If you're not used to eating a lot of veggies (and honestly, most of us aren't) then switching to a clean diet can be a little rough(age) at first.  Sometimes it's just hard to chew that much food!

One way I like to get my veggies in is through a cream soup I make that is basically just a hot veggie smoothie.  It's fast, easy, tastes great, and is really easy to eat.  I'm using asparagus in this recipe, but you can use whatever you want.

You'll need:
A portion of veggies (asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, or mix whatever sounds good).
2/3 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 TBS fat-free sour cream
salt, pepper, or whatever seasonings you like.

Steam your veggies in the broth.  I put mine in the microwave for 3 minutes.  Pour all of the broth and about half the veggies into a blender container and blend until smooth.  Add the sour cream and blend, adjust seasonings.  Add the remaining vegetables and pulse until the desired level of consistency is achieved (I like chunks!).  Pour in a bowl and serve, or put it in your shaker bottle and drink it!

Pancakes.  Who doesn't love pancakes?  It's easy to give up all kinds of stuff when you're dieting---but then, sometimes you just feel like you're going to give into the nagging need for something warm, sweet, and comforting.  When that happens to me, I make pancakes--but not just any pancakes--protein pancakes! 

They're really fast and easy to make, they are packed with protein and no carbohydrates (so they won't blow your diet) and they really hit the spot.  Add some sugar-free syrup and you'll hardly feel you're even making a sacrifice.

Here's how you make them:



Anna's Protein Pancakes
1 scoop Syntrax Matrix protein powder in Vanilla
2 egg whites

Mix these together, adding a little water if necessary to make a thick batter.  Cook on a hot griddle sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, about 2-3 minutes on each side.  Serve hot with a little bit of sugar-free jam or sugar-free syrup.   Simple, easy, delicious.  You'll be satisfied before your cravings get crazy!

I was craving chocolate, or brownie batter or any kind of treat yesterday.  It was cold, dreary, and I felt kind of sorry for myself.  And I wanted a treat.

No kidding, I think I talked myself out of getting a treat 99 times yesterday!  I had to go to the store three different times, and each time I wanted to get myself something chocolate-y and yummy and NOT ON MY DIET!!!
I didn't want to cave---I have a plan and a goal and I'm determined.  I didn't feel like eating dinner, I felt like eating brownie batter.  So, I did--my way.  Here's how:

1 cup Jello Sugar Free Pudding in Dark Chocolate
1 scoop Syntrax Matrix protein powder in Milk Chocolate

Mix and eat and surprise yourself and how amazing it is!  (dropped both

"What's the Boot Camp Meal Plan like?" is one of the most common questions I get about the program.  It's a good question-meals are an important part of losing weight, and for many of us, food is just an important part of life!  No one wants to feel hungry or eat boring, dry, tasteless food to lose weight.  In fact, hunger is one of the biggest reasons people blow their diets!  We get hungry we binge, we feel guilty and go on a bender until Monday, when you think, "I'll start my diet for REAL this time."  And on and on the cycle goes.

My Meal Plan will NOT leave you hungry--I guarantee that.  In fact, most people complain that they can't eat all the food.  Only a few people can actually eat everything!  We eat five meals a day to keep our blood sugar consistent and keep our metabolisms burning fat and feeding muscles.

I want to give you an idea of what you'll eat every day.  This is all of what I ate yesterday.  I actually neglected to do meal prep on Sunday like I normally do, so I prepared all of this from scratch yesterday, while working a full day. 

Meal 1 at 6:30am is above---cereal and a protein latte (where I mixed protein powder into my milk and coffee).  I eat this meal about 45 minutes before working out so that I have enough energy to get through my entire workout, but that also gives me enough time to start processing the food so I don't feel sick during my workout.  Everyone is different here.

