Dessert without guilt: My Healthier Chocolate Cake Recipe!

It is possible to eat something sweet and not feel the need to beat yourself up afterwards. It is okay to treat yourself every once in a while, it is even better to do it and still feel you made a far better choice than you could have. This was me last night. I wanted, chocolate, I wanted crunchy and I wanted salty all at the same time. So I hit the kitchen and threw together a microwave chocolate cake. It was far healthier than any processed snack and still fell within my clean eating guideline so I was pleased with myself and my craving was satisfied. I still don’t harbor any guilt over my choice either. That is rare for me. So here is a picture of my delicious creation and the recipe. This is a single serving recipe.

Oh so tasty!

Clean Eating Chocolate Cake:

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon dark chocolate cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons 100% unbleached whole wheat graham flour
• 2 teaspoons agave nectar
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 2 packets Stevia In the Raw
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut
• 2 teaspoons applesauce
• 3 tablespoons skim milk (you could substitute with milk of choice)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon dark chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon unsalted shelled sunflower seeds
• 1 pinch course sea salt

In a small bowl mix together all of the dry ingredients (minus the chips and salt) and Stevia well. Add wet ingredients and stir well. After it is fully mixed pour into mug or ramekin add chips reserving a few, sprinkle remaining chips, seeds and salt on the top of batter. Place in microwave and microwave on high for 1 minute. It did bubble over just a tiny bit so I would recommend placing it on a microwave safe dish or paper towel.Let cool for a minute then enjoy! I am yet to calculate the nutrition to an exact but my rough calculation rounded it out to about:

• Calories: 170
• Fat: 2 grams
• Carbs: 35 grams
• Fiber: 6.5 grams
• Protein:5.6 grams

I feel like I am running on E today. I slept less than two hours. I am so temped to grab a Sugar Free Red Bull so I can function. So far I have resisted but have accomplished nothing. I rarely have caffeine via doctors orders. Apparently caffeine and Sleep Deprivation Disorder is not a good mix. Who would have thought, huh? Right now I am having a smoothie in hopes that it give me some up and go. If not, I will be naughty and have some caffeine. After I blog I am going to have an egg to so I get my protein in. Thank goodness today is an easy workout day. Yoga and C25K!  I think I will do LMP Flow and some Gaiam Energizing Yoga too, get the blood flowing before my C25K. Yawn!

Already looking tasty!

Hope this gives me some energy!

What was in my smoothie?

• 1 mango
• 1 kiwi
• 1 handful spinach
• 2 mandarin oranges
• 1/2 cup FF Greek yogurt
• 1 handful ice
• 1 handful of mixed berries: blueberries, raspberries and blackberries
• 1/3 cup FF milk

 

Does my ass make my ass look big?

Yesterday was rough for me. It seemed that everything I put on make me look like a heifer, even all the new size 12′s I bought last week. How is that there was no weight gain and even a bit of inches lost and I saw myself as fat as I was when I stated all this? Anyhow, everything I tried on I hated. I liked the clothes, but they didn’t look right to me. Being that discouraged made me want to throw in the towel, I had this feeling that all this hard work has been for nothing. Why did I do that to myself? it is not like I wanted to feel that was, self sabotage was not my plan at all. Some of the unhappiness I have been feeling over other things must be wearing me down. Not to worry though nothing is permanent.

So today is Wednesday, it is day 79 of Les Mills Pump, I still love it on day 79 just as much as I did on day one. I am still grateful that I gave it a go. If there were live classes around here I would get a gym membership in a second. I think that I am finally to the point where I don’t feel too fat for group fitness. Shyness is something that really came with weight gain. I am getting back to my more open outgoing, who give a damn what you think self again, I know it sounds strange after the first part of this blog. Yesterday was a rough day for some reason, that’s all.

The carpet people are coming to measure today! I went and confirmed what color and pile I wanted, sugar cookie.  Why is it that I always like the most expensive of everything. Even before I have a clue what the price is I always find that I gravitate to items of a higher cost? I must have good taste I did find a new chair I really liked. I need to find a couple more I like so there are choices. And no luck on a TV/media stand. I think we need to make the two-hour trek to Ikea maybe. Haven’t even started looking for shelving for the archway wall.  The house is a huge mess. Furniture all over, the stuff from the walls strewn about which leads to making more clutter. How does that happen? Things will be in order soon enough. I can’t wait for the living room, Purple room (sitting and treadmill room right now but soon to be an office), steps and hallway to have it’s pretty new floor coverings!

Time to get going with my day. The kiddo is off to school, time for me to get going on part one of my workouts. I am super starving today, I can’t wait to eat breakfast. I don’t think I got me calories in to calories out ratio right. I had a major calorie burn yesterday, just about 1000 cals! That must be why I am starving.

Just one more random thought. I really, REALLY want a sashimi lunch from Hello Sushi. If they were open right now that would be my breakfast. I have been craving sashimi for a week now at least!

