Chana Masala (Dairy, Gluten and MSG Free)

I have been craving Indian food and figured it was time I made a good dish of my own.   My sister was over this weekend and gave me a few suggestions as to what she puts in her curry dishes.  I am a big fan of chickpeas so I made mine into a chana masala.   I was able to alter one I have been working on and am very pleased with the results.  This recipe can definitely be adapted in terms of spices.  I would have preferred a little more heat but that would not have gone over well with the girls ;)  We have made this dish already a couple times and it has been enjoyed by all.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 cups water or coconut milk
• 1/2 cup cashews
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 minced onion
• 2 minced cloves garlic
• 1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon cumin 
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala (red dye free)
• chili and/or cayenne pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas
• 1 diced tomato
• 1 cup chopped kale or spinach
• 1 limed juiced
• 1/4 cup cilantro

Directions

1. Place cashews blender with coconut milk or water and puree until smooth.  Set aside
2. In a large wok or frying pan heat oil.
3. Fry onions until soft and add garlic, coriander, cumin, curry, garam masala, chili powder/cayenne and fry another minute to bring our flavours.
4. Add tomato paste, sea salt, diced tomato, pureed cashews, chickpeas, diced tomato and kale/spinach.
5. Cook until bubbling and then simmer for 5 minutes.  Stirring frequently.
6. When ready to serve stir in lime juice and cilantro.

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What's Next? The Post Bikini Competition Plan

A surprising thing about post-competition is that I'm not all that anxious to eat all of the food that's been off limits during contest prep.  You'd think I'd want to eat everything in sight, but that hasn't been the case.  In fact, the thought of a big, juicy cheeseburger and fries (something I love to indulge in once in a while before) doesn't really sound good to me right now.  I think it feels so good having worked so hard to get in shape, I don't want to "blow it" by eating bad.  It doesn't feel worth it.  

FOOD

The night the competition ended, we found a nice steak restaurant that was open and ate a late dinner there.  I had baked brie (a favorite of mine!) with dry toasts, filet minion, twice baked potato and iced-tea.  I only finished half of the steak and potatoes and I really wasn't ready for any alcohol.  The next morning, I indulged in Starbuck's banana bread for breakfast before we got on the road to come home.

After driving nearly four hours home, we stopped at Chipotle for lunch and I always get a bowl with rice, chicken and pico.  Back at home, I got back on my regular (contest prep) meals with the exception of the ice cream I had been craving.  I wanted Gelato (it has less fat) but they were out the kind I like (Sea Salt Caramel), so I got regular Carmel Cone ice cream.  I ate the whole pint.  It was GOOD going down!  

But, of course, my stomach really hurt the next morning.  Thankfully, my abs were still there! :)  Although a cheeseburger doesn't sound good, I could keep eating ice-cream every once in a while (just not a whole pint in one sitting!).

My trainer texted me the next morning telling me I should get back to Phase 1 of my diet.  And it's crazy that I was actually looking forward to it!  I really like my protein pancakes with all-natural fruit spread.  Meal 2 is usually fish, potato, and green beans.  Meal 3 is a grilled chicken salad with fat free dressing.  Meal 4 is chicken, potato or rice, and veggies.  Meal 5 is a cup or so of Muscle Egg.  Sometimes, I'll eat another pancake too in between Meal 4 and 5.  I typically eat at 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm, and 9pm.  

On Tuesday night, my girlfriend invited me out for a drink and I went, but ordered tea. Wednesday night, I went to dinner with two friends at a new restaurant and I was excited to have something different.  I ate tuna tartare and a mini steak skewer.  

At the weekend blog conference I went to, I ate as best I could (even brought and drank 3 protein shakes while I was there).  We were fortunate that the conference had a fresh, healthy salad bar selection with fish and chicken.

BUT, I did indulge in THREE small desserts on Saturday (chocolate popsicle, shared milkshake at dinner, and scoop of ice cream at the late-night party).  Back at home on Sunday, I was back to my meals- and ready to be! 

