Chili Cravings

When I'm stressed, I tend to eat. I know, it's a bad habit--especially for someone trying to fit into high-school-sized jeans, but I just can't help myself. Usually I reach for dried fruit or sunflower seeds (they add for a nice mixture of chewy/sweet/crunchy/savory), but due to the intensely fragile nature of my sanity on this particular day, I was craving something incredibly more substantial.

Burgers, fries, and other grease-laden food floated across my mind as I tried to think of all the things I have to do before my heaven of a Spring Break (Lara and I are bringing some of our best friends to Florida; Harry Potter World, here we come!). What was I going to chew on that wouldn't tighten my clothes??

Those who know my eating habits know that, for whatever reason, I love crunchy things (I guess this makes me lucky because this also means I like my vegetables). Therefore, I decided to indulge my cravings while staying true to my passion for a good, healthy crunch.

Turkey Chili Crunch:

1 cup Turkey Chili 

Red Wine Vinegar
Chopped Celery

Mushrooms

Arugula

Spinach

1) Mix together ingredients

2) Drizzle Red Wine Vinegar on top 

Eclectic mixture, but delicious and satisfying!

-KIM

Coconut Date Balls

Scandalous name, delicious flavor. A couple nights ago my best friend, Amanda, and I were bored and wanted to try a new recipe out. Amanda and I have a slight addiction to the "stumbleupon.com" website, and she shared a list of recipes with me that were only 2 (yes you read that right) ingredients. 

To be fair, we ate most of the "batter" before we actually created the round circles of delight, so I forgot to take a picture of them in my haste. You will probably do the same thing. Simple, sweet, and they literally taste like coconut cookie dough.

Amanda proudly displaying the batter

Coconut Date Balls

1 bag pitted dates

2 packets coconut butter

(I got both of these from Whole Foods)

1) Blend ingredients together in a food processor/blender (I used my little pink Southbeach blender, it does take time and patience)

2) Scoop out dough and pat into balls

3) Put in fridge for 2 hours to cool (if they make it that far)

-KIM

Oat Chocolate Chip Blueberry Banana Bread

So I had a very full dinner (if you haven't read the blog post about my dinner yet, shame on you), but I'm a sucker for desserts. Especially if I'm stressed. Especially if I'm stressed and spent hours in the library and need some sort of outlet that isn't drinking. Especially if it's Monday. 

Yes, I know Lara already made muffins very similar to this--but they weren't made in a loaf pan and my gluten-free bread had a couple of extra ingredients. It was outrageous, literally one of the best banana breads I've ever had. I can't take all the credit (although I tweaked the recipe just a tad), I'm newly obsessed with a cooking blog called Ambitious Kitchen, which is absolutely mouth-watering. Her recipe was for vegan banana bread, but because I like my non-vegan chocolate chips, I was a bit naughty and broke the vegan rules I suppose. 

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Blueberry Banana Bread

2 cups Gluten-Free Oatmeal (Blended until it looks like flour)

3 very ripe bananas (mashed)

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Vanilla

1/3 Cup Brown Sugar

3 Tbsp Oats

1 Tbsp Brown Sugar

1 Tbsp Vegetable/Olive Oil

2 Handfuls of Fresh Blueberries

Chocolate Chips (as many as you'd like, I used Semi-Sweet)

Steps: I will make this very easy

1) Combine Blended Oat Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Vanilla, Brown Sugar, 1 Tbsp Oil, Blueberries, Chocolate Chips, and Mashed Bananas into a bowl. Mix well. 

2) Pack into pan

3) Sprinkle 3 Tbsp Oats and 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar On Top of Loaf

4) Bake for 35-40 Minutes (poke with fork/knife to make sure it comes out clean)

5) Let cool for 10-15 Minutes

6) Slice and Consume

The finished product, isn't she beautiful?

Without flash: looking dark and sultry

With flash: captures her moist and succulent beauty

2 Slices were eaten in less than 2 minutes; how fast will it take you?

-KIM

A Gould Dinner For Three

Ahh yes, a simple dinner for three. Luckily, I belong to a family where several hundred courses are the norm for a "simple" meal, and so I usually remember to wear stretchy pants when I'm planning to eat with my parents. Tonight was no exception; I drove the 25 minutes back to my parents' house in leggings and a loose shirt, my mouth watering for the feast to come.

