if not now, then when?

this has been a very stressful month. besides when i went to virginia during spring break. that was very relaxing and fun. :) wish i was back there though. once i got back, i had no motivation for school whatsoever. or exercise. don't worry, i still let the bootcamp trainers kick my butt and ran a couple times here and there. and maybe went to a class or two. but i feel... different.

i feel like i'm never going to accomplish what i want to. and maybe it's because i want to do SO many different things.
i want to finish my psychology degree and eventually get my masters in it. and use it to counsel patients going through eating disorders.
i want to take this one last class to get a sociology minor. [will do in fall!]
i want to get a health promotion minor with all my extra electives. [will hopefully do this next year]
i want to take digital photography classes to learn how to use my canon rebel. [no time and no money]
i want to start riding a bike.
i want to be able to call myself a "runner" but the most i can run without wanting to fall over and die is 3 miles.
i want to get a personal training certification.
i want to become a group fitness instructor. [I START IN TWO WEEKS!]
i want to become kickboxing certified.
i want to move out of iowa. [im too scared]

see why im stressed? i need to pick just one thing and stick with it. but its SO HARD.

more protein? dilemma solved.

oh lonely blog, i'm sorry i have left you for so long.
school is taking over my life again.
in fact, it's stressing me out. cortisol is releasing out my body at full speed. no bueno.
deep breaths, sharelle, deep breaths.

on a more positive note.. i made two amazing recipes tonight. yes, i completely think baking on a friday night is ...fun. haha my social life is pretty non-existent so this is what i do.

one of my trainers (the one that killed me today in bootcamp, ahem) told me i need to eat more protein in my diet. 30% should come from protein because of my high levels of activity. now, for meat eaters this probably wouldn't be such a big deal. but since the only meat i eat is chicken or fish about once a week..whey powder is my new best friend.

the following recipes are both from foodsofapril. i take no credit for this amazing-ness. but i do take credit for wanting to eat the whole batch in one sitting. (i fought the temptation even though it was hard with all that chocolate goodness staring at me in the face.)

first up... PROTEIN BROWNIES. no i did not stutter. i said brownies. and they are completely healthy. full of protein and zero flour.

Makes 8 servings @ 49 calories, 7 grams of protein, 3 net carbs, 1 gram of fat each

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup oats
• 1/4 cup egg whites
• 2 servings chocolate protein powder (i used chocolate peanut butter flavored whey)
  
• 1/4 cup 100% dark cocoa powder (i used hersheys unsweetened)
  
• 1/2 cup 0% Fage yogurt (i used plain nonfat greek)
  
• 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
  
• 1 tbsp vanilla (i accidently used only 1 tsp but they still turned out awesome)
  
• 1/2 tsp pure stevia extract (i used a packet of pure via)
  
• Pinch of baking soda
• Pinch of baking powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray an 8 x 8 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pour batter into the pan.
3. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

yeah it takes willpower not to grab a spoon and dig right in..
cut this big brownie into 8 servings. eat one or 6 and freeze the rest. :)
i topped mine with drippy natural peanut butter. YUM.

okay..now if that wasn't enough... we've got low cal & low carb protein bars. (or muffins..the way i made it.)

Makes 8 bars @ 68 calories, 11 grams of protein, 2.5 net carbs, trace of fat each

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup peanut flour (i used trader joes..but since it's discontinuing you can buy PB2)
  
• 1 serving (30 grams) vanilla protein powder
  
• 3/4 cup liquid egg substitute
• 1/4 cup pure pumpkin
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp NuNaturals No Carb Blend (i used pure via)
  
• Cinnamon to taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 x 8 pan (or muffin tins) with nonstick baking spray.
• Mix all ingredients together.
• Pour batter into pan.
• Cook for about 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

perfection.
and since i wanted both a brownie and a muffin..i went ahead and ate both. cut this in half and spread natural pb on both sides.
best thing..ever.