I do want to find new healthy meals that I can feel good about eating that are different from my usual.  It's just nice to have a little variety.  And I'm sure my husband would appreciate it too.  

WORKOUTS

As for the workouts, my trainer recommended that I do only 30 minutes of cardio and no weights for about a week to give my body a rest and just recoup from the competition.  What's crazy is that just doing 30 minutes of cardio now feels very minimal.  I haven't even bothered to go to the gym for it (it would take longer to drive there and back) opting instead to just run out my door around my neighborhood with my iPod. 

I had a great run on my trip out of town too.  I knew I'd want to run at least one day, so I packed running clothes and my iPod.  Right outside our hotel was a beautiful bike trail filled with tall, lush trees.  I even found the cutest Startbuck's ever and popped in after my run for an oatmeal and black iced-tea.  It felt so good to start the day this way.

Before I started training for this contest, if you'd have told me I'd be doing 30-45 minutes of cardio 4-5 times a week in addition to my one hour workout, I'd think you were crazy.  I didn't think I was physically capable of doing that, but my body surprised me.  Yours can too. 

via

I'm not training with my trainer right now, opting to spend more time with my son and just workout at the gym that's closer to my house.  When my son goes back to school, I'll reconsider.  I got spoiled training with him - not because it's any easier - in fact it's physically harder.  But, he kept me accountable and pushed me to my limit.  I just did what he said.  I didn't have to think about what's next, what exercise to do, what weight to lift, how many reps.  So many times I'd say to him, "I'd never workout this hard on my own." 

I know his routine pretty well now though.  We would do 3 exercises in a row, not too heavy, but a weight I could get 15-20 reps.  One of the exercises might be something without weights, just to keep my heart rate up, like Burpees. We'd do the round 3-4 times, then start again with 3 different exercises.  We did this for one hour, sometimes stopping with 10 minutes to spare so I could finish with abs.

It will be interesting to see if I can keep it up on my own.  I'm going to try! 

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Baked Chicken, Spinach and Mushroom Pasta (Gluten and MSG Free with a Diary Free Option)

This is a pretty simple dish that can be arranged ahead of time and then baked when needed.  If using rice pasta, I would not bake too far in advance as the pasta can get hard if left too long in the fridge.  I have used this casserole as a way to use up some left over chicken and other vegetables I have on hand.

Ingredients

• 16 oz uncooked rice pasta (I like to use Tinkyada)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 minced cloves garlic
• 1 diced onion
• 2-3 cups cubed chicken (breasts or thighs)
• 1 can organic tomato paste
• 1/2-1 cup water
• 1/4 cup minced fresh basil or 1/2 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoon chili powder (or to taste)
• 2 cups diced mushrooms
• 2 cups spinach
• 1-11/2 cups shredded cheese or daiya cheese
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a large pot cook pasta according to directions and place in a large oven safe deep dish. (I used a large corningware dish.)
3. 
4. In a large wok, or pot heat oil and saute onions until translucent.  Add garlic and cook another minute.  Add chicken and cook until no longer pink.
5. Add tomato paste, basil, chili powder, mushrooms, salt and pepper.  Cook until bubbling and bring down to medium-low heat.  
6. Stir in spinach.
7. 
8. Pour onto pasta.
9. 
10. Cover with shredded cheese (daiya) if desired.
11. 
12. Bake for 30-40 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.

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NPC Bikini Competition Recap

After five months of dieting and training (15 of those weeks with my trainer), I finally competed in my first NPC  (National Physique Committee) Bikini Competition.  THANK YOU, THANK YOU for following along on this journey.  Reading your comments helped me feel like I had a lot of friends rooting for me along the way.  On the drive to the contest (4 hours to Dallas), I kept thinking, "I can't believe I'm doing this!" I had dreamed of prepping and competing in a bikini contest in my 20s, and finally accomplished it at age 39, as a wife and mother to a 4 year-old.  Better late than never, right?  Just goes to show that you can transform your body at any stage of life!  In February, I weighed about 112 pounds and I competed at 100 pounds.  I'm 5 feet even. 

