Wardrobe of My Life

The other day one of my friends on Facebook posted a status that questioned why she saw so many women at Target with their hair and make-up done and wearing workout clothes. I had to laugh because I could've sworn that she was talking about me.

It is rare for people that work (or aspire to work) in the fitness industry to get to "dress up." Our lifestyles and jobs necessitate that we are in workout clothes almost 24/7. It is probably closer to 24/6 for me since I don't workout on Sundays but you get the idea.

But just because I have to wear workout clothes to school so that I can participate in the various stretches that we are doing doesn't mean that I don't want to look nice. I, personally, don't care if I get all mussed up. When I am in that environment I would rather look nice to start with.

That does NOT hold true for my gym visits. No way, no how! If I know that I am going to become a hot and sweaty mess then it doesn't make sense to get gussied up beforehand.

Unfortunately for me, as I am just starting out into this field that means that my wardrobe is limited. I usually have to wear the same thing multiple times throughout the week. You can imagine the issues with that (can you say smelly?) and it was getting pretty obnoxious. So it was like a sign from heaven itself when I got a 30% off coupon to Kohls in the mail!

I picked up several pretties today that should help bulk my wardrobe a bit. I already have a pair of these beauties and love them but I found some with a green stripe that were on Goldstar Clearance! Meaning? $10 baby!

I love the Fila brand! {That is just my opinion, by the way.} These Sport Performance pants are made specially to keep me dry and comfortable. They are figure flattering, and designed to prevent chaffing which means I can take them out running as well.

Continuing on with the Goldstar clearance theme I also got this little beauty as well for $12:

Sorry that it is blurry! I wish that my jacket had the cute pink stripes but it is just black and white. But for $12 for Fila... I am not complaining! Even in the summer time I will want to wear a jacket to go to the gym at 5:00 am. Mine also has the little loopies at the end of the sleeves that you can stick your thumbs through to keep the jacket down. Maybe it is nerdy but I love those things!

I wanted some new shorter pants as well as we head into warmer temperatures and these are some of the most comfortable pants I have ever tried on:

And yes, mine are pink. I have been pretty pleased with the SO brand and they are always very reasonable priced. Mine have always been pretty durable as well. These are touted as running skinny capris which is fine with me but I also plan to use them for yoga. They have a cool zippered pocket on the pack that you can place a key in to keep with you. And did I mention that they are SUPER comfortable?

Last, but not least, I got two new tops. They are the same style but just different colors:

This is the Tek Gear Ruched Top. I got this green and also a pink that matches the color on my SO pants. I don't wear tank tops when I workout and flattering, conventional shirts with sleeves can be hard to come by. I was pretty happy to find these ones. They stay down and they are very comfortable and flattering. I wish they had been a bit cheaper... but I am just glad that I was able to find something.

QUESTIONS FOR MY DEAR READERS: Where do you buy your workout clothes? Any great deals that I should know about?

Loves...Shayla

P.S. ALL opinions stated above are my own. I'm not affiliated with any of these brands and wasn't compensated for any of my opinions. 

WIAW: Monday Eats

I have another WIAW for you this week! These are my eats from Monday this week. Mondays are a bit unusual in our house because I have school in the evening so I usually have to throw something together that I can eat on the go. Again, I apologize for the Smartphone photos. Easy and convenient doesn't necessarily equate to beauty in photography...

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BREAKFAST 7:20 AM

Cocoa Protein Apple Oatmeal

I know that it doesn't look very appetizing and, truth be told, a lot of people probably wouldn't like it. It isn't very sweet and is VERY thick. But I love it and it was my breakfast so that is all that matters! I mix 1/2 cup gluten free old-fashioned oats with 1 scoop of my vanilla plant protein powder and 1 tbsp ground flaxseed. I add 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder and 1/2 apple (chopped). I thin it out with water and cook in the microwave. Usually I add almonds as well but I completely forgot today so oh well!

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SNACK 1 10:35 AM

Banana Yogurt

I know that the perspective on this one isn't really great. The bowl my oatmeal is in is from our "normal sized" bowl set. This one is actually a little bowl that you can buy for kids. They come in fun colors, all neon. 

