My crazy life and new recipes!!!

My life has been so hectic since my last post, but it's been an awesome kind of hectic! I've completed the first part of my RPM instructor training, which I'll go in to detail on later. Yesterday I spent all day trying new recipes, let's just say there was a lot of trial and error!

Let me start with my RPM training. If you would have asked me a year ago, let alone a month ago, if I would be training and preparing to become a fitness instructor, I would have said "No Way"! Somehow, by the grace of God, in doing just that!

I fully believe that God has set this path before me. I didn't get a job I applied for a few months back, I only work 3-4 days a week, my love of fitness, how far I've come, the training being in Birmingham; everything just fell perfectly into place, that's a God thing! So after researching and praying all night, I registered for training and spent a weekend in Birmingham peddling my tail off!

RPM or any spin class, requires you to sit on stationary bike. This training required you to be on the bike for hours at a time. Such a requirement can cause your derriere to become quite sore. None the less it was an amazing experience! Two days of presenting, coaching, critiquing, and learning the ins and outs of Les Mills, and let's not forget riding the the bike! It was a very trying and rewarding weekend! I graciously passed the first part of the training ground, and received the go-ahead to team teach with my own instructors and eventually film myself teaching a class! Once I film myself, I'll send it in and hope for the best! 

I'm seeing this entire situation, as the next step in my fitness journey. I'm come from couch potato to an almost-fitness instructor! How exciting is that? And I know this is a really over used and super cliche, but " If I can do it, then so can you"!

Moving on from fitness to food!

I have been making all sorts of food since my last post. In fact, yesterday I spent most of the day in the kitchen (where I'm suppose to be according to my husband, Just kidding!) attempting to make healthy snacks! I've made up some of my own recipes, as well as, tested some recipes I found on Pintererst. To post all the recipes would make an incredibly long post, so to counter that, I'm going to decide the recipes among posts. For this post I'm sharing how to make my BBQ Chicken Thighs and Summertime Cole Slaw!

                     

BBQ Chicken Thighs

Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
• your choice of BBQ sauce

Directions

1. Trim thighs to your liking.
2. Place thighs in zip-lock bag and coat with BBQ sauce. Mix thighs around in bag to fully coat. Place in fridge for at least 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken thighs in greased baking dish. Bake chicken for 45 minutes, or until meat thermometer reads at least 165.
4. To crisp skins, place chicken under broiler, until skins become browned.

                     

Summertime Cole Slaw

Ingredients

• 1 16oz bag of cole slaw mix
• 2 Tbs minced onion
• 2/3 cup light mayonnaise
• 3 Tbs vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 Tbs white vinegar
• 1/4 tsp Salt

Directions

1. Mix cole slaw and minced onion Ina large bowl
2. I. A small bowl mix together mayo, oil, vinegar, sugar, and salt. 
3. Pour over cole slaw and toss to coat
4. Chill for at least 2 hours, prior to serving.

I fixed both these dishes together for dinner last week. It's a great meal anytime of the year! If I had time I would have fixed some deviled eggs and potato salad, but none the less I had French fries! 

 

                     

These meals can be as healthy or as unhealthy as you wish to make them. The  cole slaw uses a 1/2 cup of sugar, but feel free to decrease as you see fit! 

In my next post I'll be sharing healthy snack recipes, so stay tuned in for more!

Until next time,

- Lesli

Restraints and Recipes!!!

Good morning/day/night everyone!

Today's topic of discussion is restraints! Not the physical kind, but more of the mental type.

Every year I love to participate in Lent (even though I'm not Catholic). My yearly thing to fast is soda, and I usually try to up the stakes every year with a new item. Well this year I chose bread, and boy has that been a tough one! I will be honest and say that I have violated my fast about 4 times already, and Lent only started last Wednesday! Given, the 4 times were in 2 days, and I haven't messed up since. The problem, lies not in the fact, that my coworkers brought chocolate cake to work, or that a patient's family members bought doughnuts for our unit. The problems is that I did not have the restraint (or want) to resist those temptations.