I accomplished these changes with diet and consistent, hard! exercise (cardio and weights about 4-5 days a week, a good hour and a half each time).  In addition to my meals, I used BCAA (branched chain amino acids- 3 tablespoons in my water bottle while I worked out) and Glutamine (1 scoop after each weight training session), and multivitamins and fish oil.  No steroids, fat burners, pre-workout drink, etc. You can go to my FITNESS page to see more posts about my meal plan and to see the process along the way. 

Below are some of the unedited stage photos I received from the show photographer. 

STAGE PHOTOS

PREPARATION 

The contest was on Saturday, July 5 and we left for Dallas on Friday morning. My trainer didn't change my food that much for the last week of prep.  On Wednesday before the show, I cut out egg whites.  Then, on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, I was to eat 6 meals instead of my usual 5 and I eliminated my Molly McButter (due to sodium).  I contented to drink water normally, stopping on Friday night at 10pm, and just sipping the next day. 

I stopped at the grocery store on Thursday night to prep my 12 meals for Friday and Saturday.  I will write a separate post on how I do my meal prep.  It's super simple and barely takes any time.  

I packed a cooler with ice and replaced the ice in Dallas to keep everything cold.  I ate all but one of the meals cold (I was able to use the Subway microwave for one of them!).  Also, I didn't finish the meals on Saturday, so a few weren't eaten.

Packing for the trip was pretty easy.  Bikini, heels, jewelry, makeup, hair tools.  But also, I brought a black sheet (to cover the hotel bed) and loose clothes I wasn't afraid to ruin because I knew the spray tan would get everywhere.  It ended up washing out though. 

I also knew I'd be ready for a good long shower after the contest and really want to try to scrub the fake tan off, so I packed my body scrub and loofah gloves.  

It felt good to shower, but the tan doesn't just scrub off I found.  You have to wait for it to fade from your body- other competitors told me it can take two weeks and that it comes off in patches, so you look all splotchy.  Nice.  Hasn't happened to me yet. Speaking of spray tan . . . 

SPRAY TAN

I got to the hotel just in time for my first spray tan appointment.  What an experience!  First, I opened the door to a small conference room where they were applying the tan and the first thing I saw was a bunch of dark, fit, naked booties.  You strip all your clothes off and step into a small tent where a woman sprays the tan on you with a hand-held sprayer.  Then, you stand around with the other naked women for a good 20 - 30 minutes in front of fans while it dries enough to get dressed.  We had to laugh because there's nothing else you can really do!  And you can't help but check each other out, two of the ladies I tanned with won medals at this event! 

Here's how I looked after one coat of spray tan.  They don't spray your face- only for bodybuilding men I heard.  The tan does accentuate your muscles.  

Below is the next morning, after two coats of spray tan.

CHECK-IN

Each competitor has to be a member of the NPC and check in at the contest venue the night before the contest.  This is the first time you get to see a bunch of the competitors from every category.  You can easily tell who's competing by who looks orangey/brown from the spray tan! 

They measured me at this check-in at 5 feet 0.  In the morning, we had to go back to get our competitor number.  Lucky #169 here:) 

HAIR & MAKEUP

For this show, I used the hair and makeup artists assigned to the show.  They did an okay job and were super nice and friendly, but next time, I would definitely do my own.  I "redid" my hair and makeup after they were done.  She had my foundation so dark orange, when I finally saw it, I felt like I had aged 10 years.  :(  I hired the makeup artist because I was worried about matching my face to my tan, but I think I could have done okay.  Below is a picture from AFTER I touched up my face.  I know this is picky, but I wish I would've curled and trimmed the fake lashes- I think they are too long at the end (the sides of my face) and in the stage pictures, I feel like my eyes look tired.  I'm pretty good at doing hair/makeup and I could have saved the expense too.  

And then we were off to the pre-judging.  

PRE-JUDGING

Pre-judging is where the judges see all the competitors on stage and make their decisions about who wins.  Then, you get a break and come back for the finals at night and the competitors go on stage again and the winners receive their medals.

