Almond crusted cod with stuffed eggplant

For date night I wanted to take advantage of our fresh produce and local fish market. I just recently placed an order with Front Porch Pickings which is a local distributor of organic/local produce that delivers to your door! I love the variety they have and I am all about supporting local business. I went to Hulls Seafood for the cod. They had a ton of fresh options and I would recommend anyone going there! Anyways, on to the recipe!

I used 1 white eggplant. You can use any type i'm sure but this is what we got with our delivery :). Cut out the center and save it. Saute about a cup of spinach with a white onion, 3 cloves of garlic,2 tbs olive oil, and the eggplant. I use greek seasoning for spices along with black pepper and lots of pepper flakes! Saute until onions are browned and the eggplant is slightly soft. While you are doing this make sure to bake the eggplant shells in a 400 degree oven. I prepped them with olive oil, salt and pepper.

The cod was super easy, but it packed a mean flavor punch. All you need is about 3/4 of a cup of almond meal. Put it in a bowl with any seasoings you like. I used more greek seasoning, cajun seasoning,pepper flakes, and regular black pepper. Mix it all together. Oil a baking sheet and place your cod or any fish you like. I used free range herb butter and broke pieces along the fish. Top with the crumbs and squirt a bunch of lemon on top! Bake at 400 then set your broiler on to brown the top. It took about 15 minutes total. As for your eggplant, take the shells out when they slightly soften, stuff with the spinach mixture and sprinkle with a sharp cheese. I usually prefer feta but we tried goat this time :). Cover and bake along with the fish. That's it, super quick and healthy. I try to make meals I would pay money for in a restaurant....but when you can dish it up at home it makes it that much better (and cheaper!). You never really know what kind of junk they hide in your food. I hope you like it! :)

Updates!

Hello friends! So as of late I have upped the anty a bit with my routine. Since going to Crossfit, I realized that I now want to focus on athleticism vs bodybuilding. I have been making strength gains by adding different equipment and trying to learn different exercises. The new challenges I have been facing have been great! For example, I am now practicing my double unders with the jump rope, dips with gymnastics rings, and olympic lifting. I still try to maintain an upper or lower body focus on the days I train, but inevitably you end up working your whole body during a "Metcon" or Metabolic Conditioning. All this means is your working more on endurance vs strictly strength. Typically my workouts will consist of more of a strength phase to start finished with a Metcon. This was yesterdays workout.....

Chest Press 4 sets
1- 65lb 9 reps
2-70 lb 7 reps
3-75lb 5 reps
4-80lb 3 reps

Shoulder Press 4 sets 50 lb
7/6/5/4

Barbell Row 4 sets
1- 65lb 15 reps
2- 75lb 10 reps
3- 80lb 7 reps
4- 80lb 5 reps

Seated Cable Row 4 sets
1- 60lb 12 reps
2- 65lb 10 reps
3- 70lb 7 reps
4- 70lb 6 reps

I also added in 4 sets of lateral raises with dumbells and bicep curls. I practiced 3 sets of split jerks with the barbell. This was my first attempt at them and it was so much fun. I started with just the 45lb bar and added 10 lb to practice good form. I can't wait to start adding weight to those bad boys!

To finish the workout, Justin and I did a Metcon using our new toy, the SLED! We added 50 lb and did 20 rounds of 30 second intervals pushing the sled and then using the battle ropes. It ended up being really fun and challenging! Try to incorporate new exercises into your routine. Find stuff you like, get the body moving and challenge yourself. Complacency kills!

Upper body day

Went up in weight on my chest and shoulder press!

Crossfit and leg day

I have been a little underwhelmed by my workouts as of late. Not having any motivation, progress has slowed, etc. so, the other night while surfing on Facebook I came across East Ormond Beach Crossfit. Now I had tried Crossfit before but wasn't willing to pay the money seeing as how I have all of the equipment at home, along with a personal trainer for a husband. This group however was offering a free intro women's only class, so I thought why not? I was immediately inspired by the group of women and excited to meet like-minded people that want to be healthy and strong. I plan on going regularly since the price is right :) and so I can have a support net. I'm ready for more challenge. Today I was motivated to do more weight on my squats and dead lifts and just for shits and giggles I attempted my pull ups, and completed 4! This is huge for me seeing as how the last attempt ended up with one half ass rep. The fire has officially been re-lit, so WATCH OUT!

This is what today looked like.....

Chest triceps shoulders

Increased weight on my barbell shoulder press! Added 20 min skipping at the end of this bad boy, forgive the scratch paper. When your in the middle of a move you use whatcha can!

Back and Biceps

HIIT DAY!

This is an oldie but goodie. I used to follow Bodyrock religiously, then realized I wanted to focus on muscle gain. These HIIT workouts are great to incorporate into your strength training routine. I always look to Zuzana Light whenever I need a little motivation. Plus, these workouts are really fun and challenging! My time was 32 minutes and some change ;)

http://www.bodyrock.tv/2011/09/19/wicked-things-workout/