Good things are happenin'.....leeeet's keep that ball rolling.
Love more, pray more, work more, play more, live more. Stay happy and healthy, my friends!
Have a fabulous weekend! I know I will enjoy mine with lotsa friends in Philly, some reggae music (summer, come back!), and some healthy-but-tasty SuperBowl recipes. Lookhereforsomereallygoodones. And....get better, Gronk; GO PATS!!!
these uber-fit girls also make a mean Nutrition Plan and serve as amazing role models and inspiration.
Okay, so I don't follow the plan perfectly by any means...I pretty much already eat the way their "maintenance" nutrition plan is most of the time, and as I am pretty active and also am not looking to lose any weight, I don't follow some of the stricter guidelines as perfectly.
Case in point? Along with my kale/onion/tomato/quinoa/mushroom/bean/balsamic/EVOO salad today,
I am also having a Caprese Burger (mozz! tomato! basil! pesto! yum!) and some sweet potato fries.
I also have dinner chillin' in the CrockPot at home, a black bean, ground turkey, and sweet potato chili inspired by Gina's.
If I was following the TIU plan, they do not promote certain types of foods after the afternoon hours hit. However, I know my body, and the types of foods that I need, and why I crave certain ones. "Diet" in the sense of restricting certain foods completely and calorie-counting will never be in my vernacular or lifestyle. Like I said, since I am very active fitness-wise 5-6 days out of the week, I need a decent caloric intake due to the intense cardio and lifting in order to keep my energy up, blood sugars up, and metabolism hummin'. I know what works for me...but that doesn't mean I can't learn how to eat smarter!
What I do love about the plan is that Karena and Katrina have really built a super healthy and yet totally doable platform of eating. They teach you how to combine foods to get the right proteins and vitamins absorbed into your body, and encourage a 5-meal-a-day plan...so you still get to eat...a lot! They basically teach you to eat like an athlete. I love the fact that they are all about health, and not "skinny." Fit is beautiful! I also am loving the recipes they have, and lots of other tips and tricks. Their Meta-D drink is a metabolism boosting concoction that I just tried for the first time today and I love it...definitely felt more alert afterwards. They also encourage what they call a morning "Booty Call," which is essentially just getting your butt out of bed a little earlier and getting moving, somehow, someway, whether it is a doggy walk or a workout, in order to get your metabolism goin'. I already feel more energized since I decided to join the team and have been trying some new things I have learned via Tone It Up. I also plan on doing their 7 Day Slimdown, exclusive to the Nutrition Plan, before my Vegas vaycay at the end of March. Just a little extra tightening up before a week of afternoon sun sessions (just bought my new bikini for it!) and itty-bitty Vegas dresses. Oh, Vegas, how I have missed you.
What it also has done for me so far is motivate me to be more aware of my eating, how often I eat, and what types of foods I eat and when. I am not going to become a food-Nazi at any point, but it has been interesting to notice that I eat very carb-heavy. I was also surprised at how many veggies I actually eat throughout the day, and I have upped that even more the past week. K & K urge you to eat "Lean, Clean & Green" as much as possible, and remind you that if you take off Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from exercise and healthy eats, that is half of the month! Overall, TIU will positively impact my lifestyle eating and help me to make smarter (and still tasty!) choices.
Of course, if you know me, you know I love my beer, wine, pizza, chocolate, and of course, ice cream. And while I limit myself with those (I don't eat them everyday), they are not going anywhere...don't you worry.
Work hard, play hard. I work hard to keep my body healthy and fuel it with the foods it needs and deserves...aaaand because of that discipline, I never feel guilty about indulging. If you restrict yourself from certain things, you just may go balls to the wall and eat your body weight in it when you get a chance. So...when I want a cookie, or three, I go for it. All about BALANCE, mes amis!
Overall, I really think it is a wonderful program, and I look forward to seeing and feeling the positive changes in my body and well-being. If you have any questions about Tone It Up, feel free to email me!
Sorry for the word-heavy post! Hope you all have a wonderful Friday...another yoga sesh tonight (tried hot yoga last night for the first time...LOVE), and it benefits the Humane Society. 'Cuz our furry friends need some lovin' too!