I competed in BIKINI division, in two categories - NOVICE and MASTERS.  Novice is for women (any age) that haven't placed in the Top 5 of a previous contest.  You can compete in this division if you have never competed before, or if you have competed, but not placed Top 5 in your class.   Then, they divide the Novice Division into Classes depending on height.  I measured 5 foot even and Class A went up to 5'4 I think.  There was also Novice Class B, C, and D.  Masters is for competitors age 35 and older.  

Prejudging started at 9:30 a.m. and we finally finished at 2:30 p.m.  Long morning!

The first category I competed in was Bikini Novice Class A.  Backstage, while we are all lined up (maybe 35-40 of us??) you could feel the nerves and excitement.  I just kept hoping my posing would look decent and fluid.  But, I felt pretty confident- I had been practicing backstage.  I was about the 4th woman in our group to go on.  The posing happens so fast - you only have 10 seconds to hit four poses and then walk to the side of the stage and wait while the rest of the group goes.  I got to see all of the other competitors pose and I knew I could have done better had I practiced my posing more during prep.  

Then the judges "CALL OUT" their Top 5 competitors to come to the front of the stage.  They'll have certain competitors move next to another competitor for comparison.  I wasn't in the first call-outs, but I didn't necessarily expect to be.  Then, the judges call out the next five.  I wasn't in the second call-outs either.  I started to feel bad.  It sucks to be standing there, getting critiqued, feeling like you aren't measuring up, like you are being judged.  And duh, it's a contest- you are literally being judged.  Then, the judges called the next 5.  I wasn't in that group either.  I felt my cheeks getting hot.  It felt like I was standing (on the sidelines) forever.  I was in the 4th call outs and that felt BAD.  That means I finished in the Top 20, not near the top.  I wasn't prepared for how low I would feel not doing well in the judges eyes.  Throughout this competition prep, I've felt so good just knowing that I'm going for it and reaching for a goal.  The actual competing part didn't cross my mind too often and I never focused on winning.  But, once I was standing on that stage, boy did I want to win!  

After my group was called out, we exited the stage while the remainder of the women were called out.  I felt so defeated.  I know it sounds bad, but it's how I honestly felt.  I was having a pity party, feeling like I didn't even want to compete in the next round for Masters.  The Enemy had a field day with my mind for a good bit, "What were you thinking, trying to compete in a bikini contest??"  I felt so foolish and hurt.  My good friend Cassie and her daughter had come to watch pre-judging and I felt embarrassed that they had come out just to see me lose.  I felt like I had let them down.  Of course, Cassie was super encouraging and comforting.  She is also funny like nobody's business, so she got me to crack some smiles.  

There was a bit of down time while the rest of the classes competed before it was time for Masters.  There were only 11 women competing in Masters, which told me that the majority of women competing at this contest were under 35.  I'd guess mid-twenties is the average age.  But, in the Masters category, those women looked fierce!  Each one of them could have won in my opinion.  So, when I made the first call outs in that division, I did feel very happy.

Leaving pre-judging, you don't know what place you won, but I knew I was in the Top 5 for Masters and that felt really good.  But, in reality, it took me some time to "get over" feeling inadequate and foolish during the Novice round.  

My best friend, Karen, drove to support me and got there after pre-judging, but before the night show.  Thank God for her.  I got to have the rest of my pity party in her arms and then I snapped back to reality.  It's just a roller coaster of emotions that I didn't expect.  I confided in Karen and admitted to myself, "I didn't realize winning/placing higher would mean so much to me."  

FINALS  

The Finals started at 6:30pm and I got there about 7:30, with just about 30 minutes until the Masters Women Bikini division.  The contestants and I got back out on stage and then they called out the Top 5, which I was thrilled to be a part of.  They called out 5th place (which I thought would be me, but it wasn't).  I got 4th place.  I was so happy to have that medal!  My husband has been such a great support to me too.  He not only encouraged me to compete, he went on the same diet as me for the last month AND helped prep my meals.  He's a "good egg" as Cassie always says!

