Fashion Meets Fitness: Dark Knike feat. Nike

Colors are great, but sometimes black is just the answer. You have your girls who wear black when they’re bloated, black when they’re sad, or your girls who refuse to wear any black at all. Yes, black is a very dark and ominous color (I only use the word ominous because of the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall..). Black is also a slimming color when it comes to outfit choices. Some of us girls generally love to wear the color black all the time. I am one of them. One reason could be that my beloved yoga pants are always black, and what’s a better way to match them then with a black sports bra, black v-neck, black nikes, and a black beanie? (Say black again. Black.) Another point I’m trying to prove is that girls get lazy. Last minute night out with the girls? Nobody has time for MATCHING?! Please. Putting together an all black outfit not only takes minimal effort, but it’s most definitely always a win-win situation. Black on black is so chic, and I don’t think it will ever go out of style. That leads me to my first few looks that I’ve put together. Keep in mind, I’d almost never wear this outfit in public, but what high fashion looks would you ever wear out in public, anyway? My first step was to name these pieces Dark Knight. Then I looked at my merchandise and my title, and came up with…

Dark Knike

Dark Knight by sm293410 featuring a patch hat

Pictured above is a look that is athletic, yet chic. Your Nike Dunk Sky Hi Women’s sneaker puts emphasis on the fact that no, you’re not about to go work out, you’re about the run the town. Nike’s Vintage Gym Shorts… wait did I just say vintage? Enough said. Adding a touch of old school to your outfit makes you go from Taylor Swift to Rihanna in two seconds. Nobody has time for the new stuff. Vintage is and always will be in. The Printed Nike Pro sports bra adds a little bit of a twist to things with it’s bold, yet subtle, pattern. And now we’re talking accessories. Walking out of the house and walking out of the house with sunglasses on is two completely different things. Another way to go from Taylor Swift, to Rihanna, in seconds. (Goin 0 to 60 in 3.5 …that Rihanna song, anyone?) Anyways, not only do the sunglasses physically add a sense of glam to your ever-so-simple outfit, but they mentally make you feel like the world is your oyster. If you’ve never put on a pair of sunglasses and instantly felt slightly more bad ass than before, you’re lying. Lastly, we have your Nike Jordan Jumpman Air hat. The great thing about wearing all black is that any color pop is dramatic, and we love dramatic. The red creates a dramatic effect. This is one color pop that does not calm the outfit down. Pairing red and black together is one of my favorite things to do, and that’s why I started with two outfits with such similar tastes.

Dark Knike by sm293410 featuring a ribbed racerback tank

I’m looking at this outfit and I want it on my body right now. It’s so… Bronx meets Upper East Side. Am I right? You have your Marc by Marc Jacobs Baker Watch. All black watch? A must have. Your Black Spike Bracelet pretty much brings the outfit together and lets everyone know you mean business. From the gym, to the streets, it’s a statement piece. A long with your color pop item, your Nike and Jordan Beanie, which calms the outfit down to keep it casual. Your Nike Air Max’s aren’t just black. They glisten, and shine, like a new car. Your shoes are like your transportation, why not keep them as chic as possible. I paired the Nike Pro Capri Tights with the Nike Thre-D Tank and the Nike Compression Swoosh bra. All. Black. Everything. To emphasize the fancy Nike logo that everyone knows and loves.

To shop these items, simply click on the photographs above. Don’t forget, the color black does not have to promote all the negative. To me, wearing all black is a confidence statement. Here I am, not giving a crap, wearing all black, cause I can. It takes style to put together a chic all black outfit, though it does not take time. And that is why I love my beloved color black. Why do you love the color black?