So learning from that, I have tweaked my fasting just a hair. I am still fasting bread (that includes cake and doughnuts), but I am allowing myself to have rice and protein bars. I understand that Lent is not about moderation, but restraining oneself and resisting food options, in general, is about moderation.

There are a lot of diets out there, now a days, that force you to restrain or limit your intake of something, whether that be calories, carbs, red meat, fats, sugar, or processed foods. In all of them will power is the determining factor. Sometimes it would be easier if we had assistants, to just follow us around 24/7 and slap unhealthy food out of our hands before we ate them. But the world just doesn't work that way. It is up to us to resist temptations, to prioritize our needs and our wants.

In the end, it all comes down to will power. When people start a new diet, or new workout regimen, they understand that they will be doing something, that their bodies will not be accustomed to. It takes the "want", the "need", the "priority", the "sacrifice", the "restraint", to accomplish and meet these goals.

We are all human, and we will make mistakes, and slip-ups, but that doesn't make us failures, it makes us normal! Whenever you do slip up and eat two pieces of cake, or sleep in one morning, instead of going to the gym; just remember that everyday is a new day. Yeah, I may have messed up yesterday, but does that mean I have to mess up today? NO! The end result is reliant on what I do CONSISTENTLY day-in and day-out. Rome was not built in a day, and neither are we.

So for the recipe today, I have a new dish that I procured last night. I read about a dish on Pinterest, tweaked it just a hair, and wallah, a new dish is born!!! Baked Pineapple Chicken Thighs!!! They are super tender and juicy. The pineapple gives this chicken a wonderful flavor, and is a great dish to brighten up dinner menu! I served mine, over white rice, with a side of roasted Brussels sprouts!

The original recipe can be found here

 

 Baked Pineapple Chicken Thighs

Ingredients

• 2 lbs chicken thighs (mine had skin and were bone-in, but use what you have)
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• ½ cup onion, diced
• ⅓ cup White Rum (I used a Mango Rum, because that's what I had on hand, and it was great)
• 1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped (I used 1 pepper for less spicy)
• 3 cups pineapple, diced
• ¾ cup orange juice (no pulp)
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp corn starch
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325º. Place chicken parts in a 9x13 baker. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. In a medium sized pot over medium high heat, melt the butter. Add brown sugar and onion. Cook for four minutes.
3. Add the rum, peppers, pineapple, orange juice and soy sauce. Lower the heat to medium and allow to simmer for five minutes.
4. Scoop out two Tbsp of the liquid and place in a small bowl. Whisk in the cornstarch until completely incorporated. Pour this mixture back into the pot and cook for another three minutes.
5. Pour contents in pot over chicken breasts. Place in a 325º oven for 45 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 160º.

 Until next time, Get Fit and Healthy
-Lesli

P.S. I hope to start a new series of blog entries coming up real soon. I'll be reviewing some fitness products and supplements. If you have any suggestions, questions, or feedback, please comment below!

Reaching New Levels

Hello everybody

I have come out from under the rock, I have been under!

My fitness journey has taken a turn for the best over the last week! This new leg of my journey is really pushing me to be more health and exercise conscious. Having said that, I will try harder to keep updating the blog and posting healthy recipes and exercises, because without either of those I would not be where I am.

So let me elaborate. Last week I was approached by two different folks, about getting certified to become a RPM class instructor. When the first person (one of my besties) mentioned it to me, I just thought she was being nice. I was thinking, that I like to be more of a participant, than a teacher. The next day, my current RPM instructor, asked me if I'd ever considered it, and the answer was a big "NO". I told her though, that she wasn't the only person to talk to me about it. So I decided to do some research and that I would give it some consideration, after I discussed it with my husband of course.

Later that night, I'm texting my bestie about it, and what all she had to do to get certified through Les Mills, and also when the dates were for certification training. Well the more we talked, the more intrigued I became. The next training weekend, just happened to be the next weekend, and it was only an hour away! All the following training weekends, were at least 3-4 hours away, and would require me to get a hotel. With all this to think about, I discussed it with my husband, and he said do what I want (couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic, or encouraging, but I took his words for face value). So I decided to sleep on it, and then the next morning I registered for the class!
So, its been a busy week, with practicing for the upcoming class, having the American Heart Association Heart Walk (which I was a team captain for), and working all weekend. Now the Heart Walk is over, and I'm off work for two days! So now I can fully focus on preparing for this weekend!