Anyways! I decided to go with something a little bit different today. I am horrible about my calcium intake and so I wanted to make sure my snack included some calcium. I sliced a small, frozen banana and put it in my mini chopper with about 1/2 cup plain, nonfat Greek yogurt. I added a splash of pure vanilla extract and a few sprinkles of Saigon cinnamon and chopped away until it was smooth. I topped it with some chopped, unsweetened coconut. 

This picture is actually the one I made right after I made mine for my girl [A] because she determined she had to have some. I didn't have a second frozen banana so I just used one off the counter for her. I definitely liked the frozen banana version better but this one was good as well.

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LUNCH 1:55 PM & DINNER 5:00 PM

Deconstructed Sweet Apple Burger & Baked Sweet Potato Fries

This turned out to be quite the creation! I started with a large sweet potato and peeled it. I cut it in half and put a big slit in each half. Then I wrapped each half in a sopping wet paper towel and microwaved it for 3 minutes. After it was finished I cut it (very easily) into fry sizes, tossed with a little EVOO, chili powder, minced onion and freshly ground black pepper and stuck it in the oven at 375. I think I let them cook for about 30 minutes.

While those were roasting up I used my handy Kitchen Aid attachment to grind a pound of chicken. I also put 1/2 red delicious apple and a large handful of spinach right through the grinder. I mixed that all up and added 1 tbsp ground flaxseed, 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1 egg, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1/8 tsp allspice, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp tarragon, and 1 large shredded carrot. I made up six patties and cooked them on a griddle with nonstick spray until they were done. I placed one patty on a bed of organic spinach leaves, spread some classic hummus on it, topped with a few banana peppers and some yellow onion and enjoyed!

I wanted to make a lot so that I would have enough for lunch and dinner when I am running out the door to get to class. For dinner I had exactly the same thing as pictured above. I didn't eat half of that for lunch and half for dinner. Sometimes I will do that if I make something big enough but this was only 1 burger atop the spinach and 1/2 sweet potato worth of fries. It was very filling but 1/2 of it would have left me hungry. Plus making extras meant that I was able to make chicken sandwiches for my kids for lunch as well. I also had 3 bites of a red delicious apple my girl [A] had been munching on. I'll be honest... I'm not a big fan of red delicious apples! They aren't crunchy enough!

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I don't eat after 7:00 pm because of my resolution for Lent and so this was it for the day! 

QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: Have you had any delicious eats lately? I could definitely use some new breakfast and lunch ideas! Spread the love to me!

Loves...Shayla

Menu Monday

I am going to do a little bit of a different format for Menu Monday... Instead of outlining each day I am only going to outline the new recipes that we will be trying out. So without further ado...

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MOM'S STOVETOP PORK RIBS

Photo + Recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com

Country style boneless pork ribs were on sale in our area this week and I snatched some up to try this recipe I have had pinned for a while! I hope that it tastes as good as it looks!

NAUGHTY NUTTY NOODLES

Photo + Recipe courtesy of Delightful Taste Buds

We didn't get to this one last week because I decided to make Friday night Cauliflower Pizza Crust night instead... yummy! So we are going to try again to get this one this week!

CROCK POT JAMBALAYA

Recipe + Photo courtesy of With Just a bit of Magic

This is a recipe my sister-in-law recommended that we try. I picked up some sweet apple chicken sausage from Winco this week and I am very excited to try this new recipe!

QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: What is on your menu this week?

Loves...Shayla

Supper-Time Sunday!

Time for another recipe round up for this week!

BAKED SOY LEMON CHOPS

Recipe + Photo courtesy of Allrecipes.com

This is an extremely easy recipe that comes together in no time. I read in the reviews that many people suggested cutting back on the amount of soy sauce. Since I only had 1/3 cup of Tamari this was really convenient for me; however, I was still very disappointed about the amount of marinade that was leftover. I put my chops in an 8x8 pan and there was enough marinade for at least twice the number of pork chops this recipe calls for.

Tha being said, the flavor was really good and instead of basting the meat we just turned the chops over. Cute hubster loved it. There are enough recipes out there to try that I wouldn't do this one again but it is a delicious and easy recipe if you are looking for one!

Pin it!

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PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE PUDDING CAKE - IN THE CROCKPOT!

Recipe + Photo are courtesy of The Sister's Cafe

I love easy desserts. Even though I can't eat them I love making them for other people. This was the perfect option for my little girl's birthday. It came together so quickly and cooked perfectly in the crockpot. I can't say how it tasted because, like I said, I can't eat it but it got great reviews from the people at the party. I got the impression that it is really rich and a little goes a long way but people still really liked it.

