Pack a Sandwich!

A short post that is to the point! You need to eat! Whether you are trying to gain, maintain, or lose weight, eating consistently is important. You have to continue to provide your body with the proper macro and micronutrients. Proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, etc. Those substances help you live a healthy life with body systems that function properly! Now, if you don’t have a specific goal or program, keep reading because this is for the people who just want some general guidance in their eating. Since I am telling you that you need to eat, now I will tell you how to construct a simple sandwich that will help you get through the day.

Yes, that is a sandwich.

Step 1: Bread

Try to steer clear of anything that has your typical “bad” ingredients. The less ingredients, generally, the better. (Remember that) Stick to breads that have a lot of whole grains to regulate your digestion. Look for whole wheat and nuts or seeds if you can tolerate them.

Hungry’s Choice: Rudy’s Honey Sweet Whole Wheat

Step 2: Condiments

I love mayo, but mustard is a much friendlier option for your body. It should really only have mustard seed and vinegar, too much more and it’s a bit over-processed. Again, look for whole grains for some texture and don’t be afraid to try something spicy. Remember, nutritionists say that spicy foods actually help you burn calories because of their heat-bearing properties.

Hungry’s Choice: Inglehoffer Stone Ground Mustard

Step 3: Cheese

My favorite! Please don’t be afraid to eat some cheese. It may not be a primary source of protein, but good cheeses contain some healthy-ish fats. And we need fat. Cheese will be the main source of fat on your sandwich, so don’t feel too bad about it! If you’re not on a super tight budget, try to splurge on a higher quality cheese… it’s less processed and the proteins haven’t been denatured as much, often.

Hungry’s Choice: Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese

Step 4: Meat

Who doesn’t love bologna, taylor ham, salami, or any other fatty meat? I certainly do, and while a slice or two may find its way onto the sandwich for some extra calories… we all know that lean meats should be your primary protein source. I’m looking at you turkey and chicken breast. (Or tuna for the fish eaters. Or big mushrooms for the veggies. Or Morningstar products for whoever wants those!)

Hungry’s Choice: Columbus Cracked Peppered Turkey Breast

Hungry’s Spurge: Hormel Di Lusso Genoa Salami

Step 5: Vegetables

Yes, pickles count as vegetables! But you should have some more nutritious ones as well. Darker leafy greens are a good source of iron and help add that fresh taste. Spinach is a front-runner but arugula gives you that bitter bite. Also, consider using kale since it’s just so popular now!

Hungry’s Choice: Organic Baby Spinach

Hungry’s Splurge: Bubbie’s Bread & Butter Chips

OH, and here is my game changer to the sandwich game. I only put mustard on one slice of bread. On the other, I put HUMMUS. TAKE THAT! Whatever it may be, make your sandwich something you want to eat in order to keep that fuel tank running! Make sure to use whole grains when you can and make it healthy! And as always, stay hungry and fit!

Sep162014

Healthy Chocolate Protein Truffles

Summer is slipping away, bikinis are being put back in the drawers, and the trench coats are coming out. This may put us in a “in-the-grind” type of mindset where we push ourselves to work hard, stay relaxed, and put our health on the back-burner. Stop right there! Just because we aren’t donning our swimwear, does not mean that we can let health and fitness slip away! We still want to feed ourselves in a nutritious manner and keep our movement flowing.

These healthy chocolate protein truffles will bring you to that fitness mindset. They are incredibly easy to prepare and also easy to pop in your mouth! The whole thing took me about 7 minutes to make, and by the time it’s morning–they’re ready! This recipe inspired me. They are chock full of protein and only sweetened by honey. I also use Silk Vanilla Soymilk to give it some yummy vanilla flavor while keeping the calories down.