I was not disappointed. WARNING: If you did not have a substantial meal before you look at the rest of this post, you may want to consider eating something before you continue.

Round 1:

Salad time!

Round 2:

Shared some rice noodles with marinara and scallions with my favorite Mama Gould

Dad shared in our noodley fun with whole wheat noodles and marinara 

Round 3:

Grilled Salmon on a bed of plentiful veggies and brown rice 

Round 4:

Tarragon Chicken Medallions atop wild rice and sauteed spinach leaves

Round 5:

My delicious fresh fruit plate!

The ever- adorable Amy enjoying a baked apple with cinnamon dipping sauce

So there you have it, dinner with 1/2 of the Gould gang--the ultimate trifecta. I have no pictures of myself because I was entirely too busy consuming whatever was put in front of me (hunger is not a good look on me). Just another typical night with two of my favorite people in the world, can't wait to see the rest of the family in 2 weeks for Spring Break, but until then, I'll be digesting this meal. 

**If you'd like to see what my handsome brother, Kenny, is eating at Duke, I can assure you it's entertaining, filling, and somewhat nauseating. Check out his latest meal here: http://www.dukestudentbroadcasting.com/entertainment/devilskitchen#1

-KIM

Lots o' Lox

Of course I had hours of studying and work all weekend, so instead of going out, I spent my hours between Oreganos and the library. Fun times. Needless to say, I'm pretty exhausted and getting a full 8 hours last night was one of the highlights of my weekend. So this morning, when I pulled myself out of bed at 8:50 am, I decided to give myself a bit of pampering before I threw myself right back into a new week of Insanity. I decided on gunmetal, and munched 1/2 of a banana while I painted away, trying not to think about the impending workout.

Nothing says "Pizza Bistro Server" like some fresh Gunmetal nails

Soon, however, my nails were dry and my fruit digested, so it was time. After a rough 39 minutes of approximate sweating followed by a cup of water/scoop of protein powder, I hopped in the shower and thought about how I would start my morning. My bellybutton ring was starting to turn an odd rusty color, so I informed Mark that we would be stopping by the mall before my 3:00 class (we always make time for a quick trip to the puppy store in the Tucson Mall before we leave, so he's usually always game).

Not the original color, that's for sure...

On one of our previous trips to Puppy Palace <3 We go quite frequently

Before we headed out to decorate the exterior of my belly with some bling, I needed to fuel the interior first. Nothing too fancy, but definitely worth taking the time to slice and toast.

Lox Goodness:

1 Slice of Lox (that's slang for us jewish fanatics; also known as smoked salmon)

1 Slice Whole Wheat English Muffin (toasted)

2 Slices Tomato

-KIM

Oatmeal Heaven

I wasn't always a huge fan of breakfast. Waking up at 6 a.m. for high school always made me feel nauseated, and so I was never in the mood to get my metabolism started early. I seriously believe that's a contributing factor to childhood obesity: breakfast is necessary.

I just learned that fact about a month ago when I started my quest for healthy. I would take the time in the morning to whip up egg whites with veggies and oatmeal...now that I'm seriously time-crunched at school, I just stick to the oatmeal unless I have extra time on weekends. So I thought I'd give a sneak peak to as what I consumed this morning:

Ahhh oatmeal, my breakfast weakness

A friend introduced me to wheat germ about a month ago. It packs a serious vitamin E punch and adds great texture/flavor to my oatmeal. I boil about 1/2 cup of water on the stove, pour in 1/4 cup of oatmeal once it's boiling, scoop in two tablespoons of wheat germ, and while the oatmeal cooks (usually takes about 45 seconds) I quickly slice up strawberries and pineapples. I toss the blueberries in last. When I need an extra energy punch, I'll throw some bananas in also! It leaves me feeling satisfied and light! 

And obviously you already know about my tea obsession, I didn't think that part had to be featured! This morning I'm meeting up with one of the adorable new girls pledging Kappa and we're going to work out; this breakfast is perfect because I don't feel weighed down or gross. I leave myself an hour and a half to digest, and I'll be able to get my workout on with no issues!! And then, of course, I'm driving her to brunch afterwards at my favorite place...I'm looking forward to an egg-white omelete! Who said you can't have two breakfasts in one day??