I didn't change anything about this recipe and followed the cooking time exactly. 

Pin it!

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BANANA OAT BREAKFAST COOKIES

Recipe + Photo courtesy of Watching What I Eat

I made these for my babies one morning when I wanted to change up breakfast. That wasn't such a great idea because they take quite a while to prepare and by the time they were ready I had had to find something for the kids to munch on anyways. BUT! They were well worth the wait. They were chewy and perfectly sweet. In fact, I felt like they were the closest cookies I have found that don't taste like a "healthy cookie" if you know what I mean.

I followed the recipe except that I omitted the walnuts and added 1 scoop vanilla protein powder and 2 tbsp ground flaxseed for some extra nutrition. The kids liked them but I think that mom and dad liked them more. 

Pin it!

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QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: Tried any amazing recipes lately? Share the love with me!

Loves...Shayla

Spreading the Love

I follow a lot of blogs from around the web and I get LOTS of emails every single day with updates from those blogs. I like to find new recipes, get inspired, or just read something that speaks to my heart. A lot of what I get doesn't get saved in any way but there are a few blog posts in particular that I have really loved lately:

On Physical Health & Nutrition:

How to Correctly Count Calories - I never thought about this but from a scientific standpoint her method totally makes sense!

The Power of the Number - Cassie has some amazing insight on the issue of weight.

Cream Cheese Stuffed Coffee Cake - Although there is a recipe on this post I particularly enjoyed what Katie had to say about living a balanced life of 80/20. I also love her post about Processed foods and Soybeans and Tofu - oh my! - She echoes my sentiments to a T.

5 Things That Mindful Eaters Never Say - I just really love the idea of mindful eating and it is something I am working hard on in my own life.

NEDA Week 2013 & Loving Yourself - Another great post about being mindful about our bodies and not letting our false beliefs crowd out the beautiful truth about us.

On Delicious Looking Recipes:

Chicken & White Bean Chili Soup - Confession... I am not much of a soup person and definitely not a white bean soup person but this soup looks delicious! I will take her idea from another post and add some veggies as well.

Sweet & Spicy Carrot Bisque - Wow. Two soups in a row? I guess you aren't really believing me on the "not a soup person" bit, huh? But I love carrots. So there.

Egg White Crust - This is an oldie but a goodie. This is my go to crust for personal pizzas. I use 2 T nutritional yeast instead of the egg white protein powder and the ground flaxseed instead of oat flour.

Thai Chicken Quinoa - Her pictures are so amazing it is hard to not want to make absolutely everything she posts about. But this recipe looks especially good. I am a sucker for Thai food.

Grain & Nut Free Banana Bread - I adore banana bread but no gluten + no refined sugar = NO GO for me. This one uses dates and coconut flour. I am intrigued!

Cilantro Pesto Meatballs with Enchilada Sauce - A gluten free meatball recipe? It's a miracle!

On Emotional Health & Relationships:

When the Spotlight on Intimacy Shifts - this is an excellent article about keeping intimacy alive in our marriages. I loved reading this article.

How to be Nicer... to Yourself - A great reminder for all of us!

On Motivation:

I Could Never - This post really resonated with me on a day I really needed the extra encouragement.

On Having Fun:

What I (Would) Eat Wednesday - Have I mentioned how much I love Lindsay? Her posts frequently are the highlight of my day. This indulgent post hits home in many ways. What would I eat Wednesday if there was nothing holding me back including gluten and sugar intolerances? Tres Leches. Lots and LOTS of it!

Xtend Barre SLC - Definitely a class I want to try out! My girlfriends - Geneva and Amy - are going to take me to experience this lovely burn sometime this month.

QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: Do you have any blogs that you love to follow? Did any of these articles stick out to you?

Loves...Shayla

Spicy Vegan Peanut Butter Tofu Rice Bowls

I have made this recipe several times and every single time it gets rave reviews. Cute hubster loves it and my boy {N} always eats his entire bowl. My girl [A] is skeptical of sweet potatoes and so she kind of picks through her bowl - mostly eating all of the tofu pieces she can find. Am I a mean mom for insisting she keep trying sweet potatoes each time we have them? I don't force them down her but I always insist that she try everything once!