I'm telling you all this for a reason. Two years ago, when I joined my gym, I had never heard of spin class, RPM, or even Les Mills; and now I'm preparing to become an instructor! It's crazy! If you would have told me two years ago, of what I'm doing now, and how far I've come, I probably would have told you, that you were insane! But fitness, exercise, and healthy eating, has changed my life, and it can change yours! Don't get me wrong, I am not perfect, by any means, but for the most part, I try to live a healthy and active lifestyle.

My current instructor for RPM, told me that I'm a great candidate for being an instructor. I asked why, and she gave me a great reply. She told me, that looking back at what I've done, how I've progressed, how I continue to move forward with my fitness, my personality, and how I encourage and inspire others, is very motivating and is what draws others in. I'm not sure how much of that I believe, but if something I do can inspire and motivate others to live a healthier lifestyle, then that is what I'm going to do! I firmly believe that God, has a purpose for all of us, and maybe mine is being a fitness instructor, who knows? But as of now, my path has led me here, so I'm putting my faith, in the Man upstairs, and going WAY out of my comfort zone!

My goals from doing this are:

1. To honor God, with the gifts He has given me
2. To make myself a healthier me
3. To inspire and motivate others to become healthier versions of themselves

If I can accomplish these 3 goals, then I will die a happy person.

So besides staying busy with working and exercising, I have done some cooking! Both recipes are delicious! The first recipe, is one I found on Pinterest, but tweaked just a little to better suit my tastes. The second recipe is one I made up, I'm not exactly sure how "healthy" it is, but I figure it's probably more healthy, than not.

This first recipe, I made last week. It tasted amazing! I ended up eating more than my husband, but it turns out he isn't too fond of asparagus. So just know that other green "stem-my"  vegetables can be substituted in.

Original recipe located here, on AmesKitchen.blogspot.com

Baked Chicken and Asparagus Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 c. uncooked rice (brown, white, or wild)
• 3 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 bunch of asparagus (about 24)
• 4 oz. Monterrey-Jack cheese, shredded
• Panko Bread Crumbs (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook rice according to package directions.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add rice to the bottom of a greased 9x13 casserole dish. 
3. Clean and cut the ends off the asparagus spears (about 1" off the end).  Add the asparagus to the casserole dish, on top of the rice, arranging lengthwise.
4. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.  Arrange the chicken on top of the asparagus spears in the casserole dish.
5. Whisk together the 1/2 c. water and soup in a small bowl.  Pour the mixture over top of the chicken in the casserole dish.  
6. Finally, sprinkle the Panko bread crumbs (if using) and then the cheese over top of everything.  
7. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 - 45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

This second recipe, is me making up recipes, to try and use food we have in the deep freezer, instead of going out and buying more! It turned out really well, and I will definitely be making it again! I served mine with some fresh green beans!

These pork-chops were fork tender, no knife needed!

Crock-Pot Pork Chops with Onions

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless thick cut pork-chops
• Salt & Pepper
• BBQ dry rub seasoning
• 1 large sweet onion
• 1 large apple (I had a red delicious apple on hand, but use what you prefer)
• BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory BBQ)

Directions:

1. Slice onion into thin rings (I used a mandolin)
2. Cut apple into 8 big chunks
3. Place half of the sliced onion in the bottom of a slow-cooker
4. Layer 4 apple chunks over onions
5. Season all sides of pork-chops with salt, pepper, and BBQ seasoning
6. Place 1 pork-chop over each apple chunk
7. Cover the pork-chop in BBQ sauce and layer remaining 4 apple chunks over each pork-chop
8. Cover with remaining half of sliced onion, and squirt another layer of BBQ sauce over pork-chops.
9. Cook on Low 6 hours or High 3-4 hours, inside of pork-chops should be white.
10. Serve pork-chop with onions over top, discard apple chunks.

I hope these recipes are as delicious to you as they were to me! Remember, recipes are not set in stone, make additions, omissions, or substitutions where you need them. Make each recipe your own!

