While I was busy eating to bulk up, Marcella’s phases were geared quite differently. She has been making steady gains in strength and muscle size for the past year and she wanted to continue doing so, but her main objective…
Author: Marcella
Diet Planner Updated – Marcella
Quick note: I added some drop-down menus to the diet planner to make it much easier to use. But…that functionality is not available in Google spreadsheets, so here’s a new link to download (I updated in the earlier post also):…
Diet Planning Worksheet!!
Here it is: a simple, interactive diet worksheet I built in Microsoft Excel to help us reach our respective fitness goals, and that we’re now sharing with you as a proven success! How we did it: Derek gathered info about…
Derek’s Shoot Prep, Phase 1 – Derek
At long last, the shoot is complete! Not only that, but it was a great success and a lot of fun too. Above is a sample of how the pictures came out. We are currently going through the shots and…
The Greatest Grain – Derek
Our March photo shoot approaches this Sunday, and before I finally post the plan we have been following I wanted to share some background information on one of our current food staples. Many of you that see me regularly have…
Bodybuilding Pics Are In! – Derek
The aforementioned pictures of my very first bodybuilding shoot have arrived. Check them out (here). Please remember that despite all the practicing, I am far from a master at posing technique yet. That shoot was a great chance for me…
Happy New Year! – Derek
After a long and eventful absence I’d like to wish everyone a strong and motivated start to 2010. While most people I’ve talked to (as well as myself) didn’t exactly stick to their diet plans 100% over the holidays, January…
Black Bean Cakes – Marcella
Easy Black Bean Cakes (pictured with roasted corn salsa) can of black beans, drained really well 1/2 green bell pepper, minced 1/2 onion, minced 2 tsp cumin salt to taste whole wheat bread crumbs, or alternative flour (soy, almond, garbanzo…
Indian Dal Soup – Marcella
I’ve been cooking a lot of Indian food lately, having been inspired by some Indian feasts at the home of our friends’ Deepak and Matt. We don’t go out for Indian anymore, since it’s generally very oily and hard for…
Big Weights for Big Strong Muscles – Derek
I know not everyone reading this may see gaining muscle and strength as a top priority, but for those that do I wanted to outline some techniques that are a good way to achieve this goal, and for those more…
“White Cheddar” Shells and Cauliflower – Marcella
“White Cheddar” Shells and Cauliflower Healthy comfort food for those cold winter nights 1 pckg Mori-Nu Silken tofu, soft 1 cube Rapunzel Vegetable Bouillon w/ Sea Salt & Herbs 1/4 cup nutritional yeast pinch salt and pepper soymilk and/or water…
Apple Butternut Squash Soup – Marcella
Recently we got dinner at the salad bar at Ellwood Thompson’s (1/2 off after 8:30 p.m.) and decided to try some of the vegan mashed sweet potato. It was disappointingly gross, having been drenched in margarine and sugar – so…
Simple White Bean and Chard Soup – Marcella
Soup always sounds good when it’s cold out. I’ve decided to do a lot of soup and salad nights, since it’s a lot easier to make that particular combo nutritious and filling and bread-less. I have no patience for bread…
Another Reason to Eat Your Produce – Derek
An interesting article was recently brought to my attention by my good friend and client, Jeff Kroll of Crossroads Coffee . Having worked with me for several months, Jeff knows the benefits of a whole foods, plant based diet. For…
Eating Healthy On The Go – Derek
While going through food journals one of the comments I make most is “add a meal/snack here”. Many people are busy and find it hard to get a solid meal or snack in every 3-4 hours. Many more are used…
Two recipes! – Marcella
Creamy Greens and Penne 1 pckg Mori-Nu Silken tofu 1/2 lb bag frozen spinach 1/4 cup nutritional yeast fresh basil, or 1 cube frozen – available in freezer section of Trader Joe’s soymilk and/or water necessary to blend to a…
A Note on Grains – Derek
I wanted to write a little on nutrition since I haven’t in a while. I thought I’d address a question I get a lot when I am helping people with their food choices, which is: why are carbs (grains) ‘bad’?…
Quick Chili Lunch – Marcella
I have a huuuuge backlog of recipes to post; I’m trying to be good and prioritize work and studies while leaving some time for at least one hobby to reduce stress. Sadly, that one hobby is not doing yet more…
Stir Fry recipe – Marcella
The nice thing about stir fries is you can use whatever you have on hand. An alternative to the tofu could be shelled edamame…alternatives to the greens could be bok choy or spinach, alternatives to mushrooms could be canned water…
The Wonders of Phytochemicals! – Derek
I’ve wanted to post something about this for a while, so I finally went through several of my old exercise magazines and clipped out some nutrition articles. For those of you who read such magazines with any regularity, you probably…