Meal 2 at 9am is a Denver scramble and hash browns.  Keep in mind--these meals aren't just thrown together without any thought.  Each is carefully portioned and weighed to the gram, according to the plan created for me and my metabolism.  Each plan contains a carefully-planned balance of macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, and fats) according to my goal and my body.  As my body and my goals change, so do the percentages of each macronutrient.  This was really easy to make, too---I just chopped up peppers and onions and scrambled them with Southwest flavored Egg Beaters and then grated some potato and cooked it all with cooking spray.  I made a big batch of potatoes since I neglected to do my meal prep earlier in the week, so it's kind of like doing meal prep as I go.

Meal 3 at 12:30 pm, a little later than I would have liked, but I was teaching a Pilates session and forgot to eat!  This is a very simple meal:  cucumbers and tomatoes in Greek salad dressing (for my fat portion), strawberries, and a protein shake.  I prefer to eat heavy, dense vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, zuchinni, and cabbage over lighter vegetables like salad greens and celery because I don't usually have enough time to linger over a huge salad.  For this meal, I needed 125 grams of vegetables, which was about a cup of cucumbers and tomatoes---it would have been almost a whole bag of salad greens!  Simple, easy, fast to eat, and it held me all the way until my next meal.

Meal 4 at 3:30 pm  is salmon, brown rice, and cabbage slaw (mixed with some fat-free, sugar free dressing). all weighed in the exact grams I need for my Meal Plan.  Again, this is later than I would like to eat, but I had appointments all afternoon, with a break to get home and make some food before going back to work until 6:30pm.  I also made my fifth meal at the same time in order to have to ready to eat when I was ready, and avoid cooking twice in the same night.  I made my husband's dinner at the same time so that it was ready for him to eat when he was ready--and yes, he eats the same foods I do, but he might add some extra breads, fruit, or other carbs.

Meal 5 at 5:30pm.  I was not at ALL hungry for this, but I made myself eat it, even though it was a little sooner than I would normally like.  I like to space my meals about 2 1/2 to 3 hours apart, but I don't know anyone with a perfect schedule, so we do what we can!  I've found that skipping a meal actually makes me gain weight--or even worse, I end up starving for sweets at bedtime, which can ruin all of the results I try to get from my workouts.  This meal is a small steak that I seasoned with garlic and some mesquite seasoning, mashed sweet potatoes, and cherry tomatoes with a dash of balsamic vinegar and fresh basil.  I made this entire meal in the afternoon with my fourth meal.  Normally I would make all of this ahead of time, weigh it, pack it, and freeze things for later in the week so that this is easier for me, but like I said, I neglected to get prepared.  No excuses, though!  I ate about 2/3 of this meal before I taught the last Pilates session of the day, then went home and got workouts ready, sent emails to clients, and chatted with friends before bed.

I finally got to sleep in today!  So nice sleeping until 9 o'clock, but I woke up craving IHOP's International Crepes--the Swedish ones with lingonberry jam.  Oh, those are the only thing I ever get at IHOP (and I have probably only been there once in the past couple of years) and they are so good.  But I had both my cheat meals on Friday, so I couldn't justify indulging.  I decided to make my own version instead with protein powder.  They're really easy to do and you can make these crepes and top them with some sugar-free caramel syrup if you're having a weak moment, and they're even yummy enough to serve to company (I made them for friends when we stayed at their beautiful condo in Driggs, Idaho last winter for a ski weekend).  They're so easy you can memorize the recipe:

Swedish Protein Crepes
2 egg whites
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
water, if needed
1 tablespoon lingonberry jam (you can sometimes find it in the grocery store, but I get mine at IKEA)
extra protein powder to dust, if you want a "powdered sugar" effect

Stir the egg whites up a little in a bowl, then add protein powder and whisk together.  Add water, about a teaspoon at a time, to get a thin batter.  Pour about 1/2 cup of the batter on a hot crepe pan or nonstick skillet, sprayed with Pam.  Turn the pan to coat the bottom evenly.  As soon as the edges start looking dry and the middle has bubbles, gently slide a spatula under the crepe all around the edges, then flip.  Cook for about a minute, then I spray it with 2-3 sprays of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and roll it up on the pan.  Place on a plate and top with a tablespoon of jam.  Dust with protein powder, if desired.  Serve with a couple of slices of turkey bacon for an added treat.