Until next time,
-Lesli

P.S. Feel free to ask me questions, leave feedback, share, or what-have-you!

Excuses and Workouts!!!

Hey everybody!

Thanks for joining me on the first Monday of February! Today, as with every Monday I hit the gym! Its very important to me that I always go to the gym on Monday, it helps me determine if I'm going to have a good week or not. #1 rule: NEVER MISS A MONDAY!!!

Before I get to the workouts though, I wanted to discuss reasons and/or excuses people have for not going to the gym or not exercising at all. I did a little research this afternoon, and compiled a list of some frequent excuses for not going to the gym and/or working out.

1. Too noisy
2. Too crowded
3. Not seeing results
4. Reached goal fitness level
5. Don't feel the necessity
6. Intimidated
7. Unsure of what to do at the gym
8. Bad location
9. Bad past experience
10. Feels like everybody else knows what they're doing
11. Feels like everybody else is in shape
12. Would rather be outside
13. Costs and fees
14. Time consuming
15. Germ phobia
16. Too tired
17. Bad weather
18. Missing a television show
19. Already been to the gym this week
20. Too sore from last workout
21. Wanting to do other things
22. Bored with the same routine
23. Don't want too

So that's a pretty long list. So here's my thing, exercising for 1 hour is 4% of your day, which makes exercising for 30 minutes only 2% of your day! I find it insanely hard to believe, when people can't spare 1 hour or even 30 minutes to workout. I can kinda understand, if you have to drive to the gym, but nobody is asking you to go to the gym, just exercise. It takes no time at all to do some jumping-jacks, sit-ups, knee-highs,  triceps-dips, push-ups, planks, wall-sits, squats, or even some yoga, in the comfortable environment of your own home. That rationalization there, took care of 11/23 excuses.

As far as not feeling the necessity to workout, or you're satisfied with your fitness level, then you are about to have your eyes opened. Working out and exercising can be used to maintain your fitness level. If you do nothing, then one day you will lose your physique, whether toned or not.

If your reason, is that you aren't seeing results, even though you've been putting in the time, look at what you're doing when you're not exercising. What I mean by that, is look at what you are eating and drinking. If you workout like a beast, but eat and drink like a glutton, then you are not going to get the results you want. Diet and exercise go hand-in-hand when trying to get in-shape and become fitter.

For the being too sore, or having already been to the gym this week excuses: who cares! Science shows that exercising while sore, helps to get rid of the soreness sooner. Now I didn't say go super Saiyan everyday. If you worked out hard one day, then on the next day do either some light exercise, or focus on a different muscle group. This will increase blood flow, and help with muscle recovery.

As far as only exercising once a week, that's about as beneficial as only dieting one day a week; it is pointless. Yes, exercise is good but it needs to be more of a habit. I read a quote from my brother-in-law today that was on the topic of working out and exercising, "Treat it like a job. You have to go. It has to be a necessity." I have heard variations of this before, but it still stands true. If you want results, then you have to really put in an effort.

The biggest reason people don't workout or go to the gym, is the last one, "They just don't want too". Some people won't go, just because. They either don't have a reason, or they're lazy. There is no valid reason why people can't exercise or workout. YouTube is full of videos, of people with all sorts of disabilities killing workouts and feats of strength! If you want some motivation click here!

If you're just lazy and want to be a stick in the mud, then I've done all I can do, but if you're reading this blog, then you have shown some type of interest in exercise, or maybe just getting healthier. I encourage you to contact a local gym, most have a visitor's pass of some sort, or even just Google some at home workout routines. The internet is full of healthy recipes as well. If you need some help, I am more than willing to help you and support you!

Now on to the workouts! The following workouts are from last night's and today's gym sessions. Sunday night's Body Pump session, I went a little lighter for the squat track, because I wore out my legs on the weight machines before class. Other than that, both sessions were killer, and I felt really good afterward!