--Lara

Miracle Noodles

After a couple days of occasional indulging, it's time to get back on track!! Kim and I tend to be a little naughty on weekends, but as long as I acknowledge that it can't happen ALL the time, I still feel alright. So today I used the day to clear my mind and clean my stomach. I woke up at 9, made oatmeal with 2 tablespoons of wheat germ and fruit slices (strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, and blackberries), and sat down at the kitchen table to get some work done.

While working I drank 3 cups of tea to sort of get my system moving and flushed out. My best friend bought me "Blackberry Mojito" flavored green tea from Teavana for my birthday and I'm ADDICTED!! I've never steeped my own tea before so I find the whole process so much fun. I heat up water on my stovetop, scoop one spoonful of the tea leaves into my mug, and then once 4 minutes is up I take the tea-leaves out with the strainer! It's magical.

After my toasty beverages I almost forgot about my binge yesterday...almost. I was able to get through my entire PR paper until my stomach started rumbling. 2 o'clock can only mean one thing: time for lunch!!!

I was really excited for this meal today because I was planning on making a meal with my new obsession. It's called "Miracle Noodles" and it truly is a miracle. A wonderful senior in my house introduced me to them, and I'm completely addicted!!! Seriously I'll sing its praises to whoever is near and/or listening. Basically it's a brand of noodles/rice (how great, it gives you choices!!) that is made from the root of a plant called the Konnyaku Imo. The delightful edibles are made from only the soluble fiber of the plant, and as such it only contains a healthy soluble fiber called Glucomannan.

It is so remarkable because, and let this sink in for a second, IT HAS NO CALORIES. Not only that, but it also contains no fat, no cholesterol, no carbs, no sugar, and no sodium. It's practically air but 10x more filling and delightful. An individual serving size for both the rice and noodles comes in a bag, and all you do is rinse the little suckers, put them in boiling water for a minute, and strain them. Then you can add whatever you want to the dish and the rice/noodles absorb whatever flavor you add!!

To save money, I buy a pack of six off of Amazon for $15. The bags are usually around $3 each, so it definitely saves! Plus I have bags for days :)

I'm still drooling...LUNCH!! One package of Miracle noodles, grilled peppers and tomatoes, one egg white, and quinoa!! I added 2 tbsp of balsamic vinagrette for barely any calories. I feel so good and satisfied!

This lunch left me feeling amazing and 100% guilt-free. I have just enough time for another cup of tea before I have to head to sorority chapter! Have a great day!

--Lara

Baby Shower Indulgence

It finally happened: after almost a full week of being sugar-free, I caved today at work. Truth be told, I don't think anyone could blame me if they saw most of what was being served at my manager's 8 am baby shower. That's right, I had to get up, on a SATURDAY, at 7 am to be at Oreganos Pizza Bistro at 8 am. Not only was my exhaustion making my willpower deteriorate, but I forgot to eat a little snack before I left the house, so by the time we were all lining up to eat at 8:45 I was famished.

Of course nobody at a Pizza Bistro is thinking about waistlines, and I'm 99% sure most of my female coworkers were born with superhuman metabolisms. There was tray after tray of homemade french toast the size of 2 football players' fists, buttery scrambled eggs, glistening bacon, fluffy biscuits, and creamy gravy. My mouth was watering before I put the first piece of french toast on my plate. I managed to avoid the bacon and biscuits (at first...I had some later, after work), and settled for a small scoop of eggs and a sole piece of french toast. It was as amazing as I thought it would be, and initially I had no regrets.

Until this happened.

And of course, I had to try just a little of everything (until I figured out how heavenly the white-chocolate covered caramel peanut delights were, then I casually had around 4 or 5 of those). Yeah, goodbye willpower. I attribute my weakness to several things:

1) Sociability and Unspoken Peer Pressure: I'll be damned if I was going to be the only one not enjoying the bountiful free goodness, and nobody wants to explain why they are the ONLY PERSON in the room not eating a piece of french toast, or running to try the desserts.

2) I Didn't Workout Before Work: Usually my workouts start my day off right, and motivate me to want to eat healthy the rest of the day

3) When I Get Hungry, I Get Desperate: No, really, I'll actually eat most of what's put in front of me when I'm hungry. I get unbelievably cranky and, until I'm fed, will have a perpetually one-track mind (food. food. food. food. food.)

