Back from Break

I'm back! Whew, I am tiiiired!

Our family vacationing is done for the year and I'm still recovering! Honestly, I just started back at the gym October 1st. I took the rest of September off. I do believe 'abs are made in the kitchen' and have been trying (semi-successfully) to eat right and have minimal 'cheat' days/meals.

So instead of throwing you some awesome workout, I'm going to share with you some of the delish food I made and have really enjoyed!

Cinnamon Apple Crisp

Instead of buying or packing processed foods for day trips, I like to take along these baked apple crisps for my son to snack on as they’re healthy and the baking brings out the sweetness of the apples.

Ingredients

• 2 red apples (Gala and Pink Lady apples are great for making crisps as they are low in moisture to begin with)
• cinnamon for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 250 and use the fan element if your oven has it. The circulating air will facilitate the drying of the apple slices.
2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (I suggest lining your oven racks as I didn’t and could have made twice as many)
3. Using a mandolin or food processor, slice apples to 1/8-inch thickness. If slicing by hand, core the apples to facilitate slicing and slice the apples as thin as you can.
4. Arrange the apple slices on the parchment paper and lightly sprinkle with cinnamon.
5. Bake on the lower part of your oven (away from the heating elements) for 20 minutes, then gently turn the apple slices over and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes. Keep an eye on them towards the last 10 minutes or so to make sure they don’t burn.
6. Remove baking sheet or rack from oven and allow the apple to cool. The apples will come out a bit soft but will crisp up as they cool.
7. Store in an airtight container or bag.

Skinny Monkey Cookies

I know it’s not often you see chocolate, bananas, and peanut butter in a healthy recipe, but this lightened-up version of a “chunky monkey” is both healthy and tasty! I tend to get a sweet tooth in the afternoons, and these cookies have saved me from grabbing chocolate on more than one occasion. At just 47 calories per cookie, you really can’t go wrong! 

Ingredients:

• 3 bananas
• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (I use PB2)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• Dash of cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Mash bananas in a large bowl, then stir in remaining ingredients. Let batter stand for approximately 20 minutes, then drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired. Bake 10-12 minutes.

Freezing Directions:

Cool completely, then place cookies in a freezer bag. Seal, label, and freeze.

* When I make these bad boys again, I'll only use 2 bananas. I'm not a huge banana fan, and would have liked it to taste more like a treat. To each his/her own!

Baked Shrimp with Avocado Pasta

Directions:

Line baking pan with foil. Cut lemon into slices, put on bottom of pan, drizzle with 1 stick of melted butter. Sprinkle one pack of dried Italian seasoning on raw shrimp and toss. Put the shrimp on the lemon and butter, then put them in line the oven and bake at 350 for 10-15 min

Avocado Sauce

Ingredients:

1 medium ripe avocado, pitted

½ lime

2 garlic cloves

¼ jalapeno

¼ cup packed basil

1 cup spinach

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup freshly grated parmesan

1 pound whole wheat spaghetti

1 cup spinach

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add the pasta and cook until tender but still al dente 9 -11 minutes.  Drain and reserve 1 cup of the cooking water.  Put the cup of spinach in the bottom of a serving bowl and  place the spaghetti on top and toss for a few minutes to wilt the spinach.

While the pasta is cooking make the avocado sauce.  Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh from the avocado and place in a food processor.  Zest the lime and add along with the basil, lime juice, garlic, jalapeno, basil, spinach, salt and pepper.  Blend until smooth. 

Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss everything together adding a little cooking water to loosen the sauce as needed.  Top with the grated parmesan and basil and serve. 

** I see some of my words have a white box around them, sorry I did this from my (not so) smart phone and I can't get it to go away!

**Also, be on the lookout for my next blog. It will be about sugar, artificial sweeteners, and a new show my mom introduced me to that will blow your mind when it comes to healthy eating!

Weekend 5k and Zip Lock Omelet

Happy Monday!

Monday's are always awkward for me. Shaun doesn't go into work until the evening, so Monday morning rolls around, I get up with Jack and get him to school, come home and my husband is still here. Feels more like Sunday. No complaints!

Last weekend we ran the Rugged Maniac 5k in Southern IN. My mom stayed at our place and took care of the kiddos and dogs (thanks, Mom!). I was really excited to not only spend some alone time with my husband laughing at each other, but get our fitness on and have an excuse to get muddy!
The 5k was harder than I thought it would be (ha!). The event was held at a Ski Resort, so the running was STRAIGHT uphill and then STRAIGHT back down. About 7 times. Doesn't that sound fantastic? The uneven ground and rocks made it more of a challenge as well. We got through it and had a blast doing the crazy obstacles together. From crawling our way in underground tunnels to barbwire fences, it was just what we were looking for. I'll post some of the pics when they come up on the website, I'm looking forward to one in particular :)



We did it!

 My mom joined me at the gym the following day before helping me find a dress for my sisters wedding in Vegas next week (Proooocrastinatiioooon!). Let's rewind. How do you pick out a dress for a wedding....that's also in Vegas?! I need something that says, "Hey I'm at my sisters wedding, in Vegas, and I'm 29, but I party, with adults."
Good :Luck.
We were walking out of the mall and my mom found one she really liked. I was over it and ready to leave, but decided to try it on. Well that was the one (thanks, ma!) so I'm ready!

Back to the gym. We did a bit of cardio followed by legs and abs. I had my mom try the preworkout C4  (see previous post for the info) and she agreed it was a good product to have. It was a nice workout but I was sore from the day before and slightly pulled my back doing 'good mornings' so we kept it short and sweet.
I'll post my workouts soon, I promise!

