Well HELLO there everyone!! It feels so good to be back on the blog! I took a step back from social media and blogging for a while as I was going through some really hard personal stuff. I know I usually post about all things fitness and macros, but I do want to always be transparent and I feel called to talk about what I went through because it may help someone else out there who is going through it.

You might remember when I first started this blog years ago, one of my main goals in my original reverse dieting experiment was to get my period back and get healthy so I would ultimately be able to have children one day. I am so happy to announce that I am currently 15 weeks pregnant with a rainbow baby boy due in January 2020! My husband and I are so excited! This past year, I was actually diagnosed with mild PCOS and went through some pretty hardcore fertility treatment. That was so difficult in itself to wrap my head around the possibility of my dream of having kids not coming to fruition... all of that while being on fertility medication that made me extra emotional! We suffered the loss of our first baby in November 2018. It was the most difficult thing I've ever gone through. Did you know 1 in 3 women suffer a miscarriage? I had no idea how common it was until I started opening up to a few friends about it. If you are going through this or have gone through it and ever need someone to talk to, feel free to reach out to me and I would be happy to just be your friend and listen. You are not alone. The grieving process is different for everyone, there's no wrong way to do it. I just had to take a step back from being online and focus on my heart for a while. 

I don't think I will ever truly "get over" my loss, and the grief still comes in waves. But I do truly love this blog, creating recipes and connecting with you guys on here! So I'm back and excited to post some fun new macro experiment recipes and tips/tricks!! Much love to you all!! :D

<3,
- C

What is up my friends?? I took a little break and went off the grid for a bit, but I am back and ready to blog it up! ;) I'll definitely get into more details on the personal life stuff and this new "chapter" I'm entering into soon!

Today's post is all about new RECIPES!! Over the past few months I've created HUNDREDS of macro-friendly recipes for Avatar, so I wanted to make a blog post on here to share some of my favorites with you guys! If you make them and take photos, please tag me on IG @TheMacroExperiment & @AvatarEats!

I'm also going to update the fast food and chain restaurant lists this week so stay tuned!! 

<3,

​- C

1. Cinnamon Sugar Protein Coffee Cakes (link) - 193 kcal: 13P/15C/9F

2.  Healthy Homemade Barbacoa Bowls (link) - Macros vary/customizable to fit anyone's macro puzzle. Just like Chipotle, you can add rice, veggies, beans... endless possibilities! :)

Avatar Eats, of course, will be the section of Avatar that has everything to do with MACRO-FRIENDLY COOKING! I've written almost 300 recipes over the last year and we are coming out with muuuuch more than that soon to come (mobility, lifting programs, etc.)! The new website and app are coming out on January 7th, right in time for the new year!

And don't worry y'all. I will always be The Macro Experiment. This blog isn't going anywhere and I will continue to pour my heart and soul into this too! I'm just super excited to be a part of something even bigger than myself, contributing to a mission that will change the world and the fitness industry as we know it. We are going to get rid of all the ridiculous tea tox, juice cleanse, euphemisms for starving yourself BS marketing schemes out there... and instead give people the truth of what actually works and is sustainable -- FLEXIBLE DIETING MADE EASY. BOOM.

So clearly, I'm super stoked about this! And it couldn't have come at a better time, I was pretty devistated after just finishing Game of Thrones season 7 last night and realizing I have to wait until 2019 to watch the finale of the best story of all time...  all that to say, watching Avatar Eats grow and become something amazing brings a huge smile to my face in such a dark time XD!! 

Stay tuned my friends!! And enjoy your free trial Avatar membership for you and all your fam/friends!!

<3,
- C

If you've tried my most popular recipe to date -- the Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Protein Cookie, then you will LOVE this new twist on it! Even if you're not a huge gingerbread fan, give this a try and I BET I can turn you into one! Special side note -- I'm not going to pull a Lenny & Larry's on you and fake you out (half of you will get this joke ;P), but the serving size and macros are for HALF of this cookie... because it's friggin GIANT!! So grab a cup of peppermint hot chocolate, cuddle around the fire and share this deep dish cookie with a loved one! Merry Christmas!!! <3

DEEP DISH GINGERBREAD PROTEIN COOKIE
286kcal -- 10F/24C/25P

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt light butter and combine with applesauce and molasses in mixing bowl.
3. Add all other ingredients and mix thoroughly.
4. Pour into small cast iron skillet or 6-7" ramekin.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes and enjoy! This goes great with a scoop of gingerbread halo top ice cream on top!