REFLECTIONS

Since the contest ended, I've had a little time to reflect on the whole experience, what I've learned about the contest and myself.  It will take longer to truly digest all of the lessons and I'm good with that.  I don't know if I'll compete again.  I definitely want to continue to make changes to my physique.  If I didn't want to get pregnant again soon, I probably would sign up for another show in the near future- keep the momentum going.   I enjoyed having a goal to work toward and it did make me train harder and stick to my diet.  Maybe after Baby #2??  If there's one thing I know now, it's never too late to change your physical fitness!

In January 2014, I was determined that, come July 2014, I would not be in the same place I was in a year ago.  It feels AMAZING to have accomplished that! 

I learned or confirmed during this process that: 

1. God is always in control.
2. I'm strong.
3. I'm capable.
4. I'm a fighter.
5. It's okay to be proud of myself.
6. I can do 45 minutes of cardio and then go on to do a challenging workout immediately after- four to five days a week.  I never thought I could've done that before. 
7. A million walking lunges will tone up your legs and rear.
8. As a beginner, having an experienced coach/nutritionist is critical to achieving maximum results quickly.
9. It takes a long time to change your body, but it can be done.  One day at a time.
10. I need lots of sleep on competition prep.
11. My coffee and creamer are extremely important to me.  
12. I crave Cheerios.  Late at night. 
13. I hate Burpees. 
14. It's no fun being judged. Unless you're winning. 
15. I take criticism hard. 
16. My self-worth is in who I am and how well I love.
17. I need help and support.  
18. Receiving encouragement from other people feels so good.  A kind word from a stranger can make my day. 
19. I get back what I put out into the world.
20. I will always continue to work on myself.  On the inside and out. 

___________________

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UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN

This is such a difficult write and I have been away from my blog for several weeks spending time with my family, and my beautiful Mother-in-law who passed away June 18.  She was my second Mom, I loved her dearly and I still struggle with the realism that she is no longer here physically.  I miss her…

The journey of life holds such beauty and pain, and it is in the experience of death, and being present during that last breathe of a loved one that truly brings into full light the appreciation of the gift of our life and how we spend every moment.  My Mom-in-law is in heaven now, able to breathe, walk, laugh and exist in the perfect form of her spirit in the presence of God and those who have passed before her that she so loved.  At the same time, I struggle with my human feelings of this “is all not real and weird.”  I expect to go over to my in-laws’ and see her, looking forward to one of our many girl talks.  I can still see her and hear her in my mind, and the sound of her laugh will remain forever in my memory. 

The loss of a parent hits very hard to the core of our being, and as I watch my adoring husband process his feelings of saying goodbye to his Mom, my heart aches for him.  We are a close knit, loving family who supports each other through the good and the bad times of life.  This is such a bitter sweet time for him and our entire family.  There are tears and so many stories, and through those we also laugh and capture the very essence of Mom still with us.  I understand that it comes down to time, and healing of one of the greatest losses in this life and it will never be about acceptance.  How can it be?  I would say it will be about change, and learning to live with the loss of such a special woman in our life … Wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and daughter. 

I understand how one generation carries into the next, and going through this journey of losing my second Mom makes me think about my own mortality.  I am fifty now and even though my health is good, there is still no guarantee of life tomorrow.  Age and even illness are not always the deciding factor of death, which in this write I hope to bring home loud and clear that everyone please appreciate life, your body, family, friends, and all things that are cherished.  It will not be money that will carry you through emotionally difficult times, or even having the fittest body around.  I will say that being emotionally healthy is helping me go through this process and I am thankful my healthy state of well-being keeps me balanced through difficult times, and not running to numb up with medications.  We are made to go through the feelings of joy and sorrow and that is part of life, and we need to be healthy to experience both sides of our journey. 

One last Christmas Time together Dec 2013

My Beautiful Parents-In-Law, Rhoda and Dick Leal married 55 Years

I dedicate this Blog in loving memory of Rhoda Leal, my beautiful second Mom and friend.  I love you always and until we meet again, I will carry your laughter and wisdom in my heart and mind forever. 

