**Disclaimer: Yes, I do consume products from time to time that have "fake" ingredients - I realize these may not be good for me in the long-run. Pick and choose how natural you want your food to be, and I will do the same ;)
1) Elite Whey Protein: Chocolate Mint & Café Mocha (this flavor is actually caffeinated!) For the best price: go to fitrx.com, buy the two 5# twinpack, & google for a free shipping promo code!
2) C4 pre-workout (5 cals & caffeinated) - good price at Costco.
3) Scivation Xtend BCAAs - use during your workout to preserve your muscle (no cals, no caffeine) - Best price with Amazon Prime.
4) Combat cookies 'n cream whey - good price at Costco.
2) C4 pre-workout (5 cals & caffeinated) - good price at Costco.
3) Scivation Xtend BCAAs - use during your workout to preserve your muscle (no cals, no caffeine) - Best price with Amazon Prime.
4) Combat cookies 'n cream whey - good price at Costco.
Supplements For cutting the last 5-10#/leaning out:
1) Slin-trol: I swear by this stuff and prefer it of the 3 carb-blockers listed here. 1 pill per carb meal = 3 pills per day of this chromium blend. 2) Carb-ease by Advocare: I'm less-familiar w/ this but it uses L-arabinose & Dry Bean Extract to block carbs. 3) Carb Stopper Extreme - uses white kidney bean extract to block carbs. 4) Beverly 7-keto Musclean: this makes me a little shaky but it WORKS! 5) Beverly Lean out - works great in combo with the 7-keto musclean. 6) Fish Oil - to make sure your getting in those omegas.
1) Slin-trol: I swear by this stuff and prefer it of the 3 carb-blockers listed here. 1 pill per carb meal = 3 pills per day of this chromium blend. 2) Carb-ease by Advocare: I'm less-familiar w/ this but it uses L-arabinose & Dry Bean Extract to block carbs. 3) Carb Stopper Extreme - uses white kidney bean extract to block carbs. 4) Beverly 7-keto Musclean: this makes me a little shaky but it WORKS! 5) Beverly Lean out - works great in combo with the 7-keto musclean. 6) Fish Oil - to make sure your getting in those omegas.
Kashi Go Lean - regular or vanilla. This cereal is low sugar, low fat, high protein, and high fiber. I dare you to try to find another cereal with better macros ;) Do not confuse this with "Go Lean - Crunch", which is loaded with sugar.
1) Sodium-Free Mrs. Dash Lemon pepper. 2) Reduced Guilt Brownies from Trader Joes. A good choice if you're not ready for black bean brownies yet ;) 3) Pacific Low sodium chicken broth. 4 & 5) Xanthan Gum & Guar Gum from Whole Foods - a pinch of each for smoothies (& for my Vitamix ice cream - see recipes page). 6) Whole Grain breadcrumbs from Remke Biggs - (see homemade pizza on recipes page).
As shown in slideshow above: Favorite COSTCO items (great prices on healthy items!)
1) Almonds: 3# bag
2) Fresh Spinach (for salads & smoothies)
3) Turkey Burgers: 200 cals & 35g protein! Branden loves these.
4) 99% lean Turkey breast (I love this on a flatout for lunch)
5) Organic frozen green beans & individual bags of organic frozen broccoli (we stock up on these big time)
6) Flatouts: 100% whole wheat, high fiber, high protein, low net carb, super soft and delicious! Pretty-much the only bread-like item that I eat on a regular basis.
7) Bold & Breakfast Blend K-cups (Kirkland/Costco-brand). Comes down to about 38 cents/cup. Now that is a deal!!
1) Almonds: 3# bag
2) Fresh Spinach (for salads & smoothies)
3) Turkey Burgers: 200 cals & 35g protein! Branden loves these.
4) 99% lean Turkey breast (I love this on a flatout for lunch)
5) Organic frozen green beans & individual bags of organic frozen broccoli (we stock up on these big time)
6) Flatouts: 100% whole wheat, high fiber, high protein, low net carb, super soft and delicious! Pretty-much the only bread-like item that I eat on a regular basis.
7) Bold & Breakfast Blend K-cups (Kirkland/Costco-brand). Comes down to about 38 cents/cup. Now that is a deal!!
1) Unsweetend Almond Milk. Either Silk or Almond Breeze depending on which is cheaper @ Kroger. 2) Virgin Coconut oil (see fat loss benefits on "nutrition" page). 3) Reduced fat coconut flakes. From Whole Foods. Delicious sprinkled on Vitamix Ice cream (see recipes page). 4) Sugar-free maple syrup (yes, here's one with fake stuff - but a lot less cals!) 5) NATURAL mustard (I wish this was low-sodium though). 6) Mori-Nu Silken Lite Firm Tofu (see chocolate mouse in recipes)
1) Polaner SF Jelly w/ fiber 2) Frank's RedHot BUFFALO (no cals but watch the sodium). 3) Bragg Liquid Aminos - protein in it's smallest form - great soy sauce alternative. 4) Liquid egg WHITES. 5) Newman's Own EVOO dressing (here's your healthy fats!) 6) Bragg Organic Braggberry dressing - low cal, organic. 7) Low Fat Frigo Cheese Heads - good protein snack. 8) Organic Valley Raw Sharp Cheddar - if you must indulge in real cheese, this is a good organic choice.