Just because Halloween is over doesn't mean we have to stop enjoying pumpkin everything!! These delicious white chocolate pumpkin butter cups are a perfect dessert treat to bring to Thanksgiving or fun festive parties this season! There's something magical about the combo of white chocolate and pumpkin... so magical that it's actually GOOD for you -- check out those macros! Aint gon' find those numbers in a reeses cup! ;)

Ingredients:
- 270g white melting chocolate
- 150g vanilla whey
- 100g pumpkin puree
​- stevia to taste

Directions:
1. Melt chocolate in large mixing bowl and slowly stir in 100g vanilla whey.
2. In another mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, 50g vanilla whey, and stevia to taste.
3. Line cupcake pan with 7 cupcake foils and fill each with half of the white chocolate mixture.
4. Freeze for 2 minutes.
5. Spread a pumpkin layer on top of white chocolate layer and freeze another 2 minutes.
6. Top with the rest of the white chocolate and enjoy!

Keep fresh in the refrigerator and feel free to share this recipe with your friends! Happy November y'all!

<3,

​- C

You asked and so you shall receive! Make sure to follow me along on Facebook and Instagram because I will periodically ask you guys for what recipe you'd like to see next, which is why I decided on this one! Grab your high protein pumpkin spice latte and enjoy a piece of this delicious pumpkin bread without breaking the macro bank!

PROTEIN PUMPKIN BREAD
95kcal - 3F / 11C / 7P (per 51g piece)

Ingredients:
- 45g light butter
- 265g pumpkin puree
- 80g vanilla whey
- 115g all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
​- stevia to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt butter in mixing bowl and let cool until room temperature.
3. Add all other ingredients and mix thoroughly.
4. Pour batter into small greased loaf pan and bake for 30-40 minutes until you can stick a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean.
5. Feel free to add a "protein icing" on top (protein powder + a few tbsp of water mixed to icing consistency) and enjoy!

I thought I'd share this infographic I collaborated on with my IG friend Alex aka @Fit_With_Coffee (you MUST follow him!) to bring you some macro-friendly Starbucks orders! I've had tons of people request this on my instagram account as I've made tons of these infographics on there for various restaurants correlating to the IIFYM Restaurant Master Lists. Below the image you will find instructions on exactly how to request the order! Happy PSL season, I had one today actually and it was delish! :P

PS: Fun fact -- you can now add scoops of PROTEIN powder to your starbucks drink at most starbucks!! WINNING.

How to order each drink:
Pumpkin Spice Latte
100kcal: 1P/20C/2F
1️⃣Ask for a GRANDE Americano
2️⃣Ask for only ONE shot
3️⃣Ask for ONE and a HALF (1.5)pumps of pumpkin sauce
4️⃣Ask for STEAMED coconut milk (Half water/half milk!)
5️⃣Ask them to steam an extra amount of pumpkin spice topping WITH your coconut milk
That is literally it. Top with whip if you so choose! Now you don't have to have just one shot, normally a Grande Americano would get THREE, but I found just one shot allowed for the best taste!

Caramel Protein Frappe
203kcal: 20P/24C/3F
1️⃣Ask for a GRANDE Frappuccino
2️⃣Ask to substitute EXTRA almondmilk 
3️⃣Ask for FOUR (4) pumps of caramel 
4️⃣Ask for THREE (3) scoops Protein powder 
5️⃣Ask for TWO(2) Splenda
6️⃣❗️Ask for only ONE (1)pump of LIGHT FRAPPUCCINO BASE
7️⃣Ask for LIGHT ice
​
Mocha Frappe
146kcal: 13P/19C/2F
1️⃣Ask for a TALL cold ALMOND Milk 
2️⃣Ask for it to be iced
3️⃣Ask for a TWO(2) pumps of Mocha syrup(yes, REGULAR mocha!)
4️⃣Ask for ONE(1) scoop of vanilla bean powder 
5️⃣Ask for TWO(2) scoops of protein
6️⃣Ask for one shot of espresso (or more)
7️⃣Ask for it to be DOUBLE blended
8️⃣Ask for it to be poured into a GRANDE cup