4) I Love Sugar: This will always be a problem spot for me that I definitely need to learn how to get a handle on 

So there you have it, my first moment of weakness. I can't say it was a failure, however, because I learned a couple important things from this indulgence--the biggest being that I felt sluggish and unhappy the rest of the day. From now on, I'll be sure to take healthy snacks with me wherever I go, so I won't be put in this kind of situation again.

But for now, I'll simply move past the fact that I ate 3-days worth of calories in one morning. I still did my Insanity workout (tomorrow's my first "Off" day!) and ate some fruit when I got home, so let's pretend that balances things out. I will not regret the calories I've consumed; I will move on and, with the Lara's support and continual reminders that I'm only human, savor the memory of seeing my manager's face when she walked into the room filled with my coworkers and I--all there to celebrate her at 8 am on a Saturday morning. 

Brownie Euphoria

Okay, I need to be honest. Truth is that I sometimes go a little wild on weekends and eat some things that normally I stray away from. My friend needed help baking for her sorority "little", and so I told her I'd help. While my will-power is normally strong, today it wavered. Let's be real: yours would too if you were helping to make a dessert of chocolate cookie dough layered with oreos, reeses, and brownies. LIKE WHAT?!

I was in a pure comatose state of pure sugar euphoria for hours...

In my opinion, while one should always try to stick to their meal morals and aim for the healthiest options available, today I could not resist. However, I did try to moderate how much I ate considering this was a heart attack in a pan. I took about 5 fork-fulls and then sat down to let the sugar rush hit me. Which it did. Hard. In about five minutes I was sprinting around the room and screaming about how tingly I felt (literally I felt like I was floating on a cloud)...maybe next time I should limit to only two bites? 

However, I'm not going to guilt-trip myself for the next month about how many calories I consumed. In my opinion, as long as I  moderate how much sugar I consume for a week or so while keeping my exercise up, I should be back on track. Life's too short to get upset about small bites of chocolate, so why not enjoy while it's there! Tomorrow is a new day, and I'll always get to reminisce about the bites of perfect I took. Such fond, fond memories.

--Lara

Thirstday vs. Bowling

Oh Thirsty Thursday, how you crept up on me. This week has literally flown by; between my Insanity workouts, 3 hours of homework minimum per night, papers, tests, the start of Twinspiration, my study abroad application...etc...I don't even know where the week went.

I promised my boyfriend, Mark, that we would do something fun on Thursday that didn't involve sitting on the couch and watching a movie (we're both exhausted by 8 pm for some reason. Looking at my schedule, I wonder why...) Therefore, we decided to go bowling with his roommates and some of their friends. I almost backed out at the last minute, but decided I would go insane if I looked at my Health Psych book for much longer. Luckily for them, bowling is one talent I believe I was not gifted with, and I made sure to announce this in the car on the way to the bowling alley to spare myself some embarrassment.

While everyone else was indulging in pitchers of beer, coronas with lime, french fries, burgers, and other million-calorie bowling alley delicacies, Mark and I decided we would save our energy and focus on having a good time sans-fatty foods. The first game, Mark beat me. Anyone that knows me well, knows I don't like to lose, so I picked up my game and beat him the last two rounds ;) I guess, like a good high-five, the trick is to look at what you're trying to hit?

I'm the top one (KG, who woulda guessed?), he's the score right below me (PROOF OF MY VICTORY!)

By the time we finally got home around 11:30 pm--aka the time most people would be leaving pregames--we were starving. Mark made the most unbelievable turkey pesto sandwhich on toasted 100% wheat, sorry I forgot to take a picture but I'll put the recipe below, which I made sure to snag a few bites of before it disappeared. I opted for a sweeter snack, my sweet tooth still very present regardless of the lack of sugar I haven't been consuming. 

