Philly Style Stuffed Peppers + Today's Workout!

Last night I decided to make a new recipe, inspired by pinterest. The "normal" philly cheese steak sandwiches are loaded with tons of fat, so making a lighter version is great to help curb any "bad food" cravings. Making healthier versions of your favorite foods is the key to living a healthy lifestyle. It's about making the right choices and common sense, not some fad diet. You cannot go wrong with your meal plans if you always focus on eating clean, unprocessed food and keeping your portion sizes small. Eating frequently keeps you from binging, so adding healthy snacks in between meals is like a safety net. And of course, don't forget to eat tons of veggies and fruit! These basic rules are the key to any success with "diet". I really hate that word....but anyhow, here's what you will need!

1 yellow onion
1 pint baby portabella mushrooms
1 lb sliced deli roast beef
2 green peppers
2 slices pepper jack veggie cheese (any low fat cheese is fine, but I like this type because they make a great pepper jack flavor)
1/2 cup white cooking wine

First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cut your peppers in half without the seeds and bake for 15 min. While they are in the oven, saute your mushrooms in the wine. Cook for about 5 minutes and then add the onion ( a rough chop is fine). For spices I had some au jus flavoring which I know is loaded with sodium, so I used only a tablespoon. Then to add some spice I used a tablespoon of Mrs. Dash Chipotle seasoning. Play around with the flavors YOU like, you don't have to use these spices. When your veggies are browned, turn off the heat and lay the beef over them, just to slightly heat it up. I didn't want the meat to wither away over high heat. Stuff your peppers and bake for 15 minutes making sure they are tented in foil. Put your cheese on top and bake until melted and then EAT!

TADAA!

So now here was my workout for today......

My legs are super duper sore from yesterday so today's intensity was moderate and upper body focused.

Circuit Training: Time Challenge

3 Rounds, 10 Repetitions for each exercise:

Bicep Curl + Overhead Press 15 lb Dumbbells

Reptile Push ups

Chin ups ( mostly assisted)

Bent Over Row (25 lb plates)

Dips on the Dip Station

Leg Lifts x 50 reps

TIME!: 29:28

Legs and Cardio Killer

WOD Jan 1/30

So, the plan today was to do the same type of workout Justin and I did on Sunday. It was super intense and was specifically focused on the lower body. I am used to doing high knee skipping with the jump rope to add a cardiovascular element to strength training circuits and I was pleasantly surprised to find that adding running instead was going to up the anty.....ALOT. So here's what today looked like!
Part One:
Rear leg elevated split squats. I held two 25 lb plates and did 3 sets. One leg was right after the other without a break. Set 1 I performed 10 reps on each leg, and the last 2 sets I managed 8 for each.
Part Two:
500ish Meter run
Part Three:
3 sets of 20 reps, Alternating side lunges with the sandbag ( 40 lbs)
Part Four:
500ish Meter run
Part Five:
3 sets of 20 reps.Alternating curtsy lunges holding two 25 lb plates
Part Six:
500ish Meter run
And FINALLY, Part Seven:
Glute bridge burnout, 100 reps

TIME!- 40:01

Definitely felt like I had enough after this one, but in a good way :)

Tonight for dinner I decided to make Philly Cheese style stuffed peppers, inspired by a recipe on pinterest. I will post it tomorrow!

Pretend it's summer pasta salad!

This week I decided to keep it simple, but by no means lacking flavor. Here are my ingredients...

1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
Fresh basil
1 pint cherry tomatoes
Whole wheat pasta, I used half a box
Half a white onion
Half a cup red wine vinegar
1 packet Italian seasoning dressing
1 cucumber
Splash olive oil

First, I put the seasoning, vinegar and oil in the bottom of the bowl. Cook the pasta while you cut up your veggies. I chopped the peppers and onion, halved the tomatoes, and sliced my cukes nice and thin. Then, I julienned the basil....it was so pretty!

I ended up saving the flower and putting on the windowsill....I wonder if it will grow if I plant it. Anyways, rinse the cooked pasta and add to the mix. I also added some pepper flakes!

The best thing about this salad is it will just keep getting better the longer it sits. I decided to eat some chicken Italian sausage with this, so I just browned them so they are ready to go. I plan to keep them whole just for portion control, then I'll slice them and put them on the salad!

Tadaa! Lunch for the week! And yes, I wish it was summer already. Especially since so many fruits and veggies will be at their peak!

Here's Daphney waiting for a treat to drop! Easy clean-up ;)

Monday Mo Muscle!

WOD Monday 1/28

Today was an upper body day, I was really motivated to up my weights today. Felt good making some progress! Everything was done in a superset, meaning that you perform one exercise and go directly into another without any rest. This makes the workout challenging and more time efficient!

SS 1:
One arm rows 30 lb first two sets, 40 on last set.
12,12,8
Lat pull downs 50 lb 1st set 60 on last 2 sets
12,8,8

SS 2:
Shoulder Press 20 lb dumbbells
8,5,then breakdown last set 5 reps 20 lb,5 reps 15 lb, 5 reps 10 lb
Tricep dips on a bench, legs extended
8,8,8

SS 3:
1 Front raise + 1 Lateral raise + 1 Reverse fly = 1 rep (thanks hubby ;) ) with 10 lb dumbbells
8,8,6

SS 4:
Bicep curls 20 lb dumbbells
7,5,6
Tricep rope push downs 25 lbs
12,6,7

Later today I plan on doing some type of cardio, and I will be posting my lunch for this week!