Healthy Chocolate Protein Truffles

2014-09-15 22:37:28

Yields 12

A healthy approach to a classic dessert

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Prep Time

7 min

Prep Time

7 min

Ingredients

3/4 cup chocolate protein powder
1/3 heaping cup cocoa powder
2 1/2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp honey
5 tbsp Silk Vanilla Soymilk
2 tbsp ground almond

Instructions

Mix all ingredients together (doesn't matter in what order)
Form into small balls and place on a baking sheet with parchment paper atop
Put in the fridge for a few hours or overnight

By Hungry and Fit

hungry and fit https://hungryandfit.com/

See? Easy peasy truffle time. I just have to limit myself to a couple per hour. Silk has helped me achieve a healthier recipe. If you want more Silk in your life (and the chance to win an entire year’s worth of Silk products), sign up for the Silk newsletter. There are coupons at least once a month, plus lots of cool giveaways. Silk Facebook page has also inspired me to make recipes such as this one. The versatility of their products has always amazed me which is why I continue to use their products. Be playful with this recipe–you can use any kind of protein powder, any flavor, and any type of Silk milk! Have fun and make it your own. Use this recipe to stay hungry and fit!

This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all ours.

Jul032014

Stuffed Strawberries (4th of July Recipe)

This is a re-post of a recipe made last year, but it was so good, I had to bring it up again! It’s a perfect 4th of July recipe and it’s healthy and delicious. Sure, pie and such are popular on Independence Day, but you can’t beat this. You get your sweet fix without the heaviness of the usual foods. This special dish involves fruit, dairy, and happiness and doesn’t take longer than 15-20 minutes to make! I got it from here and added a bit of lemon into it and took out some sugar.

Beautiful sight

Hard not to eat it all

Yum yum yum

Stuffed Strawberries

2014-07-03 07:31:43

A healthy treat for the 4th of July

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Prep Time

15 min

Prep Time

15 min

Ingredients

a tin of strawberries (I just usually get the regular pound at the grocery)
a tin of blueberries (same thing)
5 oz marscapone
juice of a lemon
lemon zest
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Wash the fruit and pat dry all of it
Take the strawberries and cut the green ends off and also a little portion of the tip so they can stand upright on a platter
Take a melon baller and ball out of the bottom, creating a crevasse.
Once your strawberries are all "pitted" and plated, let's turn to the filling. Put 5 ounces of marscapone cheese and put it in a small-medium bowl
I would next do the lemon juice. Cut the lemon in half and squeeeeeze all that juice out.
Next, grind the lemon on a grater and get a good amount of zest (people say 1 tsp, but I eyeball it)
Then, throw the powdered sugar and vanilla in and stir! Mix it all up really well
Now comes the most difficult part: take the marscapone mixture and put it into a re-sealable bag and snip a corner off. Use this contraption to fill the pits in the strawberries up with the mixture
Once all the strawberries are filled to perfection, place the blueberries on top of the cream in the strawberries. And that's it!

By Hungry and Fit

Adapted from Gina Marie's Kitchen

hungry and fit https://hungryandfit.com/

This is an easy, healthy treat you can substitute for pie or something else you’d like to stay away from on those holiday food feasts. How could you do wrong with this one? It’s easy to do, pretty to the eye, and delicious enough to impress. I’m sure whoever you are celebrating with this year will enjoy this special, healthy treat. Make this recipe if you’re looking to stay hungry and fit!

Dec042013

Healthy Banana Nut Muffins

These muffins are one of the best guilt-free, low-calorie, satisfying snacks for your everyday needs. Also, our bananas were nearly black. And that’s when you know it’s time for one of the many banana recipes. And being right after Thanksgiving, this was an easy choice. I added pecans for a little extra protein and healthy fat. Also, they were leftover from our sweet potato casserole. You gotta use what you got! This recipe is ridiculously easy, in fact I made two batches. And it’s uber healthy with plenty of fiber since it uses whole-wheat flour. Only takes about 15 minutes to cook and less to prepare.

Look how black these are

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Baking Time: 15-18 minutes

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2-3 bananas
2 eggs
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup hot water

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease your muffin tin
Mix together the dry ingredients (flour, salt, & baking soda) in a small bowl

In another bowl, pour the honey and oil in and whisk it up until it’s totally mixed together
Now crack those eggs and mix it up with the honey and oil

Next, we want to mash those black bananas into a nice gooey mess. I like a few chunks of banana because that’s always fun to bite into when it’s cooked. Spoon in the bananas and stir into the wet mixture.

mashmashmash

Okay! Now it’s time to marry the dry and wet ingredients. Slowly stir in the dry mixture into the wet, alternating with the hot water. Do this until both the flour mixture and hot water are gone.

delicious batter

Now it’s time to chop up those pecans into quarters and stir them into our beautiful mix.

