The final WOD today:
7 minutes. As many burpees as possible.
And I completed....
97!!
I may or may not have done them along side my trainer. His number may or may not have been 74.
Heh. :D
And now? I may or may not eat an entire package of bacon. We'll see.
Oh, and yes. My news. I committed to the Tough Mudder in Wisconsin this September. I can't wait!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
An actual update... plus homemade HuHot!
My hubby and I love HuHot. Love it.
There's something about the endless buffet of raw foods and selection of oils and juices. Yet we always fill our bowls with the same thing. Again and again.
I did some digging around... found this recipe on Pinterest for Beef Bulgogi. I don't know what that word means, or how to even pronounce it. Plus I think the term "homemade HuHot" has a nice ring to it. :)
Homemade HuHot
...or possibly known as Stir-fry Beef and Veggies
***I updated this recipe. See the changes here!***
Anyway, I started with some "fajita" steak strips from the store. I should have probably just bought a steak and cut it myself. Laziness.
I'm not into noodles, but had some left over for the hubby to eat. He's a beef and noodle kinda-guy. These are yummy... but tend to get "pasty" if not cooked al dente.
Being mostly grain-free lately, I opted instead for veggies: shredded cabbage (which I found is quite easy to do yourself), 1/2 green pepper, 1/2 red onion, and my personal favorite, a serrano pepper.
Then I created this marinade:
1/4 cup Braggs liquid aminos
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup orange juice
2 TB almond oil (supposed to use sesame)
Red pepper seasoning (I dumped quite a bit before I remembered the hubby doesn't always like things super spicy. It must have been okay because he didn't complain!)
Black pepper
I combined the marinade with the beef for about 15-20 minutes.
Started up my pans with some coconut oil, which is great for frying, and popped in my meat and veggies once they were hot.
It didn't take long for the meat to get done cooking, so I took out the beef strips and dropped in the noodles to give them a "fried" flavor/texture.
... and done!
Quite simple... and very quick! I've decided this will be my new go-to meal from now on. And it didn't even include cheese. hah!
Oh, for the love of HuHot... Mm.
In other news, we got rid of our Bonneville and replaced it with a Chevy Cobalt (turbo-charged) SS, 5-speed. It's quite the zippy little car, and it's been fun to renew my love affair with driving a manual again.
We're going to have to work something up with the headrests though. These forward-reaching headrests mess with my bun-head!
I'm really looking forward to a photography convention this weekend. I could sure use some refreshing, renewing, and inspiration photography-wise.
I'm finally getting my mojo back as far as working out goes. I've felt strong this whole week, my hips haven't really bothered me too much, and most of the "pain" I'm feeling lately has been more "sore-from-a-hard-workout" rather than straight up pain like before. I actually worked out with my trainer today, which was a blast. I may or may not have kicked his butt in our WOD. ;) Hello, overhead squats, burpees, kettlebell swings, and running!
Also, I just committed to something pretty huge coming up in September for which I'm super excited! More details to come later... :)
There's something about the endless buffet of raw foods and selection of oils and juices. Yet we always fill our bowls with the same thing. Again and again.
I did some digging around... found this recipe on Pinterest for Beef Bulgogi. I don't know what that word means, or how to even pronounce it. Plus I think the term "homemade HuHot" has a nice ring to it. :)
Homemade HuHot
...or possibly known as Stir-fry Beef and Veggies
***I updated this recipe. See the changes here!***
Anyway, I started with some "fajita" steak strips from the store. I should have probably just bought a steak and cut it myself. Laziness.
I'm not into noodles, but had some left over for the hubby to eat. He's a beef and noodle kinda-guy. These are yummy... but tend to get "pasty" if not cooked al dente.
Being mostly grain-free lately, I opted instead for veggies: shredded cabbage (which I found is quite easy to do yourself), 1/2 green pepper, 1/2 red onion, and my personal favorite, a serrano pepper.
