ain't that kinda gal. Most of the time you will see my hair straight and matted, silky wet .... from sweat! The bags I carry around typically either a gymbag or drawstring giveaway bag from a race I ran. 90% of my laundry consists of workout clothes. My make up kit is so few I can count them with 1 hand. And unlike what Sex in the City portrayed not all women piled up designer shoes and sandals like she owns a museum. The logo on my bras is a swoosh, not a VS. My nails, what nails? They are trimmed short and neat. If not they would get chipped and cracked. 

What I'm saying is, at some point in life, you have to recognize who you are. Find confident in knowing that nothing is wrong in being yourselves. Conformity is for lemmings. Being unique is what makes you stand out as individual. Being comfortable in your own skin is what makes you shine among others.

Simply put, I didn't know who I was for half of my life. I tried to be like others. Looking up at images the mass media keep feeding the public as my guide.... man, I was a sucker. Finding myself was not easy. I got burned to the ground before I finally see who I really am, sweeping away the ashes my true self was intact and revealed. Building on the new self discovery is another journey. One that I feel will continue to evolve.

So, not being hypocritical, I do own several designer handbags, which are waiting for the rare occasions for them to come out. My workout clothes have been upgraded in terms of price and quality, from 3 for $10 to a better one for $30 each. Capris ain't cheap either, not if you want to get one that last you a while and won't rip when you squat for the hundredth times. Regardless, my style, persist. I stay who I am. In recognizing myself, I realized that I could never be the women shown in the Asian magazines I used to stare for hours. On the other hand, I can be ME and improve on my own self.

Who to say that you can't be stylish in the workout clothes, am I right or am I right? :)