This meal isn't technically part of the Boot Camp diet, but it's a nice "legal cheat."  I won't add any additional sweetener to my meals for the day because of the jam, however.  I hope you enjoy this treat!

Sometimes I slip up and don't bring my food with me.  One of those days, I was contemplating what I could possibly get from a fast-food place that would be Boot Camp acceptable, and as I was driving around, I noticed how many grocery stores there are right next to those fast-food places.  Lightbulb!  I was really craving something with some Mexican flavor to it, and this hit the spot!

Ingredients:
1 container fresh salsa or pico de gallo from the refrigerator section of the store
1 ripe avocado
1 lb frozen, pre-cooked and peeled shrimp
(grab a potato and some Pam for the chip recipe below to serve with this, or get some pre-cooked brown rice for your carb portion).

Go back to your office and run the shrimp under some warm water to thaw.  Dice up the avocado and mix with the fresh salsa, then portion this out into your vegetable grams (I ended up with about three servings).  Rinse and drain the shrimp, and portion it out as well---stir it all together and voila!  Fresh, fast, and healthy!  You can also squeeze some lime juice and add a little salt for flavor.

If you're on Pinterest, please pin this so your friends can see it too!  So....last week one of the girls in my Boot Camp asked if potato chips were really considered as a potato on the complex carbs of my eating plan...har, har.  But then dang it, she started making me crave potato chips.  And today I made some great salsa and really wanted chips with it, so I thought...hmmmmm......ta-daaaa!  These taste EXACTLY like naughty potato chips and are 100% legal.  they take just a few minutes to make, too. See?  I'm looking after you guys!

Ingredients:
Potatoes (whatever kind you have--I didn't even bother peeling them)
Pam non-stick spray (butter flavor is fantstic)
Salt or seasoning blend (I used Lawry's).

Slice the potatoes really thin---I used the crinkle cutter on my mandoline mostly because it was already on there and I didn't want to take it off, but it made them look pretty, too.  Measure out your portion of potatoes and put them in cold water to soak for a couple of minutes.  Spray a microwave-safe plate with Pam (a bacon tray works great).  Put the potato slices on in a single layer and spray more Pam on them.  Microwave for 3-4 minutes on high, then flip them over, spray more Pam, and put a paper towel over them. Microwave for another 3-4 mintues.  Sprinkle with salt and enjoy!  See, you can eat potato chips and get a rockin' body with the Best Body Ever Boot Camp!

Oh, I love these muffins!  They are perfect to try for Meal 2 on my plan, because they incorporate all ingredients but still give you a "breakfast/morning" food feel.  They're so good that even my husband ate them when I wasn't around, so I know he wasn't just being polite! 

These muffins freeze really well, too, giving you a nice make-ahead option to grab when you're on the go.  The recipe below makes four muffins, with a serving being two.
If you're on my Best Body Ever Diet or Boot Camp plans, just look at the ingredients for your Meal 2.  Multiply each of those by four EXCEPT for the brown rice flour, which you'll only multiply by 2.  You can make brown rice flour simply by putting brown rice in the blender (no need to purchase expensive, pre-made brown rice flour!).

You'll need (if you're on my Diet and Boot Camp plans, see notes above!)
1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
4 scoops Syntrax Matrix protein powder in Simply Vanilla
4 cups chopped zucchini
1 cup chopped carrots
2 cups egg whites (approx 1 doz. eggs, or buy them separated)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons crystalline fructose (you may add more to taste if you're not on the plan)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line muffin cups with paper (I used jumbo muffins).  Put zucchini and carrots in a blender or food processor, pulse until chopped coarsely.  Add egg whites, olive oil, fructose, and almond extract, pulse to mix, then blend until smooth.  Add brown rice flour, protein powder, sea salt, and baking powder, blend until smooth. 

Pour into muffin cups to about 2/3 full, bake at 350 degrees F until done, approximately 12-18 minutes.  Serve immediately or cool and freeze.