Chop chop!

Almost there! Now we want to spoon the mixture into each spot in your muffin tin, and try to make them all equal if you can.

Put into the oven for around 15-18 minutes. Stick a fork or toothpick in the middle to see if they’re done. If there’s tons of batter on the toothpick, leave it for a few minutes.
Let cool for a few minutes and then slowly scrape them out!

Oh, the glory!

This recipe came out beautifully. The muffins were moist, not too sweet, and full of whole-wheat goodness. They are perfect for Chris when he has to eat breakfast on the run and perfect for me to shove in my face between clients. Don’t miss out on this easy, healthy recipe! Bake these delicious muffins to stay hungry and fit!

Question of the Day: What are your favorite quick baking snacks?

BONUS KITTY PIC

Nymeria and Piper, the dog, got along great!

Oct302013

Powell’s Vegetarian Chili

It has been cold in Boulder. I know Chris likes it, but I’m not a huge fan of 30 or 40 degree weather. However, there are remedies to this! Such as hot chocolate…tea…oh and, VEGETARIAN CHILI! We would eat this a lot at home when I lived with my parents and it was always so tasty and gave that perfect sense of warmth and comfort. And I never realized how easy it was to make until I started cooking for my own. This chili lasted us a few nights and for a few lunches, keeping us warm against the turning seasons. This recipe comes from my family. It’s easy, healthy, and vegetarian-friendly.

Prep Time: 15-20 min
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

2 garlic cloves
1 large green or red pepper
1 package of mushrooms
1/2 onion
2 tbsp oil
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 tbsp paprika or chili powder
1 tsp cumin
2 15 oz. can red kidney beans
1.5 cups zucchini
1 10 oz. package frozen corn
shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Okay long list of ingredients, but it is super simple. First let’s chop up all the mushrooms, garlic, pepper, onion, and zucchini

Chopped veggieeees

Stir the garlic, peppers, mushrooms, and onions in a deep pot with oil until veggies are tender
Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, paprika, and cumin. Stir it and heat to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low. Then add the beans, corn, and zucchini. Simmer those until the veggies are tender

Add however much cheese you want into the chili and stir until it melts. Serve hot with sprinkled cheese on top!

🙂

We usually have it alongside some cornbread. It always fills me up with a sense of home and happiness. I know I will be making it more as the days get colder. The second day we had it, Chris added some ground turkey into it and it was also delicious! This recipe is incredibly easy, delicious, and healthy. Use this recipe to stay hungry and fit!

BONUS KITTY PIC

Cuddle buddies forever

Sep272013

The Most Basic Balsamic Vinaigrette

So we ran out of salad dressing. I had collected a bunch of sungold tomatoes from our farm (the Longmont YMCA where I work) so I wanted to put a nice salad together with the fresh goodies. All my life growing up, my mum made a delicious dressing. It wasn’t balsamic, I think it was more red wine. But her work inspired me. Why go buy salad dressing when I could just easily make one right here in my kitchen for half the cost? I looked up a recipe from here to steer myself in the right direction and then let the ingredients flow! This recipe is incredibly easy, quick, and tasty.

My gorgeous salad

Ingredients

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
a bunch of twists of black pepper
2/3 cup olive oil

Prepping

Directions

Beat everything together except the oil. I used a fork to do this

Oops, blurry

Then, slowly pour the oil in, mixing furiously the whole time

Un-mixed

Don’t forget to shake it up before serving!!

Shaken, not stirred

And, ummm, that’s it. Really tough, huh? I thoroughly enjoyed myself as I made this dressing along with the salad, listening to some La Vie En Rose (Louis Armstrong version) alongside a glass of red wine. It turned out delicious. Simple flavors bringing the salad to life, with that extra kick of vinegar and garlic to give that lingering taste. YUM. I say don’t refrigerate because the oil may get hard. I keep it in the pantry where it gets used very often. Must make a new batch soon. Use this recipe to stay hungry and fit!