Then I created this marinade:
1/4 cup Braggs liquid aminos
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup orange juice
2 TB almond oil (supposed to use sesame)
Red pepper seasoning (I dumped quite a bit before I remembered the hubby doesn't always like things super spicy. It must have been okay because he didn't complain!)
Black pepper
I combined the marinade with the beef for about 15-20 minutes.
Started up my pans with some coconut oil, which is great for frying, and popped in my meat and veggies once they were hot.
It didn't take long for the meat to get done cooking, so I took out the beef strips and dropped in the noodles to give them a "fried" flavor/texture.
... and done!
Quite simple... and very quick! I've decided this will be my new go-to meal from now on. And it didn't even include cheese. hah!
Oh, for the love of HuHot... Mm.
------------------------------------- -------------------------------------
In other news, we got rid of our Bonneville and replaced it with a Chevy Cobalt (turbo-charged) SS, 5-speed. It's quite the zippy little car, and it's been fun to renew my love affair with driving a manual again.
We're going to have to work something up with the headrests though. These forward-reaching headrests mess with my bun-head!
I'm really looking forward to a photography convention this weekend. I could sure use some refreshing, renewing, and inspiration photography-wise.
I'm finally getting my mojo back as far as working out goes. I've felt strong this whole week, my hips haven't really bothered me too much, and most of the "pain" I'm feeling lately has been more "sore-from-a-hard-workout" rather than straight up pain like before. I actually worked out with my trainer today, which was a blast. I may or may not have kicked his butt in our WOD. ;) Hello, overhead squats, burpees, kettlebell swings, and running!
Also, I just committed to something pretty huge coming up in September for which I'm super excited! More details to come later... :)
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Step Away From the Garlic! #cookingfail
Well, I had a couple of really good ideas for supper the last few nights...
But alas, my luck in the kitchen has temporarily ran out!
I wanted to make blue-cheese-stuffed beef burgers, which I got the idea for from Pinterest. (http://www.simplyscratch.com/2011/08/black-and-bleu-burger.html)
I even made the little dips in the meat for the cheese.
Mmm. Blue cheese.
And then, I fried it in bacon grease.
It should have been amazing. Could have been amazing.
Unfortunately, the cheese started running out. I got scared all my precious blue cheese was disappearing before my eyes. And I was hungry. I don't like waiting for food! So I took the burgers out while they were still rare. Quite rare. Eek.
I served 'em up with bacon, and we ate them. Next time, I think I'll just make a blue cheese sauce to put on the burgers and bacon. Lesson learned.
By the way, is it blue cheese? Or bleu cheese? I think the second sounds a bit pretentious. Or like I'm trying to sound cultured.
Next up: *GARLIC* Cilantro-Lime Pesto Tacos
Heh. Garlic.
I found this one through Pinterest again, so here's the original link: http://joelens.blogspot.com/2010/05/cilantro-lime-chicken-tacos.html
I kind of winged it, because I didn't have asiago and had used up nearly all my Parmesan a few nights ago. Sigh. I'm just a once-a-week grocery shopper, so don't judge.
Plus, I found out my "organic" chicken broth that I had in the cupboard contained MSG. Oh, sorry. Autolyzed yeast extract. Same thing. Annoying.
So, this is how the recipe looked after a few of my changes:
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves (no stems)
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped almonds
3 tablespoons chopped, fresh garlic (or was that 6-8 cloves?)
Lime juice
Parmesan.. what little I had left, plus
Feta
Salt
Chicken broth powder
"Some" flax meal, because that makes anything better
Water as needed, to thin out the sauce
Holy heartburn. Do not use this much garlic.
Mmm. Feta. I'm convinced this is much like bacon. It makes everything better. And then you can mix bacon and feta. And turkey. And that's another post for another day. ;)
A "dump" of olive oil. I think that should be a technical measuring term. Along with "some."
You have no idea how worried I was that this was going to splatter on my camera. Ps. this is your brain on Hulu Plus!
I didn't have anything fancy for meat, so this is just turkey burger, prepared with lime juice (definitely WILL do that again! Wow.), and a bit of cumin and chilli powder.