(I may or may not be creating a yoga animal series veryyyy soon...keep your eyes peeled! :) )
Saturday we had a little party for my mama's birthday.
For prep, Friday night was shopping trip number one for our food necessities. I dragged Allie along with me to WalMart, where we found Oscar (Allie's boyfriend, if you are new to the blog).
An uncanny resemblance to our Oscar. We also found some pantyhose on the wasabi popcorn. Uhhh?
To add to our adventure, I had to climb a fixture in order to get the last bottle of lime juice. Unfortunately, the only pictures we have of that are mental ones.
After some kickass BodyCombat and BodyPump classes the next morning, I headed to the grocery store to pick up some last minute things for the night.
Family and friends came over for the football games, complete with my parent's homemade wings and lots of pizza. I also made some buffalo chicken eggrolls and my buffalo dip (we had buffalo chicken on buffalo chicken!!!) and they were pretty tasty.
She even got a froggy funfetti cake (she collects frogs).
It was lovely and I think my mama had a fun birthday!
Sunday is normally my exercise rest day, where I can usually be found taking Koda for a nice long walk and/or spending the day watching football in Philly in my yoga pants.....sans the yoga.
And I did both of those things this Sunday. Starting with The Monster's walk (he's a ferocious beast, I know).
Along with a little drawing. Although I usually limit my alcohol consumption to once (occasionally twice) a week, a leisurely beer or two is usually consumed on Sunday. Like this week's local microbrew:
Obviously.
The brewery is in Allentown, where Coop's alma mater is located. Muhlenberg!
I did take off Monday from the gym as well, which is usually a BodyPump class and some cardio. I just wasn't feeling it yesterday; I was absolutely exhausted after work (didn't have off for MLK like all of you luckies!) and in a bit of a weird funk and just wanted to lay on the couch all night and take a bath. Definitely my body's way of begging for some extra recovery time after a hard week at the gym and a double sesh on Saturday morning, so that wish was gladly granted. That means I had time to scour some new magazines for recipes that I want to try.
^Had to buy this one due to this show (please watch this;....you are welcome):
Our new obsession on the Food Network. And my new obsession with the extreme weirdness that is Aaron Carter.
But I ended up loving Every Day with Rachael Ray...who knew! This thing is chock-full of awesome recipe ideas that are organized so well. Can't wait to try my spin on many of them.
Plus, I needed my rest. It will be an exciting week at the gym...new BodyCombat launch tonight with all of the instructors, and a new class on Wednesdays called Fight Club! So I got to buy these pretty little things:
As time goes on, I am becoming more and more passionate about becoming a certified instructor/trainer. Something that is a huge goal of mine for the year. I am just loving the way these classes have been transforming my body! And I am loving being back in a class mode and pushing myself to the max...reminds me of my dancing days.
Other two big goals for this year? Getting my finances in order and trying to consolidate some things, and to move out! These are all very doable, and I am in super-saver mode. Which means my extensive Lululemon collection is going to have to stay content in its current state at the moment. No new additions. That is, unless I find the perfect long sleeve tech shirt in the perfect color...
Some illustration coming at ya later this week!
xoxoxo
How often do you take rest days? Usually1-2 days on a normal week for me, unless I am traveling/on vacation. I get grumpy when I don't work out!
Lots going on around here...I have a ton planned before leaving for New Hampshire for Christmas next week...and celebrating my family's own Christmas this Sunday!
I am set on using butcher paper for wrapping this year after lots of Pinteresting.
Um, why is everyone either sold out/has no idea what it is and looks at me like a crazy person when I ask for "butcher paper"? C'mon, people. The Staples by me apparently has "brown kraft paper".....gonna check that out.
Missing my art stores in Arizona real hard. They had all of this stuff!!!
Also, found out that my original NYE dress (sparkly, duh) that I found via Pinterest a while ago is backordered until the 29th and will not be here on time, even though I ordered it a month ago and it was supposedly available by tomorrow. De-nied.
I may actually get a rewear outta both of these thanks to my VEGAS trip in March!!! Because where else is it socially acceptable to wear sequins galore when it is not December 31st? Oh, Nevada, we have been apart for much too long.
I won't exhuast you (or me) with a list of all of my other to-do's....instead, here are some awesome eats I have had lately.