Yours Truly,

Stef

3 Day Detox, Progress + Social Media Fun!

Results DRIVE motivation. I am 8 pounds down since I left for school. I am keeping in mind that a lot of it is water weight (hello holidays) but it get’s me closer to this “BOD” on the right which was after I lost 96 pounds. I’m allowing the scale to motivate me until I am at a healthy weight, and then it’s back to heavy lifting and hopefully never looking at the scale again 🙂 For workouts, I’m cross fitting 3x a week. My crossfit trainer incorporates a lot of cardio style workouts into her programming, so that is also helping me. I will complain during a wod with running, but I love the feeling after. (So keep it coming, Jolene 🙂 ) I also just about always finish last during running wods, but tend to catch up during the movements. I’ve never been a fast runner and I’m working on that. I try to run twice a week, and lately have been incorporating more cardio to lose this extra weight! I love tabata sprints on the treadmill, but Maddie told me to try thirty seconds jog, thirty seconds sprint. I did that yesterday. I was running for a total of 40 minutes. For the first 2.5 minutes I walked fast at an incline to warm up. The next ten minutes, I went from 30 seconds at a slow jog, to 30 seconds at a sprint, then a run, and then back to a slow jog. For the next ten minutes I ran at a moderate pace, a pace where you’d be able to hold a conversation if necessary. For the next five minutes I went back to my 30 second intervals.  Then I ran five minutes at a fast pace, where it would be harder to hold a conversation. This was tough, but I was warmed up and it was easier to hold the fast pace. The next five minutes I was at a jog, as I ran slower and slower until I hit 40 minutes. I LOVED IT! I felt so good after it. I’m starting to try yoga and I’ve also been doing the Pure Cardio + Cardio Abs insanity videos at least once a week. Those videos are great for if you’re stuck in the house during a snow storm! They are also great to do on the weekends!

So as some of you may know by viewing my instagram account (Yours_Truly_Stef), I did a cleanse about two weeks ago. It was the first week of classes, so my schedule was a little off. After writing it all down, I of course was not eating nearly ENOUGH, but I was eating healthily and light to cleanse my body of all the crap I put in it those last two months of the holidays. As you can see from the first day, I was not that hungry. Mainly because my appetite was downhill from eating like crap. I also drank MASSIVE amounts of water. To help detox, I added a lemon and half of a cucumber to my water and chug-a-lug-a-lugged. This really cleansed my system, I kid you not. My stomach felt flatter, my insides worked normally and FELT amazing, and my skin started to clear. I looked healthier, and I was ready and inspired to truly dive in and start my diet! This is no dietetic write up, but here is what I ate for those three days that finally made me feel cleansed again:

Day One:

Before Class/Workout: Banana

30 Minutes Cardio

Lunch: 1 cup Brown Rice, 2 cups mixed vegetables, 4 oz chicken

Dinner: 9 oz Tilapia, 10 Asparagus spears
with Salad: 2 cups romaine lettuce, 8 baby tomatoes, 1/4 cup cucumbers
Dressing: Lemon Juice & Red Wine Vinaigrette dressing + sprinkle of Mrs Dash Italian Blend

Snack: 4 oz Chicken, Banana with Cinnamon 

Day Two:

Breakfast: 4 oz Apple, 3/4 Cup Egg Whites, Glutenfreeda Oatmeal Packet with cinnamon, 10 cranberries, stevia 

Lunch: 6 oz Chicken Breast, 1 cup Brown/Wild Rice, 1/3 cup homemade tomato sauce (Tomatoes, basil, garlic -> frying pan until it turns to sauce) 1 cup mushrooms + peppers

Snack: 3 oz Banana, 1/2 Red Pepper

Dinner: 7 oz Tilapia, 4 oz Shrimp, 10 Asparagus spears, 1/2 Red Pepper, 1 cup mushrooms

Day Three:

Breakfast: 1/2 cup Egg White, 2 Rice Cakes with 1/2 cup Rasberries, .5 cup blueberries, 4 medium strawberries crushed as Jelly, 10 baby carrots

Lunch:4 oz Pork chop, 1 cup Brown/Wild rice, 1 cup mushrooms, 3/4 cup red peppers, 1/4 cup onions

Snack: 4 oz Chicken Breast, 1 Medium Apple, 10 Baby Carrots

Dinner: 5 oz Tilapia, 3 oz Shrimp, 1/2 cup red peppers, 1/3 cup mushrooms, 1/4 cup onions, 1 cup broccoli, 1 3/4 cup green beans, 3 oz Homemade Marinara sauce

Above are a few social media finds that I’ve screen shotted because I loved them. Remember, YOU are the only one in the way of your goals. Success is a choice. Your priorities are your choice. Make your goals your priorities and they WILL happen. That second picture is Valerie Calhoun, an 18 year old beast and a half. I highly recommend following her on instagram. Not only does she have a body that I look up to, but her lifts are HEAVY and impressive for such a young athlete. I love some of the bible verses Rich Froning posts, but this one really caught my eye. I have had a tattoo in mind since senior year of High School, but he may have just changed my mind. Love.