Just enough to heat the sauce.
And it's go time.
And you are definitely right if you think I added more cheese and cottage cheese to that bowl after I snapped that.
So.... lessons learned this week.
Stuffed burgers? Cook longer. Or don't stuff them.
More isn't always better. Step away from the garlic, sister!
I might add, both meals were very tasty, despite my slight mishaps. :) And my hubby is quite the trooper!
Now, hopefully this heartburn is gone by morning... urp! Ugh. :P
But alas, my luck in the kitchen has temporarily ran out!
I wanted to make blue-cheese-stuffed beef burgers, which I got the idea for from Pinterest. (http://www.simplyscratch.com/2011/08/black-and-bleu-burger.html)
I even made the little dips in the meat for the cheese.
Mmm. Blue cheese.
And then, I fried it in bacon grease.
It should have been amazing. Could have been amazing.
Unfortunately, the cheese started running out. I got scared all my precious blue cheese was disappearing before my eyes. And I was hungry. I don't like waiting for food! So I took the burgers out while they were still rare. Quite rare. Eek.
I served 'em up with bacon, and we ate them. Next time, I think I'll just make a blue cheese sauce to put on the burgers and bacon. Lesson learned.
By the way, is it blue cheese? Or bleu cheese? I think the second sounds a bit pretentious. Or like I'm trying to sound cultured.
Next up: *GARLIC* Cilantro-Lime Pesto Tacos
Heh. Garlic.
I found this one through Pinterest again, so here's the original link: http://joelens.blogspot.com/2010/05/cilantro-lime-chicken-tacos.html
I kind of winged it, because I didn't have asiago and had used up nearly all my Parmesan a few nights ago. Sigh. I'm just a once-a-week grocery shopper, so don't judge.
Plus, I found out my "organic" chicken broth that I had in the cupboard contained MSG. Oh, sorry. Autolyzed yeast extract. Same thing. Annoying.
So, this is how the recipe looked after a few of my changes:
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves (no stems)
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped almonds
3 tablespoons chopped, fresh garlic (or was that 6-8 cloves?)
Lime juice
Parmesan.. what little I had left, plus
Feta
Salt
Chicken broth powder
"Some" flax meal, because that makes anything better
Water as needed, to thin out the sauce
Holy heartburn. Do not use this much garlic.
Mmm. Feta. I'm convinced this is much like bacon. It makes everything better. And then you can mix bacon and feta. And turkey. And that's another post for another day. ;)
A "dump" of olive oil. I think that should be a technical measuring term. Along with "some."
You have no idea how worried I was that this was going to splatter on my camera. Ps. this is your brain on Hulu Plus!
I didn't have anything fancy for meat, so this is just turkey burger, prepared with lime juice (definitely WILL do that again! Wow.), and a bit of cumin and chilli powder.
Just enough to heat the sauce.
And it's go time.
And you are definitely right if you think I added more cheese and cottage cheese to that bowl after I snapped that.
So.... lessons learned this week.
Stuffed burgers? Cook longer. Or don't stuff them.
More isn't always better. Step away from the garlic, sister!
I might add, both meals were very tasty, despite my slight mishaps. :) And my hubby is quite the trooper!
Now, hopefully this heartburn is gone by morning... urp! Ugh. :P
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
January and February... the roller coaster ride.
Happy day of love! I thought this was fitting for today.... Does anyone else love Pinterest?? Completely. Addicted.
Nothing special in the romance department around here, just a normal day and a couple of really sweet cards. :)
The more life goes on, the more I am thankful I have my wonderful man.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I know it's been ages since I've posted. Quite honestly, I've been going through a pretty rough patch lately as I've been dealing with some sort of hip injury/issue. It's really been affecting my workouts, as I can't do anything cardio-related, or squats, or deadlifts, or lunges, or everything else with my legs that's fun. That has led to some pretty interesting and fairly dark mental issues.