This recipe is based off of the sauce and technique of Kalyn over at Kalyn's Kitchen. You can view her recipe here. The picture right below here belongs to her as well. I have to use alternative pictures wherever possible because I don't have my own camera - I only have my Android smartphone. Sorry for my sloppy pictures but at least you can get the idea!

SPICY VEGAN PEANUT BUTTER TOFU RICE BOWLS
Original idea by Kalyn at Kalyn's Kitchen
Arranged by Shayla Bentley
Makes a VERY large amount (at least 8 servings)
PIN IT!

14-16 oz. extra firm tofu (you can also used cooked, shredded chicken if you don't like tofu)
1 T sesame oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2-3 T diagonally sliced green onions (for garnish, optional... I never remember)

2 cups uncooked brown rice (for the perfect technique on cooking brown rice that has NEVER failed us check out this site here)

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and shredded

2 cups green or red cabbage, sliced

1 - 2 cups eggplant or mushrooms

Sauce Ingredients:
6 T reduced sodium soy sauce (or Tamari if you need to keep it gluten free)
6 T rice vinegar (not seasoned rice vinegar, can substitute white vinegar)
4 T smooth natural peanut butter (or 6 T crunchy)
2 T pure maple syrup (or agave)
4 T vegetable stock or water (I always use water)
Sriracha to taste (only if you like things spicy!)

Make sure to get your brown rice started first if you aren't using leftover rice. The rice takes at least 40 minutes to cook! 

Once rice is cooking and about 10 minutes into cooking time heat sesame oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Prep your tofu by removing from package and squeezing as much moisture as you can out between a thick layer of paper towels. Chop tofu into small pieces. 

Add garlic to skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tofu to skillet, sprinkle with ground ginger, and cook until nicely browned. Turn skillet to low.

Mix all sauce ingredients together and add to skillet. Your peanut butter will most likely start out a little chunky still but as it heats everything will blend together nicely. 

Turn your oven on to high broil. When the rice has about 8 minutes left spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray and place sweet potatoes, cabbage, and eggplant (or mushrooms) on the sheet. Toss together and heat in the oven for 5-7 minutes. You do NOT want it to burn and you do not want the veggies to get totally soft. A little bit of crunchiness does WONDERS for this dish.

Once the rice is finished toss it in the skillet with the sauce and tofu. Fold together well trying not to destroy your tofu until the rice has a nice even layer of the sauce. Serve by putting a few scoops of veggies in the bottom of a bowl and add the rice/tofu mixture on top. *Note: if you let the hot rice mix sit atop the veggies for a few minutes they will soften even more. You can also add green onions and add the Sriracha to individual portions for those that like things spicy. 

Enjoy!

This is my I-am-about-to-shovel-this-deliciousness-in-my-mouth picture. Notice how the Sriracha bottle is sitting by my bowl? Yeah... I like spicy!

QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: Do you like tofu? Have you ever tried it? 

Loves...Shayla

Thursday Confessions

This is one of my very favorite types of post that I have seen on various blogs. Want to know a little too much about me? No? Well stick around anyways! It could be fun!

1. I could eat popcorn EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. for the rest of my life and never get sick of it. My variously flavored air-popped popcorn is my absolutely FAVORITE thing. Although I wouldn't recommend trying smoked paprika with nutritional yeast.... it just didn't float my boat.

2. I am a picker. Majorly. Ask cute hubster. Zits? Whiteheads? Blackheads? Stray hairs? Pick. Pick. Pick. Way TMI? Okay... moving on.

3. I rarely sleep well. I psych myself out and anticipate everything to death and so I toss and turn and incessantly look at my clock as the hours tick by.

4. Sometimes, okay a lot of the time, I worry about making it in the fitness field. I don't know if I will ever feel like I know enough. Piano has always come so naturally to me and so teaching it has always been no big deal. But fitness? I want to share my love and passion for this subject but I NEED to get over all of these irrational fears!

5. I check Facebook on my phone a lot. Lots of people play games on their phone? I check Facebook for the gazillionth time of the day. I know, I know... I never spend long on it I just randomly check it over and over and OVER all day long. Update your status more for my benefit, okay? ;-)

QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: Do you have any confessions to share? I would love to hear them!

Loves...Shayla