Couples who play together, stay together :)

WOD Sunday 1/27
Today's workout was put together with the help of my husband, who decided to do it along with me :) It definitely helps to give me that little extra push!

We began the workout with 3 sets of deadlifts. My weight was 85lb and I performed 8 reps for each set. Justin did 205lb and 8 reps for each set....and then the fun began!

Timed Workout: Strength Training + Cardio

Cleans:10 Reps
(I used a 40 lb sandbag, Justin used a 95 lb barbell)

570 meter run

Walking Lunges: 20 reps
(I carried 50 lbs, Justin did 60 lb)

570 meter run

Sumo Squats: 30 reps
(I used a 40 lb sandbag, Justin instead did 95 lb sumo deadlifts)

570 meter run

TIME: 19:28

We are going to make it a point to put together a really tough workout every Sunday, just to spice things up! Plus it was really fun. After this we went to Images with my niece and had a really great day, hope your Sunday was great as well! :)

Saturday Night Quickie!

WOD Sat 1/26
After a busy day at work I just wanted to come home and get this OVER WITH!
Put together a simple yet effective lil diddy, try and beat my time ;)

20 Divebomber pushups
30 Pull-ups assisted, unassisted negative
40 Sand bag swings 20lb
50 Sit-ups
60 Competition burpees

Aaaaaand TIME! : 14:54

The quicker you push out your workout, the sooner your weekend begins!
Happy Saturday!

WOD Thurs 1/24

Today I focused on abs and threw in a little upper body for good measure. Holy moly my legs are SORE today! It was an interval training.....18 rounds of 10/50

Stability ball pike push-up:11,8,7
Sandbag sit-ups(20 lb): 9,8,8
Tricep dips: 15,15,17
Hanging knee raises: 18,14,19
Seated pull-ups w/ dip station: 17,18,22
Seated medicine ball toss 10lb: 21,20,25

After completing this workout I threw in 10 minutes of interval skipping, 20 rounds 10/30

Fun with spaghetti squash,

Tonight for dinner I decided to make a bolognese with ground turkey and a yummy spaghetti squash. Here were the ingredients:
Half a white onion
1lb ground lean turkey
3 garlic cloves
1 can spaghetti sauce, I like hunts garlic and herb....they don't add a bunch of crap and its easy to tweak to your liking. Or get REALLY fancy and make your own :)
1 spaghetti squash

First, you roast the squash in a 400 degree oven for about an hour....make sure you poke holes in it first so it doesn't explode! If the knife goes in easy and it's a bit brown on the sides, it's done.
Then, sauté the onion with the meat, add the garlic and then the sauce. I keep the heat fairly high to reduce some of the liquid.
Cut open your squash and remove the seeds. Use your fork to remove it and strain.
Plop some on your plate, top with sauce and whatever else you like. I prefer a little pepper and of course pepper flakes!
Serve with a little side salad and you've got yourself a meal! This was soooo good!

Jello, anyone?

So, this isn't a recipe post....the jello is in reference to how my legs feel. Totally wiped out after today's lower body workout. Yesterday was a rest day, so I always like to come back with a bang! Here is an outline of what I did......

Strength Training:

Deadlifts: 3 sets, 1 warm-up set

1st set: 12 reps 65lbs  Next 3 sets 85lbs:
2nd: 8 reps
3rd: 10 reps
4th: 10 reps

Rear leg elevated squats, two 25lb plates
1st set: 6 reps
2nd: 8 reps
3rd: 10 reps

Interval Training: 12 rounds 10/50
Alternating side lunges, 30lb sandbag: 15,14,12
Half burpee + lateral jump over sandbag: 12,10,9
Front squats w/ sandbag: 15,13,13
Sandbag swings: 22,25,28

Phew, glad that's over :) Happy Wednesday!

Breakfast: Banana Pancakes!

Every single morning for the most part I eat the same thing....not because I choose to make myself but I literally CRAVE these pancakes.......

Mmmmmmm......and the best part is you don't even need any eggs. I eat these babies plain, trust me...they are amazing on their own!

You will need,
1 banana
1/4 cup oat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
handful of walnuts
cinnamon to taste
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
 THAT'S IT! Just mash the banana with a fork and add the rest, I usually cook them with a tsp of coconut oil and there you have it! Hope you give em a try :)

Lunch for the week....CHICKEN CURRY!

So the best recipes are the ones you kinda slap together, which is what happened here. I know what flavors I like and adjust to my taste. Here were the ingredients....

1 yellow onion

1 green pepper

1 lb chicken tenderloins

2 sweet potatoes

2 tbs garam masala

2 tbs red curry paste
1 tsp cayenne 

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp cinnamon 

1 can lite coconut milk

1 can swanson low sodium chicken broth 

1 big can crushed tomatoes

I browned the onion with the chicken, added the green pepper, then the spices, and basically just added everything else, salt to taste!

Oh, almost forgot....this would be great over some basmati or jasmine rice...or even with a piece of naan :)

WOD Monday, Jan 21

Chin-ups.....3 sets
First set......4 reg, 6 assisted
2nd....2 reg, 6 assisted
3rd....2 reg, 6 assisted

Circuit Training, 4 Rounds for time, 10 Reps for each exercise....

Sandbag Overhead Press (30lb)
Dive-bombers
Tricep Dips
Close-grip push-ups
Bicep curls 15 lb dumbbells
Renegade rows 15 lb dumbbells
100 High knees with jump-rope
 
TIME: 26:56

Was overall an amazing upper body workout.....now I have to cook for the week. Will post that later on :)