So, onto the things I am loving this week!
1. Eminem's new CD
(My top song on this album is headlights.)
Just My Type |
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TGIF! This week creeped by, but I am thrilled for a nice Friday night in. As a part of the Whole 30 we are completing during January, both Rob and are giving up the sauce. (Wine, I miss you!) So while a Friday night usually entails a night out on the town, or in with some friends, we are looking for some fun alternatives. So, onto the things I am loving this week! 1. Eminem's new CDHave you guys had a chance to listen to Eminem's new CD? I'm loving it! This baby has been on repeat in my car ever since Rob received it for Christmas (thanks for sharing!) All of the songs on this album really seem like he has grown up and grown as an artist. Definitely worth a listen. (My top song on this album is headlights.) 2. These adorable mismatched bowlsI found these small bowls recently at Marshalls. I love that they somewhat coordinate even though they have different patters and color schemes. Hoping to add more to the collection soon. 3. Chocolate that is both delicious and has a sense of humor.Ok, so I can't dive into this little baby yet, but I had to buy it anyway! (I think I would go with --standing up--Before Midnight--One bite at a time.) 4. Juicing!Who would have thought that vegetable juice would become my new go-to treat?! I have gotten out the juicer almost every morning this week, but when I don't have the time (or let's be honest-I don't want to clean) Suja is my go-to. All of the ingredients are organic and there are no additives. A win-win. 5. Tom's Nepal BootsI saw these Toms online today and love them. Winter in Michigan has been extremely cold and snowy, and these boots actually pull off the tricky combo of warm & cute. I'm thinking the black ones will look great with leggings and a cozy sweatshirt. What can't you live without this week? Are you a fan of anything on this list?
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SO many delicious meals this first week! I have really enjoyed getting in the kitchen and trying my hand at cooking, keeping in mind the Paleo guidelines.
How I'm Feeling: Overall I feel pretty good, and have been sleeping HARD. The first few days I experienced a little dizziness or light-headedness, and I have not been able to workout quite as hard as I was before. I have read that this is due to a 'carb-flu' you will experience for the first week or two. What I have noticed: So far I am not missing bread/pasta/carbs like I thought that I would. The only thing I have been craving a little bit is sweets, but I hear that lessens the longer you stick with it. Day 4(Saturday) was the only really tough day, I felt hungry all day and was ready to BINGE eat everything in the fridge. Luckily that passed and my hunger has now evened out. (whew) Favorite Meal of the Week: This one is a tie between the plantain snackers and the Paleo breakfast sandwich, I am sure I will be making both of these recipes again next week. Best part about the Whole 30: Saving money! Both Rob and I ate every meal at home/or took every meal to work. It was nice to plan meals, eat together, and appreciate the food that we cooked. Worst part about the Whole 30: No chocolate or wine! I can't say that I don't miss these at all, but I don't think that I will have any problem finishing out the rest of January. Looking forward to week 2, and hopefully some new & delicious Paleo recipes! Once Robby and I were both home from work last night, we were feeling a little hungry and a lot cooped up in the house. In order to get a little energy out before dinner, we decided to mix cooking dinner with a circuit workout. It went a little something like this.. One person cooked while the other person completed 1 set of reps (cook's choice for which exercise was up next.) We switched on and off to complete the following (all before dinner was done!)
I wouldn't call this a tough workout by any means, but it was nice to sneak in some activity in an unconventional way. Dinner included a salad, pulled pork, and a side of sweet potatoes. Breakfast:Oh brother....this morning we woke up to no water at our house! Luckily our heat and electricity are both still trucking along. It is so easy to forget how many things you use water for until it is no longer an option!
Knowing that I would need to shower before heading off to work, I decided a 5:45am trip to the gym was calling my name (very thankful that my gym has showers today!) After 30 minutes on the treadmill and another 20 minutes of arm and back work, I called it a day. I had time to sneak in my go-to breakfast before heading off to work! Hope you all have a great day and stay warm! Is anyone else without water, heat, or electricity? I hope not! Mother Nature totally pulled a fast one on me last night! Are you in there car?! "Work...yeah I'll be there in 10." WRONG AGAIN :) So... after a good 1/2 hour of digging my car out of the driveway I was on my way! Luckily today was a shorter day of work, and I am safely back home (and back in my slippers) for the time being. I hope to venture out to the gym in a little while, but it is looking less and less likely. :) Eats:Another Cocoa-Almond Smoothie! I needed something to subside my sweet tooth, but didn't want to over indulge. I am cleaning up my diet a little after the holidays, and need to cut back on all the cookies and sweets that have been EVERYWHERE the past few weeks. (Thus, my decision to complete a Whole 30 during the month of January.) This smoothie hit the spot! (Am I the only one still drinking frozen beverages while it is -20 out?) The sweetness and smoothness of the banana, and the nice creaminess of TJ almond butter gave this drink both a nice texture and delicious taste. "I'll have another!" Browsing Material:Almond lover? Check out this article. Facts You Didn't Know About Almonds Hilarious! (and so true) Fitness Resolution Ups & Downs Just For Fun:If these dogs don't brighten up your Monday, I don't know what will!