Good Morning

Strength training boosts your metabolism so your body continues to burn calories for up to 36 hours AFTER your workout. So hop off the cardio machines and start lifting! I would suggest 15-20 minutes of cardio to warm up everyday, and 1 hour of cardio a week (just make it your cardio day).

On to food!

This morning I tried the Zip Lock Omelet with success. It was delish!

Crack no more than two eggs (I used 1 egg and 2 egg whites)  into each bag and shake to combine.

Put out a variety of ingredients such as cheeses, onion, green pepper, tomato, hash browns, salsa, etc as selection.

This is what I used

Add prepared ingredients of your choice to your bag. Shake, carefully press air out of bag and zip it up.
Place the bags into rolling, boiling water for 15 minutes.

This was my first time and I was sceptical. But to my surprise, it came out perfect!

I added tomato as well!

And there you have it, easy and healthy. Yes please! 

I have to recommend this drink I get from Trader Joe's. It's called Green Plant. It looks like it may be disgusting, but surprisingly enough it tastes really good. Not green at all. Give it a try, you'll thank me!

Have a great week!

Erin



C4 product review & Energy Bites

So I've decided to start (or restart!) a blog and focus it on fitness.
I'm throwing myself into the fitness world and it can be overwhelming to say the least. I've always been thin, but I'm looking to build muscle and serious tone. That takes a lot of hard work, research, and having the right resources to help you succeed. Since starting, I've received a lot of questions from friends and thought this would be the perfect place to not only answer any questions, but provide you with what I'm doing/eating, as well as support and motivation!

Tonight will be short and sweet. I started using a product called C4 extreme. Its a preworkout mix you take 15-20 min before you start and it has really high rating in the 'fitness world.'

My first go!

So I'm giving my review.

I took this 20 minutes before working out, and I really felt the energy kick in about 10 minutes in. I had tingling from the beta alanine almost immediately (won't last). I was a little jittery, but not enough to distract me from the workout. I was able to push through some tough sets, and felt good, not drained at the end. I actually MADE myself leave the gym after 80 min. I worked out in the morning and did not experience a crash later in the day.


Ingredients : This is a really "clean" product in terms of content. 0 calories and carbs, plenty of Vitamin C, and the Energy Blend really allowed me to focus and zone in on my upcoming workout when I took it 15-20 minutes preworkout.

Energy: This is the highlight of C4. It doesn't disappoint, especially if you limit your caffeine consumption throughout the day. I'd say more of your energy comes from the intense focus; after you take this you don't want to do anything but lift. And be prepared to sweat your ass off lol. With 1 scoop, I didn't get any jitters or any crashes afterwords, just a nice clean rise and then a return to normal levels about an hour after my workout.

I would recommend this to anyone who is looking to increase gym time and have the energy to do so!

 



Also, I made these no bake energy bites (with my own twist) and they are SO delish! I'm a big snacker so having things like this in the fridge is crucial!

YUM

1 cup (dry) oatmeal (I used old-fashioned oats)

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup ground flaxseed

1/2 cup chocolate chips (I didn't use that much)

1/3 cup honey

1 tsp. vanilla

 1 scoop protein powder (I used Jillian Michaels Natural Whey chocolate)

 Walnuts (crushed) I used about a handful.

Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until mixed well. Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like. (Mine were about 1″ in diameter.) Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.
Makes about 20-25 balls



Until Next Time!
Erin

"We must get rid of the life weve planned, as to find the life that's waiting for us"

It's been 2 months since I've been married! Amazing.... I've been learning a lot about true life, and also about myself as a woman, a mom, a wife....


Jackson will be 7 in Feb. (INSANE, I know this) and it just hit me, it's been almost 7 years as a single parent and I've never really had a 'groove.' It's always been a fly by the moment thing. With school and growing up, how can you really find a groove? I was a young adult with a baby. I did everything in my immature mind and power that I could to make a great life for my little man and I. But... how far can you go with NO experience and NO idea how to even start to 'make' a life? Hell, I couldnt even cook a dinner by myself and I hated cleaning, how could I make a groove? It was a struggle. A beautiful struggle at that. I have too much advice and wisdom on things I wish I didnt, but still feels good that I made it to my perfect life I knew I would someday have.

I now have this perfect family. It blows my mind actually. I still trip on the idea that I married such an amazing, genuine, warm hearted man that loves my son as his own. I knew in the back of my mind that God would lead me to someone like Shaun, but was pleasently suprised at what a great job he did! lol. It kinda felt like God saying, "You have fought your way through life for long enough, here...." and just gave me this perfect man. With no crazy strings attached. It just 'was.'

So this turned into that and love turned into marriage. And perfect turned into perfection, if that makes sense. It doesnt have to. But groove is the heading. I feel like we have our groove. And its so sweet. Sure, every night may be a bit different, but we have plans....and backup plans, and times and dates. We have a warm cozy home. We sit down for dinner, do homework, and snuggle. One of us may head to a game of Jackson's while the other makes sure dinner is ready when we get home, so we arent up all night. We plan ahead, and not for the moment. Prepared. When one of us falls, then they have 2 people to help them up. We each live for each other, and that just may be the receipe for a perfect life. And when I say 'perfect' (b/c I think I have a few times now...) I mean the ups, the downs, and the complete sideways cant throw you THAT far off course. You see what you have, and you live and breathe for it. Complete meltdowns are OK, because you know you have arms to cry in. Arms that won't judge you, hurt you, or make you feel less than.