Squat Track

I used the bar-bell with 20kg or 44lbs

Triceps Track

I used a 5kg or 11lb plate

Triceps Track

I used a 5 kg or 11 lb plate and a 7lb dumb-bell

Lunge Track

I used a 5kg or 11lb plate

 Body Pump, has really helped me a lot, in my fitness journey. It's my go-to class when I need to burn some calories and break a sweat! Now that I'm within 5-10 lbs of my goal weight, I'm wanting to change my focus from weight loss, and turn it to toning-up. For that reason, I'm going to start working with the weight machines. I've played around with them before, just trying to familiarize myself with them. Today after class, I went and worked on the leg machines, everyone I could find! I did 3 sets of 15 reps on each machine. I didn't really push myself too hard, my main goal today was to find a good starting weight. So hopefully within the next couple of months, I will start to see some results.

I can only pray that my legs work tomorrow! And like I said, even if I am sore, I will work out the soreness with my favorite spin class tomorrow, Les Mills RPM!

Until next time, 

-Lesli

Working It All Out

Hello all and welcome back!

Today is all about workouts! Over the past couple of days I have been doing my best to get videos of my Body Pump workouts, but the classes have been crowded...which is great (I'm excited to see new and old faces working out and getting fit!) It just puts me a little behind when i try to set up my weights, station, and camera at the same time.

Anyways, I did manage to get a few decent shots out of two days worth, and may even be able to get a couple more when I go back to the gym tonight!

This first video is me warming-up. It is super important to get in a good warm-up and cool-down, the benefits are enormous. The purpose of warming-up is to ready your muscles for the workout ahead. Warm-ups help prevent muscle injury. Warming-up helps to increase blood flow to your muscles, loosens up your tendons and ligaments, lubricates your joints, and helps to get your head in the right mind-set. A proper warm-up should take between 5-10 minutes, and focus on the major muscle groups (Legs, Arms, Chest, Back, Shoulders, Core).

For my warm-up, I use a bar bell with 10kg or 22lbs.

This next video, is my chest track. For this particular chest track, we performed A-Presses and Inclined Push-Ups. I'm still working on my arm and core strength, so I perform my push-ups on my knees. One of these days, I will be able to do them on my feet, but not today! I'm still a work in progress!

For my chest track, I used 10lb dumb-bells for the A-Presses,

and my own body weight for the Push-Ups.

The final video for today is my back track. This track is more choreographed than the others. The track involves, Dead-Lifts, Dead-Rows (singles and triples), Cling-and- Presses, and Squat-Presses (a whole lot of them!). One key point in this track and all the others, is to keep your core muscles tight! You may not think much of it, but when your core muscles are not tightened and engaged, that's when back injuries can happen. So always use your core!

When using the bar-bell, I had it loaded with 15kg or 33lb,

for the Squat-Presses, I used a 5kg or 11lb plate.

I hope these insights, into my workouts, kinda give you a feel, for what I do at the gym. These workouts are not just for my physical well being, but also for my mental and emotional state. Going all-out, putting everything I have into these workouts, is a release from all my stresses. When I'm working-out, that's all my mind focuses on, not work, not home, not finances, not anything. All my mind focuses on is working-out, completing that rep, finishing that set, giving it my all. Working-out can be a very therapeutic activity, it is for me anyway.

So until next time, go workout and let it transform you, both physically and mentally.

Thanks for reading!

-Lesli

Self Worth and Chicken Alfredo!!!

Hello everybody!

Welcome back to the blog and thank you for reading and visiting. Today I'm going to share my recipe for Chicken Zucchini Alfredo, and I want to discuss self worth.

 Let me begin by saying that we are NOT created equal. Everybody has different talents, gifts, strengths and weaknesses; and none of them define our self worth. The only person that can define your self worth is YOU! Not me, not your parents, not your significant other, not your boss, nor your peers; only you!

 Some people let their body image define their self worth, and that should not be the case. This may be a little vain or conceited, but I believed in and loved who I was at my heaviest. The only difference between then and now is that, that love and belief has grown. I'm more confident now, but that is because I proved to myself what I can accomplish. I didn't doubt myself, I made a goal, set my mind to it, and accomplished it!