Have a great day everyone!

 

It’s time for my Week 10 check in!

I have an obsession with the apples and measuring tape pictures I collect them on my hard drive now. I am so weird

I am finished with week ten! Wow, the time has really flew by! I am officially 71 days into Round one of Les Mills Pump, that means I have 19 days left to go before Les Mills Ultimate Cross Training! I am a bit nervous.

This week my results were not great but any positive move forward is still a move forward so I will take it with a smile. I went through my meals and i think I pinpointed why I got on the mini plateau, I had some hydration issues (as I blogged about before) and I did not eat enough calories. I miss too many snacks and I am positive my body did some storing. So I am going to start getting back on my proper calories and see how that works. Some days I was almost 700 cals short. That is not good. Buckling down and planning my food better around out schedule is a necessity. So after my workout this afternoon I am on it! I’ve got to do my “mom” schedule for the month anyhow. I am glad I figured out where the issue is and it is an easy fix! Maybe fix up some containers of to go snacks for the week so I can just grab and go will make it easier.

So here are my results, nothing amazing but change is change!

• Chest: 34.5 inches  (- 1.5 inches)
• R Arm: 12 inches  (- 0 inches)
• L  Arm: 11.5 inches (- .5 inches)
• Waist: 32 inches (- 0 inches)
• Hips: 41 inches (- 0 inches)
• R Thigh: 24.5 inches (- 0 inches)
• L Thigh: 24.5 inches (- 0 inches)
• Weight: 171 pounds (-0 pounds)
• Pant Size: 12
• BMI: 29.6

So a 2 inch difference this week! Way better than last weeks no change at all!!

 

No doughnuts but…..

Happy Friday everyone!

Just so you know. I did not have a doughnut last night! Go me! I did melt some cheese with sriracha sauce on    some whole grain baked tortilla chips. A whopping 310 calories worth. So I feel guilty this morning and am fighting the urge to step on the scale. Must.not.give.in! i haven’t been eating enough over the past week so I am sure my indulgence will not hurt me. On the other hand the not eating enough calories for the week may. I have had a small appetite all week. Still eating all my meals, just not much of them. Getting lots of my veggies in at least. I am sure that will bounce back after I get sleeping  again and this Fybro flare passes. After this and Emma gets on the bus I am going back to bed for an hour and hoping it refreshes me a little. I am sleeping in until 9 tomorrow, I’ll just have to threaten some lives before I go to bed, both human and pet.

I wanted to start Couch to 5K  yesterday. But I did not. Too tired. I sis get my scheduled workout in though. Pump and Shred, I killed it.   I may give it a try tonight if not for sure tomorrow.

I found another 5k that I really want to do. My friends and I dress up and go out for Halloween for mine and one other friends birthday every year. But I am thinking it is time to change it up a bit. There is a zombie 5k The Zombie Dash this April but now they are going to plan a Halloween Weekend one! It is a 5k plus Zombie Apocalypse. And if you know me you know I love me some zombies. You start at a cabin in the woods and have to make it to safety without being caught by zombies, So in a way capture the flag/race/awesomeness.  If no one else wants to do it I may just have to ditch everyone for the Halloween Birthday Extravaganza Weekend that I plan every year.

And to round off this post here is a picture of what I made for dinner last night. Udon Noodle Soup with Shrimp, Crab and lots of veggies. with a spinach salad. Have a nice day Time for my nap then onto hours upon hours of neglected housework to catch up on.

A Little Less Round and a Little More Ravishing.

Now that Easter is done I can honestly say I was very well-behaved in the food department. Kept portions small and made proper food choices. Granted I did have some white potato but only a quarter cup worth so no biggie there. I brought the dessert so I know that I could have it. It was delish. We went a friend’s parents and had dinner with their family and had a wonderful evening.

48 days into Les Mills Pump!

I also took my first progress picture since I started with Les Mills Pump to post on the Accountability Page I am a member of on Facebook.  After posting The Les Mills Official page picked up and featured it on their page. It was pretty exciting for me. I like validation, who doesn’t? I still am not willing to post my before Pictures. I am not going to until my 90 days are done. That will give me time to get over the embarrassment and get brave enough to put up a picture of me in a sports bra and sweat pants with loads of fat hanging out.

To stop flooding my friends news feeds with all my stuff about my workouts, diet, updates and blog posts, I created a Facebook page for my blog. I got tired of people complaining or saying very rude things because of my lifestyle choices and the fact that I share them. I know it doesn’t matter what others think but I’d rather just have people see it if they want to see it. And really there are just too many stupid people out there I don’t want to deal with or weed out. I have better things to do, like work out and count my calories.  Here is the link to the RoundtoRavishing Facebook Page if you would like to check it out: http://www.facebook.com/RoundToRavishing

I hope you all have a Happy and Healthy Monday and I will see you tomorrow for my Tuesday weekly check in post.