Cottage Cheese Fruit Cereal Bowl (CCFC):

2 heaping tablespoons 1% cottage cheese

Handful of Kashi Go-Lean
Handful of blueberries

1/2 banana (sliced)

1/2 apple (diced)

A drizzle of honey (for extra sweetness)

A puff of cinnamon 

Mark's Pesto Supreme Sandwich:

2 slices 100% whole wheat bread (toasted)

1 Teaspoon mustard

Several leaves of Spinach

4 Slices Tomato

3 Slices Oven-Roasted Turkey

1 Teaspoon Kirkland Basil Pesto Spread

Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins

Oh my god. Isn't the title of this post enough to make you drool like crazy?! Anyways, this is the absolutely perfect snack for a serious snack/sweet craving. Seriously, I couldn't stop eating the batter. To be honest it doesn't fit ALL of my criteria (this recipe has a bit of milk in it) but these muffins are 100% gluten-free, have no added sugar, zero butter, and they pack a perfect protein punch for a mid-morning/mid-day/mid-night nibble!

Alright enough raving about how fabulous these are, time to tell you how to make them yourself. There are only eight ingredients that go into these little magical muffins:
3 cups of old-fashioned oats
2 tsp baking powder
4 egg whites
1 1/4 cup of non-fat milk
3/4 cup of mashed bananas (I'm so naughty, I put in A WHOLE CUP)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (again, I put a cup...sorry I can't help myself when it comes to chocolate)
2 tablespoons of honey

SO EASY!!! And half of that stuff I already had in my apartment. Truthfully, I stumbled across this recipe whilst watching three fugly brown bananas waste away on my counter. I felt too bad for them; they had to have a purpose.

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Next, either spray a cupcake tin or place in the little cupcake papers. Then, put everything in the bowl. I wish I could tell you a fancy order for this mixture, but seriously it doesn't matter what order they go in the bowl. So long as they all make it in! And once you've scooped an even amount of mix into each cupcake cup, cook for about 15 minutes! You'll know when they're done when the tops are golden brown and the chocolate chips are nice and melty.

Mashing up all of my brown bananas!! I love when they get super brown, they're great for baking because they're so sweet!

Putting milk in was kind of painful for me because I've been trying to stay away from dairy, but it had to be done for the better of the oatmeal muffins!

Everything in the bowl together! Just a mixing bowl of pure happiness. And yes, I snuck about 10 chocolate chips. 

MY FINAL PRODUCT!!!!! These beauties are SO scrumptious, and let me repeat, they have no added sugar, butter, or flour. 

DIG IN!!

--Lara

Breakfasting Right

So I thought by now I'd feel something like this:

http://youngwildandgreek.tumblr.com/post/41658647986

After all, I've taught myself to treat chocolate and sweets as their own food group, and I haven't had much of either in a couple days. New record.

Enjoying a casual 5 cupcakes on my first trip to Sprinkles, in Scottdale, AZ (all of those bites are from me by the way...)

Nibbling a delicious watermelon pop in Israel after a hike in the Golan Heights. Couldn't even exercise without a little sugar reward ;)

Fortunately, the foods I've been eating have been keeping me surprisingly full, a feeling I'm not quite used to (but strangely enjoying). I don't have random crashes during the day, the 300ish-calorie meals I've been sticking to have definitely helped me stay focused and not suffer insane cravings (I've been known to consume multiple handfuls of chocolate in one sitting).

I started my morning with a nice round of 30-minute yoga, which is probably the only reason I can walk right now (my calves are continuously reminding me of the workouts I've been doing earlier this week). After a satisfying glass of my usual chocolate post-workout protein, I started thinking about what I would make for breakfast before heading to campus for my first class (11 am Health Psychology, if you were wondering). Finally, with 15 minutes to go, I decided on something delicious, but breakfast-simple.

Kashi Bowl:

1 cup Kashi Go-Lean cereal

1/2 sliced banana

3/4 cup almond milk

-KIM

My Beginning and My Inspiration

Let me start out by saying I am by no means a health nut. When I go out for sushi, I don't always pay the extra money for brown rice, and I would always rather say "yes" to dessert than guilt-trip myself into thinking what it would look like on my thighs later.

Me indulging in Apple Fritters...fried, fattening, and fabulous. YUM!!

That being said, I acknowledged this year over winter break that my eating and exercise habits could not stay the same as they once were. I acknowledged that I needed a change. And that's what I'm working on now.

Let me give you a little backstory. Kim definitely got a head start on me in the health department; my stunning twin sister never thought she was perfect enough (no matter how hard I tried to convince her otherwise), and in high school she was always trying to fix what I believed wasn't broken. She joined cross country while I stayed inside and Skyped my long-distance boyfriend. She switched to eating salmon and sunflower seeds while I nonchalantly piled my froyo cup high with Snickers pieces and chocolate chips. While she dropped weight with her determination and willpower, I didn't think twice while I packed on the pounds.