As you all might know, or have guessed by now, working out and eating right has become quite the obsession for me. I expect very few people will understand, but I'll try to explain a little more. The last year has been difficult for me. However, it didn't matter what my mental status was, or what I was dealing with, I could always head to the gym and be strong. My body was strong... not always in shape, but able to do what was asked of it. As a result, the gym has become my happy place. It's where I can turn my phone on airplane mode, lift heavy weights, and do crazy WOD's that include multiple rounds of burpees, pushups, running, squats, powercleans, etc.
So, as I've battled this injury with my hips in the last few weeks, it's been a roller coaster of emotions. All of a sudden, my body isn't strong anymore; in fact, it was quite weak. My mind, so used to depending on my body to be strong, didn't know what to do. I was ashamed of myself for not being able to perform, for having to do jogging intervals at 5.0 mph rather than sprinting intervals at 9.5 from the week before. Ashamed to be using "machines with chairs" while longingly looking at the squat racks. I went from November/December last year of hitting PR's (personal records) nearly every week in something or other, to completely cutting out entire portions of my workouts. I felt very frustrated and broken, and let's say it was a very good lesson in dealing with my shattered pride. Nothing like leaving the gym nearly in tears every day to take away some of that happy place feeling.
Fortunately, I've gained my upper body strength back as I still can work those muscles. I've been joking about finally becoming ripped on my upper body, as my legs have always been strong. My trainer has me finally convinced that no, in fact, I'm NOT broken. He even let me do a few things I probably shouldn't have just to prove that point, for which I'm grateful.
Yes, the realization has come to me and has finally sunk in that my body just needs to heal. Acceptance is always the last step, right? ;) I have been taking it easy, cutting out nearly everything cardio, taking lots of precautionary measures like stretching (goodness, I'll be able to do the splits by the end of this... both ways!), using ice/heat therapy (hello ice bath, NEVER again).
Like I said, I don't expect many to understand this crazy competition I have with myself. Some people have tried to offer comfort by telling me to look back and remember where I started. Oh boy, do I remember... but there's no way I'm stopping now. I'm too busy looking ahead! I don't want to settle for just plain good, or even great.
I will say this, like any other long-term struggle I seem to go through, it usually does wonders for my faith and strength in God. Sometimes I ponder that if it didn't take such extremes for me to learn the lesson, I might have an easier time in life....?
This is another great "pin" I have in one of my Pinterest boards:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Anyway on to the next part... Food!!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Tonight I tried something new... a take off a recipe I found on Pinterest, where else? :)
I realized as I found the link again and read through the recipe, that I really just grabbed the idea from here http://www.marksdailyapple.com/crispy-nut-and-herb-fried-chicken-with-creamy-avocado/ and not much else. :)
I'd been wanting to use up some of my flax meal for awhile, so that made up the majority of the "breading."
I've also been off chicken for awhile, so wanted to try the recipe with turkey breasts instead. I really like these turkey breast cutlets, as they're thin and cook super quick. I hate waiting for food to cook. Me want food! Me want food now! :)
With chicken breasts, I would recommend pounding them or something. On the original recipe link, the author says that nuts smell really bad when they burn (?), so if after a few minutes the meat isn't cooked through, pop the pan in a preheated 350*oven for a few minutes once the outside is nice and crispy.
I probably wouldn't go with all olive oil for frying next time either... I like olive oil, but not too big on the taste. Now, butter. That makes everything better. Butter. Better. It's meant to be.
So, without further ado, here's the recipe for my homemade
Parmesan-Crusted Turkey Breasts:
Heat pan, add oil/fat of choice (I used olive, but probably will go butter in the future)
Combine:
Italian seasoning
Oregano
Onion powder
Parmesan, small amount (otherwise will burn in the pan)
Ground flax seeds/meal
Ground/finely chopped almonds or almond meal (I actually liked having a few crunchy almond pieces in there!)
Salt
Chopped garlic (which I didn't think to add, but yum, wouldn't that be good?!)
2 eggs, or however many you need to make it into a sticky paste of sorts
Rub mixture on both sides
Throw them in the pan for 2-ish minutes on each side
Garnish with more parmesan
And, devour!