Iced Cinnamon Almond Milk Macchiato
90kcal: 2P/11C/4F
1️⃣Ask for a GRANDE Iced Cinnamon Almond Milk Macchiato
2️⃣Ask to *substitute FOUR (4) pumps of sugar free cinnamon dolce syrup
3️⃣Ask for LIGHT caramel drizzle on the inside of the cup(for aesthetic purposes)
4️⃣Ask for LIGHT cinnamon dolce topping

French Vanilla Cold Brew
55kcal: 0P/7C/3F
Caffeine: ~200mg(HIGHLY CAFFEINATED)
1️⃣Ask for a GRANDE Cold Brew
2️⃣Ask for THREE(3)pumps of Sugar Free Vanilla syrup
3️⃣Ask for ONE(1) pump of hazelnut syrup
4️⃣Ask for just a SPLASH of cream (half&half)
5️⃣That's it! So so simple!

FYI: Whipped cream adds anywhere from 50-100 calories depending on how much you get! Remember to keep this in mind not only for this drink but any other made with whipped cream!

Enjoy my friends!! And spread the word to all your Starbucks obsessed peeps!!

<3,
 
- C

HEALTHY CHEETOS, WHAT!??! Yes, this is a real thing! They are so easy to make with just 3 simple ingredients. Plus, the serving size is this entire massive bowl!! It really doesn't get better than that. ;)

MACRO-FRIENDLY CHEETOS
212kcal: 10F/15C/28P (for entire recipe!)

Ingredients:
- 6 room temperature egg whites
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 36g cheddar cheese powder (I used Hoosier Hill Farms brand from amazon)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Make sure eggs sit out for a few hours so they are at room temperature before starting. Separate yolks from whites and place whites in mixing bowl (kitchen aid is perfect for this).
3. Add cream of tartar to whites and blend with whisk attachment on highest setting for 2-3 minutes until egg whites become stiff and peaks form (similar to the Angel Foodcake recipe).
4. Place a generous amount of cheddar cheese powder in a large bowl; you'll want to use more than 36g as this is the amount that actually sticks to the egg whites.
5. Using a piping bag with a large circular tip, pipe long, cylindrical "cheeto" shaped stiffened egg whites onto the cheese powder. Depending on how big the bowl is, you could probably do 2-3 at a time.
6. Using a spoon, lightly toss extra cheese powder on top of each cheeto so that all surface area is completely covered. TIP: use the negative function on the food scale if you are wanting to keep track of the actual amount of cheese powder used for your recipe; mine ended up being 36g.
7. Gently transfer each cheeto onto a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with 0cal nonstick spray.
8. Bake for 10 minutes and enjoy!

Make SURE to eat these when they are fresh out of the oven!! They definitely are not as tasty when cold in my opinion. If you are wanting to save some for later, keep covered and refrigerated.

Also, if you are wanting some more fun macro-friendly recipes by me, check out the other recipes on my blog as well as AvatarNutrition.com, where I've written almost 300 of them!!

Stay cheesy my friends!!

<3,

​- C

Hey friends! Happy August, can you believe it?! Weeks 7 and 8 on my reverse diet with Avatar Nutrition went smoothly and my weight seems to be stallin' out for now. It would be great if it could stay like that but I won't get my hopes up. :P

Date                     Weight               Protein (g)            Carbs             Fat            Total Cal
8/4/2017               133.5                 131                       190                 48            1716 (+53)
7/28/2017             133.5                 131                       179                 47            1663 (+67)
7/21/2017  (NC)   133.0                 131                       169                 44            1596 (+0)
7/14/2017*          133.3                 131                        169                44            1596 (+45)
7/7/2017              131.2                 129                        162                43             1551 (+0)
6/30/2017            133-135.5         VACATION MODE AvatarNutrition Feature
6/23/2017            130.8                 129                        162                43             1551 (+49)
6/16/2017*          131.1                 129                        152                42             1502 (+50)
START                   130.0                 128                        145                40             1452
KEY: *=period, NC=non-compliant mode

In other news, last weekend I had the pleasure of meeting an IG friend that I've had for 3 years now but have never met in person. She came to visit me in Nashville and we had a blast! As much as instagram can be annoying at times, I would say the good outweighs the bad by far. I have been able to connect with so many awesome, like-minded people online -- aka YOU reading this! I hope one day I can hug every person who takes the time to read my blog!

​Hope you all have a great week, I've got lots of cool stuff coming up on here so stay tuned! :)

Much love,

​- C