At first, I was indifferent when people started saying how great Kim looked; she's my IDENTICAL twin sister, I just assumed it was a compliment for both of us. Then they stopped being compliments I could apply to myself, and they became compliments directed specifically at Kim. People would see us walking together and single her out, "Kim, you look awesome, what are you doing?" or they'd hug both of us and after hugging her they'd say, "Wow! Kim you're so tiny!"

It started to hurt my feelings. But rather than accept the challenge to get healthy with Kim, I entered a stage of denial. I woke up every morning and told myself I was beautiful even when my jeans were struggling the close. When shirts stopped fitting, I merely picked up my credit card and assured myself it was god's way of telling me I needed a shopping trip.

Sometimes I was able to get Kim to indulge in dessert with me. Like this one time in Holland: WHO COULD RESIST?!

But going off to college was a much needed vacation for me. I love my twin more than anything, but I was tired of always being compared to her. I needed a chance to be one-of-a-kind. I figured if I wasn't always being compared to Kim, I'd be seen as just as beautiful as others saw my sister. But I didn't deal well with the dining hall food at Syracuse. There were just too many unhealthy options, and I quickly started swapping wilted salads for beaming, golden french fries.

Clearly, I started to put on even more weight. And to top it off, I was too lazy to go to the gym. I wasn't working off any of the weight that I was gaining. At one of my low points, I even bought myself a pregnancy test; I needed to know if my belly bulge was just from eating fries, or there was a little fry growing inside of me. It turned out to be the first one. Not surprisingly, I packed on the freshman 16. It was hideous. Suddenly, I was disappointing the one person I could always count on: myself. I could no longer hide behind the sexy costumes I wore to parties at school. Even bras and tutu's couldn't distract from my eventual weight-gain.

Do you see those stomach rolls? I don't even know how I thought that looked good.

So this year, over winter break, I decided things would be different. I am finally taking control of what I had avoided for so long. To do this, I am not trying anything fancy or elaborate. I am just being healthy. To me, this involves eating right and working out. I had always avoided going to the gym with Kim, but I knew that if I could encourage myself to get into the treadmill game, in addition to consuming more nutritious foods, I would become a happier person.

Me on "Bid Day" with some of my amazing sisters of Kappa Kappa Gamma. I'm rocking shorts in 10 degree weather!!!!

Simplicity is key for me, because I get overwhelmed easily. So I'm following 10 key rules:
1. Eating LARGE amounts of vegetables and fruits
2. Avoiding red meat (I mostly eat fish and chicken now anyways; it's college life, I can't afford expensive living)
3. Never skipping breakfast! I have to start my metabolism early.
4. Staying away from carbs and dairy. I have always believed I was both gluten and lactose intolerant, but by keeping this rule I feel I can control my diet best. (I'll admit, I make a few exceptions for frozen yogurt still! But I always top with fresh fruit and sliced almonds instead of chocolate)
5. It's college, so obviously there's some drinking involved, but I keep only trail mix and dried seaweed in my house for drunk-munching. So late night snacks are never too indulgent!
6. NEVER letting myself get hungry. I snack like a fiend all through the day so I don't wind up making poor decisions.
7. Drinking water whenever possible. I have a bladder the size of a walnut, but it's super important to stay hydrated.
8. Drinking green tea at night. It always makes my stomach feel balanced and de-bloats me.
9. Move my body every day. I walk ALL over campus to go to class, but I still make time to go to the gym. If I don't have time to run, I'll do Jillian Michaels's "Yoga Meltdown" DVD in my living room. My roommate can attest to the fact that I'll often drop down and do twenty pushups during a random TV show, or I'll plank for a couple minutes for funsies.
10. Love myself no matter what. Besides my family (and some exceptional best friends), I know I'm the only person who is truly able to love myself unconditionally, so I know I have to take advantage of that. I'm working hard, so I know there's no reason to ever get disappointed in myself again.