Homemade gnocchi! With spinach and roasted tomatoes, doubling this recipe.
(Mine looked similar but with the tomatoes mixed in)
The only thing I changed was that I added diced onions. Stirring the whole roasted tomato slices (I didn't core them, and used regular vine-in tomatoes in lieu of plum tomatoes) into the pan at the end created an awesome, light sauce.
Very doughy.
Rolled out and cut into pieces!
Browning them in a pan with garlic and onion before the spinach and tomatoes were added.
Sooo cool, right?! Took way longer than I anticipated, but I would definitely make this again. Loved the flavor of the roasted tomatoes, too. I want to roast the garlic as well, next time. It is one of those dishes that makes you proud when you have pulled it off.
Also, remember when I mentioned the interview I read about Top Chef contestant and Old City dweller Jen Carroll? She talks about Cafe Ole and was eating the house special, Shakshouka, as she chatted with the interviewer. Come to find out it is super close to us, soooo Coop and I have eaten there twice recently and I am now addicted. They have a bazillion different types of chai tea (I got a soy gingerbread chai latte last weekend!) and their panini-like wraps, Mediterranean platter, and shakshouka (sort of like an Israeli huevos rancheros) are aaaamazing. Love the art and decor inside the cozy little shop, as well. I definitely have another go-to Philly spot.
Best. Hummus. Ever.
Hope you are all having a fabulous and relatively stress-free week! With lots of delicious food.
xoxo
If you ordered Christmas cards from me, they should arrive today from the printer...I will put everyone's package together and send them out this week! Next year I will have had my Etsy shop up and running for a while, making this process a little easier.
If you still want to enter my Cookies for Kids' Cancer giveaway, remember to do so before Sunday at midnight! Also....make those cookies. Seriously. Check them out on Eating Bird Food today, they are a part of the Twelve Days of Cookies!
After a crazy week of trial & error, I finally have a cookie recipe I can release to you guys! They are tasty, soft, and indulgent.
Sam's S'more Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup salted sweet butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg yolk
4 sheets reduced-fat honey graham crackers, crushed
1/2 cup Hershey's Milk Chocolate Chips
Mini-marshmallows (1 to top each cookie)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°.
In a stand mixer, add flour, butter, sugar, vanilla, baking soda, and egg yolk. Let mix until you achieve a breadcrumb-y consistency.
Mix in crushed graham crackers. Batter should still resemble breadcrumbs, but will be able to mold into a ball.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Put batter in an airtight container and chill for at least thirty minutes.
On a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, mold your batter into 1.5" squares. Put in oven for 4 minutes.
Remove cookies from oven, and place one mini-marshmallow on top of each cookie. Put back in the oven for 4 more minutes. The marshmallow tops will start to brown.
Remove from oven and let sit for a minute on baking sheet, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Or eat gooey cookie immediately, if you are like me (i.e., super impatient and extra-hungry for cookies).
You know the batter is right when it is crumbly but moldable!
OXO Good Cookie Spatula Giveaway!
About a week ago, I received a package in the mail from OXO, one of my all-time favorite companies for all-things-kitchen. It contained two "Good Cookie" Spatulas....one for me to use, and one to give away to a reader!
Not only is it super-cute (love the green color), but it is the perfect size for cookies. I used it all the way through the baking process, from scraping the sides of the bowl, to transferring the cookies (that didn't immediately make it into my mouth) onto a cooling rack.
Best part about it, though?
Each limited edition "Good Cookie" spatula sold benefits Cookies for Kids' Cancer, whose mission is to help find a cure for pediatric cancer.
Up for grabs is this awesome OXO Good Cookie Spatula, as well as a 3" x 5" recipe card for Sam's S'more Cookies.
To enter the giveaway, leave a comment below this post for each entry:
Entry Options
Mandatory:
1. Leave a comment telling me your favorite Christmas cookie.
I will use a random number generator to choose the winner. Entries will be closed on Sunday, December 18th at midnight.
Just in time for holiday cookie baking, right? If you want to buy one for yourself or as a gift, you can find them at your nearest Bed Bath & Beyond, amazon.com, or check the OXO Store Locator to find the nearest retail store. It will make a great gift for any baker, and will benefit an awesome cause at the same time.