Confession: So...I spent the better part of last night watching YouTube videos of funny Jennifer Lawrence moments...while eating a plate full of bacon. Healthy living at it's finest! And it was an AWESOME Saturday night! Rob was out with some long lost friends who happened to be in town for the night, so I decided to have a ME night! But in all honesty, Jennifer and I didn't cozy up on my couch until after the following workout; 5 Rounds of the following; - 20 squats (with weights) - 10 pushups - 10 dips - 5 elevated walk outs then: 21-15-9 (reps) of the following; -burpees -abmat situps Just enough to feel the burn! Not my usual workout style, but a facebook friend had posted it so I gave it a go. BreakfastBreakfast this morning was an old standby...bacon &eggs. Nothing unusual worth sharing there. But, I did dust off the juicer and create a couple new juices worth giving a try. Today's specialty-Citrus Glow Juice. Fresh off the press: Citrus Glow JuiceIngredients:
Yield: 3 (8 oz. glasses of juice) Crab Cakes Benedict is a recipe that Rob and I have been making for a few years now, and it is always one of the breakfasts I look forward to. In order to make this recipe Whole 30 friendly, I switched up a few ingredients in the crab cakes, and they turned out just as good as I had hoped! Here's what you'll need; Ingredients: -1 8oz. can of crab meat (I use the brand Handy (claw meat.) This runs about $7-$8 and can be found at Whole Food's.) -2 Tbsp. minced green onions (I never measure this, just add what looks right to you.) -3 Tbsp. Coconut flour -1 Tbsp. Almond flour -2 cloves of garlic minced (I did not have any on hand and substituted 1tsp garlic powder.) -Salt & Pepper to taste -2 Eggs (beaten) -3 Tbsp Coconut Oil (1 Tbsp. is added to the cakes, 2 Tbsp are used to fry the cakes.) Directions: CRAB CAKES: Step 1: Drain any excess liquid from the crab, add to a medium sized bowl. Step 2: Add your minced green onion to the bowl containing crab. Step 3: Beat 2 eggs in a separate bowl. Add to the crab mixture. Step 4: Mix together the coconut flour, almond flour, and garlic. Add this to the crab mixture. Step 5: Mix together all of the ingredients in the bowl so far. Add 1 Tbsp. of coconut oil to the mixture if needed (to help the mixture stay together.) Step 6: Melt 2 Tbsp. of coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. Step 7: Use your hands to form the crab mixture into individual cakes. (You will be able to make 5 cakes at about 3.5" in diameter.) POACHED EGGS:
Step 1: Fill a small pan with water and bring to a low boil. (If you have a poached egg pan, even better!) Step 2: Add 1 tsp. of apple cider vinegar to the boiling water. Step 3: Crack the egg and gently drop it into the boiling water, the egg should be fully submerged. Step 4: Let the egg boil until the egg white turns solid white, and the yolk begins to cook slightly. Add the poached egg to the top of a crab cake, and you've got Crab Cakes Benedict! Have you ever tried Olga's Snackers? They are warm delicious pieces of pita bread, fried, then topped with a salty/spicy blend, and they taste GOOD. I accidentally stumbled upon a Paleo version of these delectable treats last night while attempting to cook plantain chips. They aren't quite the same as the real deal, but they are much healthier and have that savory taste I keep wanting more of. Paleo Plantain Snackers: Step 1: Preheat oven to 250 F. Step 2: Thinly slice 1 large plantain. (I like to use my cheese slicer so that I can keep the slices as small as possible.) Step 3: Melt a couple of tablespoons of coconut oil in a ramekin. Dip each slice of plantain into the oil and lay out on baking sheet. Step 4: Generously shake each of the following spices over all of the plantain slices; garlic powder, BBQ spice, and pink Himalayan salt. Step 5: Cook the plantains for 30 minutes before flipping and adding spices to the other side of the plantains. Step 6: Cook for another 30 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before enjoying! You will know they are done when they are crispy around the outside and slightly chewy in the middle. Moves:After all of the parties and get-togethers over the past couple of weeks I did not feel like going out last night, and since I hadn't gotten a workout in yet I headed to the gym. I completed 25 minutes on the treadmill that looked like this;
This workout was a nice mix of walking hills, jogging, and sprinting. Switching it up after every few minutes makes these interval workouts go so quickly!