Self worth is how we value ourselves, not how anybody else does. Other people's opinions should have no bearing over how much we value ourselves. I often hear people talk about not going to the gym, or going out to exercise, or this, or that; because it's too intimidating or too daunting. You know what? Who cares! The only person's opinion that should matter to you, is yours! Don't let the opinions of others keep you from reaching your full potential! Tywin Lannister of Game of Thrones put it best when he said, "A lion doesn't concern himself with the opinions of sheep." As long as you believe in yourself, then that is all the approval you need to do and pursue anything!

Me after my first training session.

My first 5k, the Birmingham Impact 5k

Looking back 8 months ago, I would have never dreamed that I could have run a half-marathon. I had never ran anything in my life! But having somebody come up to me and invite me to this challenge was all I needed. I love a good challenge. Challenges are what helps us grow. So never having run, I did some research and plotted out a course of action. I started slowly, by signing up for a local 5k. Then I started training. The first day, I walked the length of a 5k and tracked my time, no running at all. Once I finished I had my starting point, my slowest time. From that point on, I started slowly increasing my pace. After a couple 5k's, I started increasing my distance. Then I worked in my pacing. When I actually did my half-marathon (13.1 miles), that was the first time I had ever done over 10 miles!

My second 5k, the Harper's Heart Run 5k

My third 5k, the Lakeside Hospice Drumstick Dart 5k
I even got a medal for finishing 2nd in my age group!

So believe me when I say, that if you believe in yourself and set your mind to it, you can accomplish it. It's when you have self doubt and and lose control over yourself that you begin to fail. Therefore, remember to always believe in yourself, because if you don't, then why should others?

My half-marathon, the St.Jude's Half-Marathon, in Memphis

Okay so now on to the yummy part! Last night I made another Pinterest inspired dish. I created Chicken Zucchini Alfredo! I came up for this idea, by meal planning for the week with my husband. I asked him what food he would like, and I let him know before hand that whatever he said, I was going to attempt to make a healthier version. 

With that said, he decided on Chicken Alfredo. Now, normally I would prepare some chicken, some fettuccine noodles and store bought Alfredo sauce, but not this time. To make this dish healthier, I omitted the fettuccine noodles and store bought sauce. Instead I used zucchini noodles and made some Alfredo sauce from scratch! The dish turned out splendid and tasted amazing! I can't wait to make it again!

Chicken Zucchini Alfredo

Ingredients

• Meat
• 2-2.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3 Tbs poultry seasoning
• 1 Tbs garlic pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 Tbs EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
• Noodles
• 6 zucchini (cut into noodles)
• 1/2 cup water
• Sauce
• 1 stick butter
• 8 oz cream cheese (I used reduced fat)
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1.5-2 cups milk (start low and add more for a thinner sauce)
• 6 oz grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Dice Chicken. Place in bowl and season with poultry seasoning, garlic pepper, and salt.
2. Put oil in 4 quart pot or stock pot, over medium heat.
3. While the oil is heating cut zucchini noodles.
4. Once oil is heated, add chicken. Stir occasionally till chicken is cooked through, and no longer pink in the center.
5. While chicken is cooking, melt butter is a medium sauce pot.
6. Once butter is melted, add cream cheese and garlic powder. Stir with whisk until smooth.
7. Slowly add milk to pot and stir in Parmesan cheese and black pepper.
8. After sauce has reach desired consistency remove from heat, add more milk for a thinner sauce.
9. Once chicken is cooked through remove from stock pot and set aside.
10. Add zucchini noodles and water to pot. Let the water steam cook the noodles until they are tender, then drain.
11. Add chicken back into the pot with the noodles.
12. Pour Alfredo sauce over chicken and noodles and toss to coat.
13. Serve warm and enjoy!

I hope that this dish is as delicious for you as it was for me! I took the original Alfredo Sauce recipe from StockPilingMoms.com, and modified it some. 

I hope my thoughts and words have intrigued, inspired, and influenced you in some form or fashion. If you have any comments or questions, please post away. If you liked the recipe, let me know how it turns out or if you made your own modifications. 

Thank you for stopping by!

Until next time,

-Lesli

Saturday Recipes and Workouts!

Hello all!

Sorry its been a few days, since my last entry, but I've been busy with work and life. If you follow my Instagram, you'll see that I haven't been slacking around though!