 

Pictured above is my beloved meal prep. Green beans, asparagus, broccoli, brown rice, tilapia, chicken, ground turkey, tuna, oatmeal, egg whites… and a crap ton of mustard! Trying this low fat thing. It worked for me in the past and this may be what I need to get to where I want to be. I love paleo, and I love my healthy fats, but certain things work for certain people, I’m giving this a go again! Tilapia is starting to get disgusting to me, so I’m giving it a breather for a couple days so I can stay strong. I incorporated ground turkey into my diet this week to switch it up, and have been LOVING tuna (with mustard 🙂 ). I’ve been drinking a gallon of water a day this week. Holy cow that makes a HUGE difference. I love it. I just said holy cow so I think it’s time to go…

Yours Truly,

Stef

33 Simple “Eat Clean” Meal Ideas – Paleo approved!

As many of you know I am constantly cooking. I created this blog because I was on a complete cooking binge. I still have a million recipes to share from this summer, soon enough they will be all yours. As of now, I rarely cook anything “new”. At school, you can either find me in the kitchen, singing in an English accent somewhere around town with my BFF4L Mary, or… in the kitchen. But really. Always there. If I’m not in the kitchen cooking, I’m in the kitchen cleaning whatever it was that I was just cooking. And if I’m not cleaning or cooking, I’m anxiously waiting for whatever is in the oven. My life pretty much consists of attempting to complete my school work on time while constantly cooking, eating, and waiting to work out (which is at approx. 4 pm everyday). I’m so exciting, I know. Spare me the comments on my boring life. I guess you can say I’m already taking after my mother a little earlier than I thought. Before I ramble on, let me get to the point of this post. Specifically on this blog I post more elaborate meals. The truth is, (shocker of the century) half of my meals look boring as hell. I try to spice them up as much as I can but sometimes there’s just no time. So, there was no giant strategy to the fact that I’m only posting 33 meal ideas. These were just the scrap photos on my IPhone. And considering I take a picture of almost everything I eat, these were the ones that looked semi-appetizing. My breakfast this morning looked like a pile of dog shit. Therefore; I did not photograph it. I’m really getting a handle on this whole blogging thing aren’t I?


Chicken, shrimp, vegetables, and a half of a sweet potato. It doesn’t get any more boring than that. This dinner was put together quickly. The most preparation I did for it was to grab it out of Tupperware and throw it in the microwave.


Another really easy meal. 4 oz. Turkey Burger with an egg and a piece of ham. The turkey burger was already made. I just fried the egg and slice of ham and there was my meal. (I use Boars Head Deli meats)


Scrambled eggs, some spinach inside, and guacamole on top. This looks pretty, but took less than five seconds. This is a meal that anyone can make. I constantly hear complaints about how people “don’t know how to cook”. Which is fine. But let me tell you in one sentence how to make this. Put your stove on medium-high heat apply pam to your frying pan insert eggs & desired fillings in the frying pan and plop on some pre-made or homemade guacamole. Okay so that was a run-on sentence but I’m just dramatizing how simple it really is! YUM! (P.S I used Wholly Guacamole)


Chicken, sweet potato, greens. Every damn day. Just do it. Don’t be scared.


My favorite breakfast. I usually eat it every day for breakfast until I get sick of it, which is rare. 1 Applegate chicken sausage, 1 (or 2) eggs, spinach and mushrooms. Bomb.com

The brown rice cups, which you can buy anywhere, are very simple and delicious. They come in plain brown or white rice, no added ingredients, and they take 1 minute to heat up. I add sautéed vegetables and any protein I have to my rice. In this case, I added my paleo pesto coconut tilapia to my mix of food.


Sautéed tomatoes are extremely overrated. When you sauté a tomato you can either make a sauce out of it or put it in eggs like I did! They are delicious with garlic which adds great flavor to your meal. Another simple recipe!