Tuesdays Gone (Week 6 Update)

My Future Paleontologist at the Sloan Museum, Flint, MI

I know I am a day late with my check in. Maybe I just wanted the chance to quote Lynard Skynard, or maybe it is because the kid is on Spring Break and we spent the day at the Sloan Museum checking out the Dinosaur Exhibit and Planetarium Show. I am going to say it was the second option with a splash of the first.  We had a good day discovering dinosaurs and then eating some very bad for you pizza. I had a salad and two very, very small slices. So it wasn’t terrible for a “cheat” meal (only 550 cals with the salad) but it wasn’t really worth it. Uno’s you disappoint me with your sub-par pizza that was covered in canned diced tomatoes. Oh well, what is done is done and what I have eaten I have eaten.  Granted I did have that attitude about it last night. I was bummed that it is Easter time and Resses Peanut butter Eggs are out and they are the best candy ever and i can’t allow myself to have them int he house, and I also did some major whining about the pizza. I wasn’t upset that I had eaten something I wanted just that I feel like it was a waste of empty calories and fat because it was not good pizza. I like to make any of my “cheater” meals to be tasty and worth all my hard work. Not mediocre and sad pizza drenched with canned tomatoes and very little cheese. My healthy version of pizza I make here at home is far better, so lesson learned. Uno’s pizza is not good, pizza from home is far tastier but pizza from the bar down the road and papa johns are pizza worth eating bad for one meal for.

I start Pump Revolution this week, Longer harder workouts, I am looking forward to seeing what it is like. I hope the squat tracks are not as brutal as they are on Pump and Shred. I love the Les Mills Pump Workouts but damn, I hate squats. I still push through though. I may be literally crying through it while cursing Rachel to the moon and back. But if it will give me her legs.. I better get on it and dig a little deeper. Tears are just water weight leaving my body anyhow right? I love Sheldon and his ab track, I had a couple of friends over to try out pump and see what they thought of Pump and they are in LOVE with Sheldon. I can quote one girl as saying “He can take me to the car wash…..(I’ll stop there)” I love that he is always singing along. He is very fun to watch. I have good things to say about all the instructors on the videos but I will talk about more of them in future posts. I don’t want to write a novel here.

I should probably get on to the weeks results so I can get onto coloring Easter Eggs with Miss Emma then figuring out what our healthy Easter menu will be for this year. No family in town this holiday so it will just be the three of us, that will make shopping easy!

Here are my results for this week:

• Chest: 36 inches  (- 0 inches)
• R Arm: 12 inches  (- 0 inches)
• L  Arm: 12 inches (- 0 inches)
• Waist: 35.5 inches (- 0.5 inches)
• Hips: 42.5 inches (- 0.5 inches)
• R Thigh: 25 inches (- 0 inches)
• L Thigh: 25.5 inches (- 0.5 inches)
• Weight: 174 pounds (- 0 pounds)
• Pant Size: 14
• BMI: 35.2

Week Three.. Still waiting for something to happen…

As you all know I have spent the past few weeks I have been doing Les Mills Pump and following the nutrition plan that came with the program. At this point I am wondering if it is really what I need. Maybe I am just discouraged by the lack of weight loss, maybe it is just too darn early in the morning. I won’t quit, at this point I started this,  and just need to follow through.  Plus I do know I have been a bit of a Debbie Downer this week.

I still love the food, I do eat meals that are not in the nutrition guide, but I keep the daily total to 1200-1300 calories, 70-80 g protein, 150-180 carbs, 30 g fat and 30-35 g fiber. So I figure even if it is not in the book and the nutritional breakdown is the same it’s good (or is that the no progress issue). Either way, I do not think I am willing to cut back any more diet wise.  I do think I will be bad today and have a cheat meal. even with very little weight loss i have been working out hard and dieting like a mad woman, so I am going to eat something I really want. Buffalo Wild Wings. I sat the other night and watched my friend have Fried Pickles,  Fries and my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE: Chicken Wings. It was  torture! But I sat there and ate my plate of grilled chicken, celery and carrot sticks with a smile on my face. So now I have been craving chicken wings! So I will have chicken wings, no fries, no pickles. I will be a little good and eat it with the veggie boat (celery and carrots), I can pass on fries any day.

Maybe I should try this... LOL

Anyhow.. here are this weeks weigh in results:

• Chest: 37 inches  (- o inches)
• R Arm: 12 inches  (- 0 inches)
• L  Arm: 12 inches (- 0 inches)
• Waist: 37 inches (- 1 inches)
• Hips: 43 inches (- 1 inches)
• R Thigh: 25 inches (- 0.5 inches)
• L Thigh: 26 inches (- 1 inches)
• Weight: 175 pounds (- 0 pounds)
• Pant Size 14

For a TOTAL of 3.5 inches and 0 pounds lost this week, and a GRAND TOTAL of 17.5 inches lost and 4 lbs since I started on February 20th, 2012.