I'll jump right into it! I've been working like a dog, these past few days. I was able to get my gym time in at the beginning of the week, and I went today, since its my  first day off! I have also been baking up some yummy goodies for the bake sale I'm hosting at work. So those recipes are going to follow, as well as some workout videos from today!

So the first recipe I experimented with for my bake sale, I found on Pinterest, and it was a major success! Skinny apple pie cookies, need I say more. These cookies were delicious, soft, and chewy. Paired with a nice glass of milk, and they would have been to DIE FOR!

The second recipe, is another Pinterest inspired creation, Skinny shortbread chocolate chip cookies! These cookies, were yummy and super easy to make; they would also pair wonderfully with a big ole glass of milk!

The third recipe is a dinner recipe that I made up, zucchini spaghetti! Its super easy and super tasty! The only difference between regular spaghetti and this one, are the noodles!

Skinny Apple Pie Cookies, recipe from amyshealthybaking.com

 Apple Pie Oatmeal Cookies

 Ingredients

• 1 c (100g) instant oats (measured correctly)
• ¾ c (90g) whole wheat flour (measured correctly)
• 1 ½ tsp (4g) baking powder
• 1 ½ tsp (4g) ground cinnamon
• ⅛ tsp (1g) salt
• 2 tbsp (28g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp (5mL) vanilla extract
• ½ c (120mL) agave
• 1 c (125g) finely diced red apple (about 1 medium)

Instructions

1. Whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil or butter, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the agave. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the apple. Chill for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
3. Drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops onto the prepared sheet, and flatten slightly. Bake at 325°F for 13-15 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

Skinny Shortbread Chocolate Chip Cookies, recipe courtesy of deliciouslyyum.com

Skinny Shortbread Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups white whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. 1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. 2. In the bowl of you stand mixer, combine coconut oil, honey, water and vanilla. Add dry ingredients to the wet and stir until combined. The mixture might seem crumbly at first but it will come together (you can also knead it with your hands towards the end to ensure the dough comes together properly). Stir in mini chocolate chips.
4. 3. Using a large cookie scoop, place cookie dough balls onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 11-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Zucchini Spaghetti created by myself!

 Zucchini Spaghetti

Ingredients

• 6 zucchini
• 1.5 - 2lb ground meat
• spaghetti sauce (homemade or store bought)

Instructions

1. Brown ground meat is a skillet, drain and set aside.
2. Using a spiralizer or VeggettiPro cut the zucchini into noodles. 
3. In a boiler or stock pot, heat spaghetti sauce and add noodles. Simmer over low heat until noodles are tender.
4. Stir in meat, and simmer for 5 more minutes, to allow flavors to meld.
5. Serve warm and enjoy!

 Now for the exercising! I surpassed my 3 times a week goal, and did 5 workouts this week! I surprised myself, at that one! The best thing, is that I was able to hangout with my family and friends at each workout. Today, I even got catch-up with a workout buddy, that I hadn't seen in months, due to her being out for shoulder issues (not related to the gym). What I'm trying to say, is that besides being able to workout and get stronger, the gym is also a wonderful place to make friends, and grow your fitness friend circle!

Anyways, today I recorded some clips of my Body Pump workout. The following clips are of me, performing the chest and back tracks. On the chest track, I used the bar bell with 2 5kg plates and 2 1kg plates, that's about 26.4 pounds. For the back track, I used the bar bell with 2 5kg plates and 2 2.5kg plates, that's about 33 pounds. Hopefully after a another week or so, I can add some more weight to both tracks!

Body Pump Chest Track

Body Pump Back Track

Another awesome thing that happened this week was that I received my half-marathon photos in the mail!

These two were my favorite! My goal, throughout the race, was whenever I saw a camera person, to give them a thumbs up! I have never been so happy to finish a race! Running a half-marathon was probably one of the most challenging things in my life. I knew I could finish it, because when I committed to the challenge (aka: paid the non-refundable entry fees) I promised myself that I would cross that finish line, if it was the last thing I did!

I hope that this post helps to inspire you over the weekend and in the upcoming week, to eat healthy and to get out and get active! Believe me when I say, if I can do it, so can YOU!!!

Until next time!
-Lesli