Getting breakfast with my best friend, Amber, in NYC! We went the healthy route with eggs and veggies! (And nibbled tiny "Baked by Melissa" cupcakes after for my birthday)

I'm still making up my own rules as I go, but considering I've already lost 9 lbs in just a month and a half, I'm feeling good. I'm not doing anything drastic, I'm just trying to be healthy. While it's hard not to compare myself to Kim, it's comforting knowing she's always going to be there for me. We'll never be 100% identical 100% of the time, but being on this road to healthy together is encouraging, and as long as I have her, I know I can do this.

We've held a python together in Vietnam, it's time to start another adventure together!

--Lara

Magic Amy Bars

I'm not sure what else to call these bars...These God-like, peanut buttery creations my mom made for me a month ago triggered intense cravings and strange mouth-watering sensations that I get from simply thinking about them. They are magical.

The master chef Amy (on the left, clearly) and I at a Buddhist temple in Cambodia 

(Christmas Break trip of a lifetime)

Unfortunately, they are also not as healthy as I'd like to trick myself into believing. At first I tried to get over my guilt of eating half the pan by reasoning with myself, "They're just oats and peanuts, they even have FRUIT in them!" Correction: They are also made with Hershey's chocolate chunks, a peanut butter high in sodium/sugar, and, to be honest, dried fruit just isn't as healthy as its fresh equivalent.

Fortunately, I have managed to tweak the recipe a bit so that, not only are they still tasty, but they aren't as waistline-damaging as the first batch. However, if you don't mind indulging a bit (when is indulging in moderation a bad thing??), I'd say go for and make the recipe with chocolate and the regular peanut butter!

Kim's Take On Magic Amy Bars:
1 1/2 cup Quaker Oats
A handful/or two of dried fruit, your choice (I still use blueberries and cherries, they're delicious and small)
Honey (I just drizzle back and forth a couple of times)
Several shakes of Cinnamon
2 Heaping Tablespoons of Unsalted Peanut Butter (I bought mine from Trader Joe's)
1/2 frozen banana (Diced)
1 small splash of Vanilla

1) Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl
2) Pack mixture into a square 8" by 8" metal/glass pan
3) Drizzle honey on top of packed mixture
4) Refrigerate for minimum 2 hours
5) Cut into bars and ENJOY!

***If you want to make the original Magic Amy Bars, substitute Unsalted Peanut Butter for Reduced Fat JIF, sprinkle in 1 (diced) milk chocolate Hershey's bar, and whatever else YOU want to add (you're putting in chocolate; you've already gone wild, why stop there?)

The ingredients for Kim's Magic Amy Bars (minus the frozen banana, I took that out after)

No special requirements, just mix it all up!

Tada! Drizzled with Honey and ready for the fridge (then eating...nom nom nom)

-KIM

The Best Way to Pre and Post Nom

While scarfing down a cheeseburger, or even a full, healthy meal before a workout may be satiating at the time, there is nothing worse than getting the "I think it's coming back up" feeling when you're trying to bust a sweat. Your body will also be using more energy to digest the food than focus on your workout, so all of that sweating will be somewhat in vain because your body won't be working to its top potential.

However, working out on an empty stomach doesn't exactly say "power up" either, because you won't have all the proper fueling in your body to complete the necessary exercises. If you're working out in the morning, your body has most likely already digested what was had for dinner the night before, so you may feel sluggish or light-headed if you dive straight into intense cardio.

The proper pre-workout snack should be light, yet substantial enough to leave you feeling ready for the workout ahead. It should be eaten at a minimum of 1 hour before a workout, so that you don't get the uncomfortable feeling I wrote about earlier... Some quality snacks include bananas (Jillian Michaels eats 1/2 a banana with almond butter before her workouts) or oatmeal, so that's exactly what I did before my morning workout.

I got up around 9ish munched a quick 1/2 of a medium banana, so that I wouldn't waste too much of my morning waiting to digest. It worked! I did my 3rd day of Insanity without feeling exhausted or nauseous, and managed to push myself even harder despite my sore muscles (and I mean SORE. I keep waking myself up when I roll over because it feels like my muscles are yelling at me).

After my workout, I took a speedy shower and, 20 minutes later, drank a glass of 1 scoop Designer Whey chocolate protein powder (Obviously from Trader Joe's, my obsession) mixed with 1 cup of water. Not only were my pre- and post- snacks low in calories, but I felt satisfied with both my choices, and my workout :)

-KIM

The Story Behind Twinspiration

Lately I've been scouring the internet for inspiration--health and fitness being my primary objectives. I've found so many amazing websites from a variety of different women, each with their own stories of why they chose to create their detailed and impressive masterpieces of blogs.