One of our last beautiful moments together ... Jammie Party

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  If you are inspired, LIKE my entry, leave a comment and I look forward to responding!

Stay Healthy!

Darla

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Bikini Contest Prep // 2 Days Out

Hi guys!  Just popping in to give a quick update on my bikini contest prep.  I can't believe we aren't measuring time in weeks anymore, but days- only two to go!  This Saturday is the NPC Independence Day Classic and I'll be competing for the first time in the Bikini division.  The photo below was taken today (July 3, 2014) just after my final posing session.  I still need to practice at home because I'm not the most fluid or graceful.  You only get 10 seconds to hit 3-4 stances.  Today, my trainer played music while I was posing and that actually helped.  He said they will be playing music at the show and I guess I didn't realize that.  

At this point, I'm just feeling good that I've made it this far without giving up.  I can proudly say that I've given this competition preparation everything I had.  I know that I did my best and I reached a long-time goal.  

CONTEST SCHEDULE

When I get to town for the show, I have two spray tanning applications to do (3 pm and 10 pm) on Friday.  We were advised to start exfoliating on Monday and not use lotion because the tan adheres better to dry skin.  And, apparently the tan gets everywhere, so it's best to bring your own sheets and clothes you don't mind staining.  

Then, my hair appointment is at 6:20 am Saturday, we go to a general contestant meeting from 7:30-8:30 am, then I get my makeup done at 8:50 am.  Prejudging starts shortly after that. Then, we'll get a break until the night show.   I still don't know exactly what time I'll be on stage, but I got the general schedule of the category line-up.  The bikini part is almost last.  

QUICK REFLECTIONS

I plan to do a more in-depth post after this contest is over, but quickly I can share that, surprisingly, sticking to the diet was not that difficult (once I got used to it and figured out how to prepare food I enjoy eating).  I still will never be able to choke down dry chicken, but if it's prepared seasoned and moist, it's really good.  And I fell in love with eating fish (but had to scale back because I didn't want to be eating too much mercury).  I started eating grilled chicken salad with fat free dressing (romaine lettuce and tomatoes) for two meals a day and drinking Muscle Egg instead of my protein shake as my last meal.  I really like that- it's like drinking a glass of chocolate/caramel milk.  Next, I'll try the plain chocolate. 

The hardest part has been the TIME it took to dedicate to the workouts and the physical effort of training so hard.  I was working out one hour with my trainer and doing 45 minutes of cardio 4-5 times a week.  And of course abs at the end of the workout- I never liked doing abs.  The workouts never really got any easier, although I did get stronger and my cardiovascular health improved.  By the end of our training together, I wasn't out of breath as quickly and didn't need to rest as long (if at all) between sets.  

I am not working right now, or I don't know how I would have done this with a family and all.  I really admire those working moms out there who are doing this while working full-time.  When I realized I would be out of work for at least the near future, I decided this was the perfect time to go for it.  I didn't have the "excuse" of not having time.  I'm truly thankful for this opportunity and the support I've gotten from my family, friends, and YOU!  Your encouraging comments make my day! 

I'll be posting pics of my experience this weekend on Instagram if you want to follow along! 

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Strawberry Jam (Pectin Free, Refined Sugar Free, Colour Free and Gelatin Free)

I always have a hard time finding jam that doesn't contain sugar, pectin, colour or gelatin.  After a huge mess and a few batches later, I am happy with the results.  This jam is not too sweet, tastes like strawberries and has a smooth consistency.

Ingredients (makes approximately 2 cups)

• 2 cups sliced strawberries
• 8-10 dates
• 1/2 tablespoon psyllium husk
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• pinch sea salt

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth, of if you prefer some strawberry pieces then leave some or all strawberries out.  
2. Add all ingredients into a medium size pot. 
3. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.  Reduce heat and cook for another 10-15 minutes until some liquid has been reduced.  Jam will thicken as it cools.
4. Transfer to a hot sterile jar, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch space and seal.  Turn jar upside down and place in fridge or a water bath. If the jam is going to be eaten right away, don't bother with processing, and just refrigerate.

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