Walden Farms zero calorie dressings, sauces, & toppings. You are either a huge fan or an anti-Walden Farms Person. I had to stock up on these when they were only $2.49 at Jungle Jims. (Yes, prob some fake stuff). Sesame ginger & Raspberry are the best; Caramel sauce is great on Vitamix Ice Cream
1) Wheat bran. Use in place of SOME flour in baking, or eat this instead of your oatmeal. HIGH fiber, low cal. 2) Oat bran - eat this instead of old fashioned rolled oats for more fiber and protein! 3) Chia seeds (& flax seeds) - good fats! 4) Whole grain Quinoa with a COMPLETE amino acid profile - a pasta alternative. 5) Low Fat Soy Flour - high protein, low fat, low carb - hard to find though. 6) Whole Grain Brown Long Grain Rice - I don't eat rice often bc it's full of carbs but this is what Branden likes.
1) Annie's Whole Grain Mac & Cheese - for a cheat meal. 2) Fiber Gourmet pasta (see pic below for more info). 3) KIND Bars - good price at Costco. Dark Choc sea salt is best! Less carbs than most bars and natural. 4) Hunts NSA pasta sauce (yes, some fake stuff is in here I'm sure). 5) Muir Glen Organic pasta sauce - organic & less carbs then most sauces. 6) Heinz reduced sugar Ketchup (only 5 cals - yes, some fake stuff I'm sure). 7) Trader Joe's Organic Ketchup - less sugar than most ketchups, thick, & delish! 8) NSA crushed pineapple - for spinach smoothies. 8) Canned pure pumpkin - for baking & smoothies.
As mentioned above (#2): Fiber Gourmet Pasta (good price at Jungle Jims). Less cals than other whole grain pastas; See close-up photo to compare Fiber Gourmet on left to 2 other whole grain pastas on right. Half of the carbs are from fiber! They have many similar products on their website.
PB2. Low cal peanut butter - mix with greek yogurt, add to smoothies, mix with SF jelly... options are endless!!
-I also love "Better 'n peanut Butter", which is half the cals of regular peanut butter (made with de-fatted peanuts).
-I also love "Better 'n peanut Butter", which is half the cals of regular peanut butter (made with de-fatted peanuts).
Artic Zero "ice cream". Only 150 cals for the entire pint and high in fiber. Love this! Find it at Whole Foods (actually cheaper at Whole Foods than at Kroger!) Strawberry, mint chocolate, coffee, cookies and cream, and chocolate peanut butter are my favorites! Ha that is almost every flavor. Strawberry is the best!
-Vanilla Kroger Carbmaster milk - Vanilla. 60 cals, 3 carbs, no fat, 11 grams protein, lactose-free. Say whaaaa??!
-We also love Carbmaster yogurt (similar macronutrient profile) pumpkin, carrot cake, raspberry yumberry, blackberry... too many flavors to choose from!
-We also love Carbmaster yogurt (similar macronutrient profile) pumpkin, carrot cake, raspberry yumberry, blackberry... too many flavors to choose from!
1.) Sweetleaf 100% Natural Stevia Sweetener. This is made from stevia, purified water, and inulin (an all-natural vegetable fiber). This is not a blend or extract (unlike Purevia & Truvia).
2.) Smart Squeeze: 5 cal, fat free, margarine spread. This is my go-to butter substitute (yes, I'm sure it's got fake stuff in it). Find this at Remke Biggs. **Earth Balance is a good natural choice for "butter".
3.) Sugar Free Torani Syrups (Da Vinci are good too) from Jungle Jim's. Great in coffee as well as in Vitamix ice cream (see my recipe page!)
4.) Capella Flavor drops (flavor concentrate): no fats/cals/carbs/sweeteners. Again, add to smooties, coffee, and baked goods.
2.) Smart Squeeze: 5 cal, fat free, margarine spread. This is my go-to butter substitute (yes, I'm sure it's got fake stuff in it). Find this at Remke Biggs. **Earth Balance is a good natural choice for "butter".
3.) Sugar Free Torani Syrups (Da Vinci are good too) from Jungle Jim's. Great in coffee as well as in Vitamix ice cream (see my recipe page!)
4.) Capella Flavor drops (flavor concentrate): no fats/cals/carbs/sweeteners. Again, add to smooties, coffee, and baked goods.
Nutritional Yeast. Buy in Bulk at Whole Foods (cheaper this way) or at Kroger (Bragg brand).
What is it? 1st of all, this is INACTIVE dry yeast. Vegans use it as a cheese substitute. I use it to save calories & bc it's delicious as a seasoning/topping (on popcorn, veggies, chicken... you name it!) I had my co-workers try it and they thought it tasted like "nutty-chicken" hahaha.
Nutritional yeast is packed with nutrients - particularly B-vitamins, folic acid, selenium, and zinc. It’s low in fat, gluten-free, and contains no added sugars or preservatives. Some producers even add B12!
What is it? 1st of all, this is INACTIVE dry yeast. Vegans use it as a cheese substitute. I use it to save calories & bc it's delicious as a seasoning/topping (on popcorn, veggies, chicken... you name it!) I had my co-workers try it and they thought it tasted like "nutty-chicken" hahaha.
Nutritional yeast is packed with nutrients - particularly B-vitamins, folic acid, selenium, and zinc. It’s low in fat, gluten-free, and contains no added sugars or preservatives. Some producers even add B12!