One Month Milestone: Time to Kick it up a Notch

Today marks the one month anniversary of my workout regime. As a motivation I try to do two things. First, I reward myself on every monthly anniversary with a nice pedicure for the hard work my feet have done (whether it’s running, Pilates, workout DVDs or Yoga they’ve kicked it up a notch.) The second? Well it’s to share what I’ve done, where I’m going, etc. with whomever reads this blog. Why? Because personal accountability is why people work out with friends or trainers.

My issue is I like my ‘me time’ when I work out. I like going to classes by myself, heading down to the workout area by myself, etc. I don’t want to socialize when it comes down to it. Classmates will socialize beforehand but rarely interrupt the actual workout (hence I am friendly with fellow classmates) and the same thing cannot be said of friends attending classes together. I need my independence, my ability to work at my own pace without judgement, and an escape from the daily grind without worrying about offending a friend if I advance at a faster or slower pace. I am there to improve myself, and in the end I need to worry about me. I know this sounds incredibly selfish but maybe we all need to be a bit more selfish when it comes to our health.

So today when I hit my one month anniversary I am not going to get a pedicure (that will be tomorrow) but kicking my workout up a notch and adding Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred back into my routine. When I started running I immediately started Pilates. I’m glad I did as the core workout will hopefully help me with Jillian. The reason I am adding a bit more strength training/cardio into my routine is to not only switch it up but also to build more muscle to burn more fat. The arms are the most noticeable area where you can tell if someone uses weights or not. Based on experienced trainers’ opinions, the addition of weights will kick up my metabolism, add muscle, burn fat and help change it up to keep me interested. In other words, get me one step closer to hitting my goals before my 27th birthday this August.

My Food Revolution: Broccoli Chicken Pasta

When I was younger my Dad was told he had to either give up beer or change his entire diet to avoid Type II Diabetes. Being the beer lover that he is, my father kicked up his exercise and made the whole family change their diet. I feel like most people would pick the same thing if given the choice, so I try not to begrudge him for making me eat more whole grains. One of the dishes my Dad loved to make was an easy summer pasta, it was delicious and paired with a cucumber salad it just hit the spot on summer days. So here's my take on their dish, there are two types of chicken I used, and I've linked both.

Broccoli Chicken Pasta
Frozen Broccoli (Green Giant Steamers is probably the best, no need to dirty a pot to cook the broccoli in water.)
1 box of noodles
5 pieces of pan cooked chicken (not chicken breast, chicken thigh is about the right size)
2 pieces of oven baked garlic pepper chicken (not chicken breast, chicken thigh is about the right size)

Parmesan cheese
2 Shallots
3 Garlic Cloves
Garlic salt and Garlic pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I tried two different chicken recipes as I wanted to see which one I liked best. Turns out I liked the pan cooked chicken for this recipe better than my tried and true oven baked chicken. Cook noodles, bake and pan cook chicken with garlic and shallots, microwave broccoli. Mix all together and drizzle more Extra Virgin Olive Oil on top. Grate some fresh Parmesan on top of finished dish.

*For even better results do what my parents did and get whole grain cracked pepper noodles. They're typically longer and look like Fettucine noodles. That would eliminate the need to make two different types of chicken and allow you to only use the pan cooked.

My Food Revolution: Pan Cooked Garlic Chicken

I saw this recipe on Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution tv show. He was showing the kids of a single Dad how to cook a meal in under 40 minutes. The way they made the chicken looked easy enough and I decided I would try it out just for fun. I made mine a little more salty, because I have an addition to garlic salt, but season as you wish.

Pan Cooked Garlic Chicken
Chicken thighes (I use grass fed, free range)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Garlic Salt
Shallots
Garlic Cloves

Drizzle EVOO, add chicken, chopped shallots and garlic cloves. Cook until done. I add garlic salt at the beginning, just lightly for a little extra taste as I didn't use a sauce in the pasta dish I used this for. While still cooking I also pulled the chicken into smaller pieces. For more taste, add more shallots and garlic cloves.

My Food Revolution: Light, Crisp Salad

Taken from another former roommate's mother who had us over for dinner and supplemented a filling dinner with this light, fresh salad that was devoured. What I love about this salad is it's another great alternative to eating creamy salad dressing (filled with salt, fat and sugar.) Every salad you can get away from the Ranch or Bleu Cheese is good for you.

Light, Crisp Salad:


Hearts of Romaine lettuce
Salt and Pepper to taste
Either 6 drops of lemon juice or a slice of lemon squeezed
Extra Virgin Olive Oil to taste
Add favorite vegetables (Cherub Tomatoes, Baby Corn, Onions, Olives, etc.)