After the treadmill I headed over to the free weight section and spent about 20 minutes working on arms and abs. Done! Off to cook up a nice brunch, look forward to new recipes this afternoon! We finally said goodbye to our Christmas tree and Christmas décor this morning and our place looks so empty now! Why don't we keep large live decorated trees in our house all year? (Seriously our tree was half of the furniture in our living room.) I have an impromptu day off today after only one day back to work, (Michigan weather you tricky biotch.) Not complaining over here though, I will take a 3 day weekend any way I can get one! So instead of my usual grab and go workday/weekday breakfasts I got a chance to cook up something yummy. Paleo Breakfast SandwichSweet potato hash browns, scrambled eggs with spinach & onion, and Juli's Paleo waffle recipe came together to make the perfect cold weather/comfort food breakfast. I made Juli's waffles last night to go with the BBQ Cherry Pulled Pork I whipped up yesterday, and they reheated like a charm this morning. I stored the leftover waffles in the fridge (in a Ziploc) then reheated with a little ghee in a pan this morning. Mmm! A Paleo friendly breakfast sandwich with avocado, scrambled eggs (with onion and spinach), and thinly sliced salami. Threw it all on a halved waffle and wala! Backtrack: NYESo I am finally getting around to recapping the rest of our ski trip. Where did I leave off? After a (freezing) awesome day packed full of skiing we headed back to our hotel to change and get ready for some NYE fun. 1st Stop: Noggin Room, Petoskey I loved this basement bar! The ceiling was covered in old beer mugs and the selection of Northern Michigan beer on tap couldn't be beat. Our group of four relaxed and threw back a few mugs before running off to catch our dinner reservation. 2nd Stop: Dinner at City Park Grill, Petoskey I failed on the picture front as far as dinner. The chef at City Park Grill had prepared a special menu for NYE. Rob and I split a Salad, Pumpkin Risotto Cakes, and the Whitefish. The food at dinner was so-so, but we enjoyed relaxing and catching up with friends before spending the rest of the night out on the town. Holy flash batman! Sadly our only picture together from the evening. Of Possible Interest:Lunch time! The pulled pork turned out to be delish! I enjoyed a bowl full of my homemade Cherry BBQ Pulled Pork along with a tomato, cucumber and balsamic vinegar salad and a Suja Glow green juice. Just enough to tide me over for my shorter work day. Enough about eating, let's get onto today's workout. If you are looking for a mix of cardio, kettle, and body weight exercises try out this Kettle Circuit Workout. Perform each of the following exercises for 40 seconds followed by 20 seconds of rest. Complete Circuits 1 & 2 twice through.
20 minutes and you are done!
Here's what's cooking today: Cherry BBQ Pulled Pork! I make this recipe almost every week, it is that easy and that good. Every Saturday between Thanksgiving and Easter my favorite butcher at Eastern Market sells fresh and affordable pork shoulders or pork butts. (Just learned last year the pork butt is not actually the butt, sheesh call me blonde.) I purchase 4 lbs. of meat for under $10 and can usually make enough pulled pork for both Rob and I to enjoy two meals. A win-win in my book. I prepped today's lunch last night, and let it simmer on low over night. I woke up to the house smelling delicious, and a lunch that was ready to go for my first day back to work. Step 1: Thinly slice half an onion and line the bottom of your crock pot. Step 2: Place your 3-4 pound pork butt into the crock pot on top of the layer of onions.
Step 3: Coat the pork butt in the rub of your choice, I tend to use a BBQ spice mix. Add in a handful of pitted and blended cherries (you can skip this step when they are unavailable.) Step 4: Cook the pork for 5 hours (on high) or 8 hours (on low.) You will know that it is done when you can easily pull apart the pork with 2 forks. Step 5: Drain the excess liquid from your pot, once you let the pork cool it will solidify into fat. Done! Easy, inexpensive, and delicious! |
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