We all have a unique body story to tell, no matter how or where you grew up. My twin sister and I were never Honey-Boo-Boo status, but looking back at pictures, we're able to make fun of each other consistently more than throw praises around: "Was I made out of Hamburger Helper???" "How could anybody let me out of the house like that?" "Kim, you look huge." Nice.

So in the 7th grade, before our bat mitzvah, we got a personal trainer. She was inspiring and kicked our asses, but we had no idea that eating 3 cookies at "break" or heading straight for the mac and cheese at lunch would completely undo all of our hard work. We knew how to workout and lift weights, but we had no idea how to fuel our bodies properly to do so.

Like most teenage girls, we battled with weight. Lara was always much more confident than I was, rocking a short skirt and leggings (as pants) whenever she felt like it. No matter how crazed about my body I became, she was always there to roll her eyes and tell me I looked fine, I should get over it.

Lara rocking her short skirt...5 years ago and I still cringe looking at this picture. Who's laughing now Lara? Probably still her because I look utterly ridiculous.

I joined the cross country team my senior year of high school, begging Lara to do it with me. She would rather get cavities drilled than run more than a mile. I've continued to run almost every day since the first day of senior year (we're now both sophomores in college), but it's getting a little old and I've been looking for ways to mix up my routine. Lara and I are finally on the same page when it comes to wanting to start over fresh and give real nutrition and fitness our full attention, so she got me the Insanity DVDs for our 20th birthday (5 days ago).

The cross country team my senior year. Look for the only person on their tippy toes... 5'1, I do it a lot.

So now we're both in college, and finally both on the same page. Except not completely: she goes to school in Syracuse, NY, and I'm in Tucson, AZ. On the other side of the country. And so began the idea for Twinspiration, a blog we created together, so that we can share recipes, workouts, and pictures from across the country. We can't wait for it to grow into the amazing blogs and websites we've found the past few months, and not only will it keep us on track, it will help us to stay close across the miles.

College day senior year. That wildcat took me 3 hours to draw.

Lara and I with our beautiful mother, Amy (over Thanksgiving in Florida. Lara's on the left, I'm on the right))

When Lara picked me up from the airport for Thanksgiving (She's on the left, I'm on the right. You'll get the hang of it)

-KIM

Properly Fueling

I've finally done it. After months, almost years, of being gluten-free, I've finally opened up my heart to whole wheat. It wasn't easy--growing up as a pudgy prepubescent made my transition to high school a wreck of low self-confidence and weight worries. All of this stress put enormous pressure on me to take control of my eating habits; cutting out essential nutrients such as gluten and dairy (I later discovered I'm actually lactose intolerant anyways) for the sake of fitting into smaller jeans. I was a neurotic mess of poor nutritional habits, lacking the proper guidance and caloric intake.

When I got to college, I inevitably found the freshman 15. How could I resist late-night snacks, Papa Johns, and the thrill of baking and treating myself to the other treats my friends were? Having a personal chef for my sorority definitely didn't help matters any, I would go up for fifths and my chef would give me a thumbs up because I was "a tiny girl" anyways (at 5'1, I'm not getting any taller). So I packed on the lbs without a second thought--until I saw pictures of myself and realized, with horror, that I was back to where I started before my health neuroticism.

But none of that matters anymore, because I officially took back control yesterday and toasted my first piece of 100% whole grain bread. Why? You may be wondering. Well, I've been inspired. My amazing, beautiful, and thoughtful twin sister decided to get me the "Insanity" DVDs for my birthday (which are killer, I've been sore for days), and the package comes with an Elite nutrition guide to fuel the body properly. After making my own adjustments to certain recipes, my first "Elite" meal was a complete success and, for the first time, I wasn't worrying about what to eat next because I WAS FULL:

1/2 Turkey Avocado Sandwich with a Cup of Black Bean Soup
1 slice of 100% whole grain bread (cut in half, toasted)
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 slices of avocado (scooped from 1 avocado half, you'll still have 1/2 of it left)
4 Spinach leaves
1 slice Turkey
1 cup Black Bean Soup (Type of your choice)

-KIM