My Food Revolution: Sweet Potato Fries

There are a few things that are as satisfying as a burger and fries. Pair that grass fed, free range beef OR bison burger with a whole grain bun from Great Harvest and you're on the right track. But the fries can make or break the meal, so here's three different ways to make sweet potato fries.

Extra Sweet, Sweet Potato Fries
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Peel the potato(es) and then slice in half.
Cut the halves into smaller rectangles, I try to make them 1 cm on each side (the smaller the crunchier)
Drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil over the fries (I also then take my Misto and spray the potatoes with more Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
Sprinkle 1/4 Cup of Light Brown Sugar over the fries.
Cook for 20 minutes before turning the fries over. Cook until desire crispiness.
Season with salt and pepper before serving.
Sweet Potato Fries
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Peel the potato(es) and then slice in half.
Cut the halves into smaller rectangles, I try to make them 1 cm on each side (the smaller the crunchier)
Drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil over the fries (I also then take my Misto and spray the potatoes with more Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
Season with Cracked Black Pepper (not regular dinner table pepper, you want this to have a kick - you'll use less salt this way) and a teensy bit of salt. More pepper than salt.
Cook for 20 minutes before turning the fries over. Cook until desired crispiness.

Kick You in the Pants Sweet Potato Fries
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Peel the potato(es) and then slice in half.
Cut the halves into smaller rectangles, I try to make them 1 cm on each side (the smaller the crunchier)
Drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil over the fries (I also then take my Misto and spray the potatoes with more Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
Season with Red Chili Flakes, Paprika, Chili Powder, Cracked Black Pepper (not regular dinner table pepper, you want this to have a kick - you'll use less salt this way) and a teensy bit of salt.
Cook for 20 minutes before turning the fries over. Cook until desired crispiness.

Pilates: The Real Deal

When I started Pilates three weeks ago (just going on Sundays) I knew it would be a different experience and a good workout but I never expected this. This being the transformation my body has begun, the complete difference in how I feel, stand, workout and increase in understanding my body. Cheesy? Probably. True? You better believe it. For anyone who wants to trim their fat, tone their body you should check out Pilates.

We've all heard that Pilates is a great workout and that it 'strengthen and elongates muscles' but I figured it would take weeks, months, maybe even years to really see/feel the results. Boy was I wrong. The first Sunday in June I attended my first Pilates class at Align Pilates. To say it was anything short of spectacular would be to commit libel. I was sore for two days afterwards, considering it worked muscles I usually didn't attend to the fact that running that Tuesday helped was a minor miracle. On Monday I was sitting at my office and sneezed. I usually sneeze in threes, and they're not quiet. I sneezed loudly and then whimpered in pain. My boss was in his office and asked me if i was okay, that's how much pain I was in. No, I didn't pull or strain any muscles I just never worked them that hard before either.

In three weeks my waist has lost inches. I've only lost two pounds but my pants aren't fitting due to excessive bagginess and the flab on my tummy is slowly disappearing. I have done a million different workout regimes, this is the only one that has had these results. I'm definitely a believer in Pilates, I plan on practicing the rest of my life and one day even becoming a certified instructor.

This past Sunday was my third class and it was easier than my first or second class. I was slowly building up my core muscles. I should mention, it was easier it was NOT easy. I've found myself looking forward to Sunday every week. It's an hour of 'me time'. I spend that hour focusing on my health, doing an activity I enjoy that is exercise at a studio I love. Isn't that what exercise should be like?

My Food Revolution: San Antonio Style Guacamole

While visiting San Antonio for a wedding a few years back we went to every Mexican restaurant there was. Most had awful guacamole, you could find better stuff at Chipotle. But one spot, Bordeau's had great guacamole they made at your table. Here's the recipe in case you're looking for a great little treat. Experts recommend eating one half of an avocado a day due to its healthy nature. But beware of the food we typically add it to (tortilla chips and pre-packaged tortillas.) My sister makes her scrambled eggs with a little milk, salt and pepper and then adds either sliced avocado on top or sometimes a bit of rough guacamole. This would be the perfect guacamole recipe to use!

Bordeau's San Antonio Guacamole
1 Avocado - if ripe you should be able to take the pit out with the knife.
1/4 of a Orange - squeeze in the juice
1/2 of a Lime - squeeze in the juice
1 Tablespoon of chopped red onions (orange 'juice' lessens its sourness)
1 Teaspoon Kosher Sea Salt
2 Tablespoons of stewed tomatos (theirs had been marinated a certain way)