End result of the salad. Couldn’t resist going for more

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BONUS KITTY PIC

CHIN RUBBBBBBBBBB

Jul242013

5-Minute Protein Pancakes

So I’m still prepping for contest, so I’m upping my protein and lowering carbs somewhat. It’s about two hours before my second workout (just cardio) and my tummy is rumbling. Hmmm…what to eat? I don’t want to eat any straight-up carbs (during this LAST week of contest, I’ll get my carbohydrate grams from other sources like veggies and shakes) like cereal or oatmeal, I don’t feel like having tunafish or a salad, but I could always use more protein. Hmm…oh yes–protein pancakes! I had played around with a recipe before, didn’t quite get it how I wanted it, so I used this recipe and altered it a bit to fit my needs. It’s extremely easy and filled me up without feeling sluggish.

Oooooh yes!

Jul192013

5-Minute Healthy Snack Recipe

Before we went to bed last night, I was feeling a little hungry and I also knew that my macros were a little low too. However, I was also feeling tired and lazy, and didn’t want to do anything with too much prep. So what better to combine two of my favorite things? Avocado and egg. This is low in carbohydrates, low in calories, and medium-high in healthy fats! Perfect for a snack any time of the day, but mine just so happened to be around bed time. This recipe takes no longer than 5 minutes and is so delicious to boot!

Prep Time: 1 minute
Cooking Time: 2-4 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 small avocado
1 egg (we are house-sitting right now and get fresh eggs from the chickens every morning!)
Frank’s hot sauce (optional)

Directions

Cut avocado in half
Crack an egg and put it in a small saucepan on medium heat
While the egg is cooking, scrape out the avocado and place it on a plate kind of in a pile

When the egg is done (I like over-easy), simply place the egg on top of the avocado and let the yolk drizzle out
If you’d like, pour some hot sauce on top (Frank’s + eggs= heaven)

Yum yum yum!

And that’s it! A healthy, quick snack any time of the day. High in nutrients and it won’t break the calorie bank if you’re worried about that. The textures are gooey and warm–a melt in your mouth sinful sort of feeling. I can’t wait to make this again. Simple is usually the best way to go. Cheers! Use this recipe to stay hungry and fit!

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BONUS KITTY PIC

Even though he’s taking my spot, he’s so damn adorable

Jun182013

The Best Protein Shake

I noticed we had five drafts waiting for us to finish. Two are interviews between myself and Fit (those are going to be amazing) and then there are two others I already forget and actually put in the trash bin. We either did them or aren’t going to do them. You’ll find out what those are soon enough. This is the final one and I cannot believe I have not published this yet.

I have many recipes for post-workout protein shakes. I cycle supplements even though I have my favorites. I try new supplements when they are released so I can recommend them and, depending on my fitness goal at the time, I have different blends of mass gainers and protein. I also often purchase depending on price and deals. The base ingredients of my shakes are consistent and simple. I often combine my post-workout shake with a meal… typically dinner. Therefore, I don’t make them massive because I would not risk ruining my appetite. With that being said, here is my base shake with potential deviations.

1. MILK– I am almost always bulking or maintaining and I love dairy products. Milk is one of my favorite foods period. In a bulk, I might have whole milk. In a cut, I might have 1%. It’s not set in stone but I always use two cups of milk, which on average is about 16 grams of protein and 300 calories. I NEVER calculate fats or carbohydrates. Sorry. This is the shake’s foundation.

2. ICE CREAM– That’s right, more dairy. More fat. More calories and slightly more protein. My go-to ice cream I use 95% of the time is Breyer’s Natural Vanilla. It’s expensive so I wait for it to go on sale and buy, buy, buy. It’s been rated by Men’s Health as the healthiest ice cream for men year after year. I also have eaten Breyer’s since I was a kid. A serving is half a cup so I typically use a full cup in my shake. It’s somewhere around 300 calories and 6 grams of protein. Somewhere around there. This makes the shake rich and smooth.

3. Protein- This is the ingredient that will differ the most depending on everything I mentioned above. Right now, I am using Cytosport’s Whey Protein, which is a blend of whey concentrate, whey isolate, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. It’s low in calories and very high in protein. I use two-three scoops depending on what other food I eat throughout the day. My go-to is two scoops, however, which comes out to 54 grams of protein and under 300 calories, I think. I use regular chocolate because I think a lot of the other flavors in the industry are disgusting, especially vanilla.