Another favorite meal. 1-2 cups of sauerkraut with mustard & 2 Applegate Chicken & Apple sausages. I am obsessed with Applegate’s chicken and apple sausages and I suggest them for anyone looking for a flavorful and healthy protein without the work! I usually add sautéed mushrooms to this meal which adds flavor and bulk to an already small meal.


I rarely buy deli meat. The packaged stuff is disgusting and most deli meats have fillers. Every now and then I’ll buy a pound of Boars Head turkey breast. It is really great for on the go meals and snacks like this! I just pealed two of my romaine lettuce leaves, topped it with turkey, mustard & zucchini. This would also be great with guacamole or avocado slices!


Same meal as pictured above…found the mushrooms.


As you can see I’m quite the spokesperson for Applegate’s products. This is a classic meal that my dad used to cook all the time. Applegate Hot Dogs and Eggs. Don’t knock it till ya try it.


Random pile of balsamic chicken, random veggies, homemade tomato sauce. It’s fun to put everything you have in your fridge in a bowl and see what happens…

Picnic style meal. Minus the bun, and the sweaty Frisbee games, and the beer. 5 oz. Turkey Burger, 1 medium sweet potato cut into fries, a big pile of veggies. Mushrooms & hot sauce on the side. (Where the hell was the ketchup?)


5 oz. Ground Beef, Peppers & Onions, Crushed Tomato sauce, and of course…an egg on top.


Egg on everything… Salad filled with veggies and chicken! For dressing I use olive oil & balsamic vinaigrette, salt & pepper (sometimes), and Mrs. Dash Italian Blend. Delicious.


Van’s Gluten Free Waffles are AMAZING! So delicious and a perfect treat if you aren’t feeling very paleo. This meal is about 400 calories and is my ultimate favorite. Avocado/guacamole on top of the waffle, turkey burger on top of the avocado, egg on top of the turkey burger.


Three scrambled eggs topped with a ridiculous amount of veggies and BBQ Pulled Pork.


Chicken can get so plain. There are so many ways to spice up your plain chicken in the kitchen. Add any Mrs. Dash seasoning and it will change the game. You can also add salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder. I cook my chicken with a bunch of veggies. Killing two birds with one stone!


One egg with egg whites. 1/2 avocado. Mushrooms. 6 oz. Chicken.


Egg Muffins! I will be posting millions of egg muffin recipes…coming soon 🙂


Mock chipotle. Brown rice, vegetables, chicken, beans and Wholly Guacamole 100 calorie packs!


The perfect paleo breakfast. Eggs, Applegate turkey bacon and a Turkey Burger.


More chicken ideas! Top and cook your chicken with almost anything and I guarantee it’ll turn out delicious. This has BBQ sauce and mushrooms and peppers on the bottom.


Three eggs over easy. Does it get much better than this?


Ground Turkey and Chicken with crushed tomato sauce and spinach, sautéed in some garlic!


The leaning tower of…everything you need in life. Zucchini, Canadian bacon, and really runny Eggs.


Spaghetti Squash! Cut your squash in half and leave it in the oven (on a tray, facing down) on 400 degrees for about half an hour. Continue checking, cooking time may vary depending on the size of your squash. Sautee cut up tomatoes in garlic and olive oil to act as your “sauce”. Sautee peppers & onions and your serving of protein. My favorite protein to eat with spaghetti squash is ground turkey!


Simple circle cut sweet potato fries with a bunch of chicken, mushrooms and green beans.


Egg whites, lox, avocado, and a small serving of sweet potato. These four ingredients are essential in my diet. Avocados and sweet potatoes may or may not keep me sane. The hint is to keep your sweet potatoes in the oven for as long as possible… they will cook so much that they will taste like candy. When eating an avocado, it can be a bit bland. Adding salt and pepper to the top of your avocado is quite the game changer. Maybe even some hot sauce or garlic powder.


Egg whites and a turkey burger, with hot sauce. Bowl of fruit with ground flax seeds and a tablespoon of almond butter! (Styrofoam plates are so in right now)


Delicious spinach salad with vegetables and raspberries! Adding fruit to your salad really switches things up and reminds you that life isn’t as boring as it seems.


Two eggs, Canadian bacon, sweet potato & almond butter. Another perfect paleo breakfast!


Yummy BBQ Chicken topped with spinach (sautéed in garlic) and a Wholly Guacamole 100 calorie pack!