Hello! It’s a beautiful day here! π
After breakfast, I headed to a tough Body Pump class. Well, it wasn’t any more difficult than the average classββ I just decided to increase my weight on a few of the exercises.
For the past few months, I feel like I’ve been coasting along at Body Pump, using the same weight week after week, and not really challenging myself, so I stepped-it-up today! Notable weightΒ increases (includes 3-pound bar):
- Chest: 28 lbs.
- Deadlifts: 33 lbs.
- Shoulders: 23 lbs.
I’m telling ya, I’m a beast! π I really want to get stronger, so I’m going to keep using these new weight increases and maybe add some more in the coming weeks. I’d much rather skip a few reps using heavier weight than coast through a track without breaking a sweat.
Lunch
When I got home, I was starving!Β I guessΒ this morning’s breakfast didn’t hold me over to lunch very well. My stomach started growling during Body Pump around 9:30 AM!
For lunch, I threw together a quick salad, which I topped with leftover Lime Leaf chicken, roasted cauliflower, and balsamic vinegar.
After lunch, I had a serious craving for a cookie, so I did a little experimenting in the kitchen, and the end result was pretty awesome. My 3-Minute Oatmeal Raisin Cookie now has a sibling! Introducing the sweet, soft 3-Minutes Peanut Butter Cookie!
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp liquid egg whites
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
Directions:
- Combine the above ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Mix ingredients wellββ make sure the baking powder is completely blended.
- Scrape batter off the sides of the bowl and flatten into a round cookie shape.
- Cook in microwave for 60 seconds.
- Allow to cool, remove from bowl, and enjoy!
Yummm! After eating my 3-Minutes Peanut Butter Cookie, I immediately made another one. It was that delicious!
10 Questions About Life As We Know It
I stumbled upon this editorial piece in Glamour magazine, and I thought you guys would enjoy it too: 10 Questions About Life As We Know It.
Sometimes, late at night, a woman can find herself staring at the ceiling, pondering the universe’s great mysteries. Here are my favorites from the article:
No. 1: Why does Snooki make more money in two episodes than most teachers earn in an entire year?
No. 3: Why is everyone so worried about Jennifer Aniston getting married again and having children when George Clooney is in the same situation and obviously doing just fine
No. 6: Why do female doctors in New York earn $17,000 a year less than male M.D.s? Isn’t the whole pay gap thing getting kinda tired?
What things make you go hmmm?
129 Comments
The Snookie one really gets me, too! I am proud to say I have not watched or supported that show (sorry to anyone who likes it, just can’t get on board).
Your 3 min cookie may be the greatest discovery of the week! Total genius!
Whooop! Great job on the increase! I am only allowed to lift so much due to the baby so i am always trying to encourage my paticipants to push their weight up for me! That cookie sounds fantastic! Gotta love a great quick homemade dessert!!
I didn’t know the BP bar weighed 3 lbs… actually, the weight of the bar never really occurred to me for some reason; I’ve always just based what I can lift on the plates. Those are some pretty impressive numbers you have! I find Body Pump way more fun when I’m focusing on increasing weights week to week.
I make this recipe all the time for my soon who is allergic to wheat. I skip the baking powder and use the oven instead of microwave and the cookies are just as delish. I also add choc chips in em’ and they’re double yum.
I make this recipe all the time for my son who is allergic to wheat. I skip the baking powder and use the oven instead of microwave and the cookies are just as delish. I also add choc chips in em’ and they’re double yum.
Amen to getting stronger! Love the weight increase. Great job Tina!
“I’d much rather skip a few reps using heavier weight than coast through a track without breaking a sweat.
Yes! Awesome! Great philosophy Tina.
Love the cookie recipe! yum!!
And that is pretty BS about Snooki :-b
that cookie looks amazing! BTW, saw your book in Barnes and Nobles yesterday and I got really excited! I bought it!
That one about Snooki really annoys me too. It sucks that untalented “celebrities” get paid so much more than other deserving professions!
What makes me go hmmmm is that I don’t understand how Snooki even gets to have a show. Oh well, that’s just my opinion.