4. Banana- I love fruit and like to make sure my potassium intake is high enough for when I actually start swimming and playing sports again. Banana and chocolate is also the perfect mix. It may only be about 100 calories and 1 gram of protein but it’s delicious. Also, many primates eat bananas and they’re strong as heck so of course I’m going to eat some too.

5. Creatine- This one isn’t always present but when I am taking extra creatine (my pre-workouts often have it too, plus I do) I usually throw in two teaspoons in my shake during creatine loading cycles and one during creatine maintenance. I use Optimum Nutrition’s Creatine Monohydrate. It can be extremely grainy so mix well or be ready to deal with the texture. It is calorically void.

That’s about it. I have been known to mix in other fresh fruits, especially strawberries or blueberries. I used to add peanut butter until I got sick of cleaning it off the blades afterwards. I used to add chocolate syrup but that’s long gone. And more. So there you have it. My typical protein shake measures out to a liter. It currently has about 75-80 grams of protein and between 1000-1200 calories.

If you have any questions about post workout meals, supplements, or anything related feel free to comment below! Stay hungry and fit!

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Jun052013

Nerds Unite and Stay in Shape!

Fit and I are considered “interesting” individuals because we are a mix of very physically active and extremely nerdy. Somehow, we find a way to balance everything and although we aren’t quite as fit and don’t have as much time to play video games as we want, we still get the best of both worlds. Sometimes it is difficult to balance busy lives, and sometimes there isn’t motivation to do something that you don’t want to do but we are always stressing to individuals to stay healthy and active.

You don’t need to be a professional athlete, bodybuilder, or martial artist to be healthy and active. You need to maintain a healthy ratio of lean muscle mass and body fat, eat nutritional and wholesome foods, stay hydrated and well-rested, maintain proper hygiene and be able to control your own body. Absolute strength is your total power output, but relative strength is your strength to weight ratio and your ability to handle your body. I am proposing that everyone, even those nerdy people that love to sit down for hours and play MMORPGs (we would love to do this when we have time), try to achieve what I consider a healthy and active lifestyle and here’s a few steps of how we can do that.

1. Eat healthier! I know that Red Bulls, Mega Monsters, and Mountain Dew are great ways to keep you awake through your dungeon raids but they are nutritional black holes! Consider other electrolyte heavy drinks such as Gatorade, Powerade, Smart Water, Vitamin Water, or even some supplements to keep your energy levels more naturally high. I logged 72 straight hours of Final Fantasy XII the night that it was released and I didn’t have one energy drink or sip of soda the whole time. My good health helped me stay energized and if you can increase your endurance and conditioning it could help with long nights of playing.

Captain American: Master Chef

2. Exercise! Working out helps us increase muscle mass, decrease body fat, create definition in our muscles, increase our metabolism and more. You don’t need to buy expensive clothes, equipment or memberships to work out. If you’re reading hundreds of issues of manga or comics at a time like I do, try to set goals. Every week when my new manga are released I blaze through them in minutes. After waiting a week and sometimes more! Make the volume last a little longer by doing 10 pushups and 20 crunches after every few pages. Set goals for yourself. Try to do body weight exercises such as pushups, variations of pushups, crunches, abdominal and core exercises, planks and more every few pages. If you’re playing a video game, set requirements for every time you level your character up or beat a major boss. These little things can make a big difference.

Planking–keep it tight!

3. Sleep enough! I am not asking you to sleep 10 hours a night. Try to get at least 6 hours of sleep or quality rest every 24 hours. Really try to get 7 hours and push yourself to get 8 on the weekends if you can. Your body needs to rest and recover to continue operating at a functional level. If I tried playing a hard platform sequence in Ninja Gaiden while I was exhausted, then I would have no hope. If I’m playing Settlers of Catan and can’t think straight because my brain is trying to sleep, I won’t be able to compete against my opponents if they’re well-rested.

Zzz

I am speaking out of experience and trying to help my fellow nerds. And please do not take offense to the term nerd. You could be a console gamer, PC gamer, manga fan, anime fan, comic book fan, RPG fan or any other person who enjoys these types of fun activities. We enjoy all of them and are proud of it. So if any of this relates to you, if you think that you could better your diet, exercise, and sleep then please consider some of our suggestions. If you are really interested in turning your life around contact us for our help because that is what we love to do. We want everyone to stay nerdy while being hungry and fit!