Best ever! Except for the fact that liquid egg whites don’t exist in Australia, so I’d have to use real eggs and make a few of these at a time π
I never know how much weight I’m lifting – I only think in terms of “small, medium, and large” π
As soon as I read your 3 minute PB Cookie recipe, I went and made it!!! It was delish!
I’m definitely baffled by the Snooki one. Really?!?!? She makes more than teachers. No wonder kids go through life wanting to be a reality TV star than a teacher. There are definitely quite a few things in this world that make me go hmmmm!
This post is by far my favorite of yours! It hits everything I have been craving recently- a little laughter (apartment searching is stressful :(), and a tasty dessert. I am trying a new project to see how long I can go without buying any groceries off of the healthy food that I have- Peanut Butter, Brown Sugar, Oats and Egg whites- got ’em all!
MMM peanut butter cookies are my favorite!!! Definitely going to try this.
Omg what an interesting article! I mean…I guess Snooki makes so much money because she is entertaining? But teachers work so hard…so it really doesn’t seem right. I have all the ingredients for that peanut butter cookie so I think I might just make it! mmmmmmm.
Wow, great job on increasing your weights! I’m just starting Body Pump, and even putting a little weight on the bar is tough for me!
Hi Tina! I saw this website earlier today and immediately thought of you and several other animal-loving bloggers π
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/pictures-you-need-to-see-before-the-world-ends
ESPECIALLY this picture: http://s-ak.buzzfed.com/static/enhanced/terminal01/2011/5/20/9/enhanced-buzz-440-1305899866-1.jpg
Adorable!!
Cool recipe! looks good!
Haha I love these kinda q’s! If No. 2 pencils are so popular, why aren’t they No. 1 yet? π
And yes you most certainly are a beast!
As a teacher…. I do wonder that about Snookie. I could write a whole long post about how teachers don’t get paid enough, but I really do love my job. Nothing is better than working with children and seeing them learn. It’s absolutely incredible. My favorite quote about teaching is: “A teacher affects eternity. He can never tell where his influence stops.” It’s so true too – we have no idea how we impact our students until later on in life!
@chelsey @ clean eating chelsey: I love teaching, and that’s why I do it – anyone who is thinking about going into teaching I always tell them “Don’t go for the pay”. My wife went to massage school and skipped college and she makes more than I do! Her education cost about 5 percent of what mine cost lol. Oh well, I love my job.
About No. 6
I think gender salary gaps are not inherently based on sex. It isn’t that two doctors of the same position, one female and one male, get paid differently. It is that higher paid, higher positions often are more dominated by males. This is because women like to have children, go on maternity leave, and raise a family. This will no doubt effect the career. I don’t think this is a bad thing necessarily. The women who choose to have a family and dedicate less time to their career, they are compensated more than that $17,000 difference with love and the pride in the life they have created.
I could never understand why snooki makes any money at all.
P.S that cookie looks so good!
When it comes to kids and family, why is it that a woman’s career almost always suffers?
Wow, a 3 minute cookie – that is the most amazing thing I have ever seen! Totally trying that when I get home!
Tina, Thanks so much for posting this incredible 3 minute peanut butter cookie! I made it this morning and it was delicious! I make your 3 minute oatmeal cookie quite often so now I’ll have two to choose from! π Keep up the great work.
oh you are all so healthy, good for you lol. (ur still gona die one day)
I made this instant cookie with Better N’ Butter and added some Vanilla. HIT THE SPOT. Thanks so much for sharing the great idea!
I have made your 3 minute PB cookie several times now. Mine come out more like cake, but I have to say they definitely satisfy my sweet tooth! Thanks! I guess I should try your oatmeal version now too.
I love the 3 minute cookie recipes and make them all the time. I made one today with Almond butter, just ran out of PB. I added cocoa powder and vanilla extract it came out great. I would love a recipe like this that was more chocolate and kind of like a brownie. Any ideas?
@Rebecca Zamer:
i found this mug brownie recipe tried it and love it! It’s a microwave cake too http://www.instructables.com/id/Mug-Brownie/?ALLSTEPS
Why does mine turned out to be a peanut butter cake? i doubled mine and put a whole egg instead of just egg whites and came out as a cake! why? π i wanna eat cookies but it tasted delicious tough!