If I were more on top of things, I would serve with marinara and pasta, at least for the hubby to enjoy. The turkey had a very yummy American/Italian flavor.
As always, please excuse my lack of measurements. When in doubt, add more. That's pretty much my life's motto anyway. Life's too short to spend time measuring in recipes!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Hope you had a
Happy Valentine's Day!
Nothing special in the romance department around here, just a normal day and a couple of really sweet cards. :)
The more life goes on, the more I am thankful I have my wonderful man.
I know it's been ages since I've posted. Quite honestly, I've been going through a pretty rough patch lately as I've been dealing with some sort of hip injury/issue. It's really been affecting my workouts, as I can't do anything cardio-related, or squats, or deadlifts, or lunges, or everything else with my legs that's fun. That has led to some pretty interesting and fairly dark mental issues.
As you all might know, or have guessed by now, working out and eating right has become quite the obsession for me. I expect very few people will understand, but I'll try to explain a little more. The last year has been difficult for me. However, it didn't matter what my mental status was, or what I was dealing with, I could always head to the gym and be strong. My body was strong... not always in shape, but able to do what was asked of it. As a result, the gym has become my happy place. It's where I can turn my phone on airplane mode, lift heavy weights, and do crazy WOD's that include multiple rounds of burpees, pushups, running, squats, powercleans, etc.
So, as I've battled this injury with my hips in the last few weeks, it's been a roller coaster of emotions. All of a sudden, my body isn't strong anymore; in fact, it was quite weak. My mind, so used to depending on my body to be strong, didn't know what to do. I was ashamed of myself for not being able to perform, for having to do jogging intervals at 5.0 mph rather than sprinting intervals at 9.5 from the week before. Ashamed to be using "machines with chairs" while longingly looking at the squat racks. I went from November/December last year of hitting PR's (personal records) nearly every week in something or other, to completely cutting out entire portions of my workouts. I felt very frustrated and broken, and let's say it was a very good lesson in dealing with my shattered pride. Nothing like leaving the gym nearly in tears every day to take away some of that happy place feeling.
Fortunately, I've gained my upper body strength back as I still can work those muscles. I've been joking about finally becoming ripped on my upper body, as my legs have always been strong. My trainer has me finally convinced that no, in fact, I'm NOT broken. He even let me do a few things I probably shouldn't have just to prove that point, for which I'm grateful.
Yes, the realization has come to me and has finally sunk in that my body just needs to heal. Acceptance is always the last step, right? ;) I have been taking it easy, cutting out nearly everything cardio, taking lots of precautionary measures like stretching (goodness, I'll be able to do the splits by the end of this... both ways!), using ice/heat therapy (hello ice bath, NEVER again).
Like I said, I don't expect many to understand this crazy competition I have with myself. Some people have tried to offer comfort by telling me to look back and remember where I started. Oh boy, do I remember... but there's no way I'm stopping now. I'm too busy looking ahead! I don't want to settle for just plain good, or even great.
I will say this, like any other long-term struggle I seem to go through, it usually does wonders for my faith and strength in God. Sometimes I ponder that if it didn't take such extremes for me to learn the lesson, I might have an easier time in life....?
This is another great "pin" I have in one of my Pinterest boards:
Anyway on to the next part... Food!!
Tonight I tried something new... a take off a recipe I found on Pinterest, where else? :)
I realized as I found the link again and read through the recipe, that I really just grabbed the idea from here http://www.marksdailyapple.com/crispy-nut-and-herb-fried-chicken-with-creamy-avocado/ and not much else. :)
I'd been wanting to use up some of my flax meal for awhile, so that made up the majority of the "breading."
I've also been off chicken for awhile, so wanted to try the recipe with turkey breasts instead. I really like these turkey breast cutlets, as they're thin and cook super quick. I hate waiting for food to cook. Me want food! Me want food now! :)
With chicken breasts, I would recommend pounding them or something. On the original recipe link, the author says that nuts smell really bad when they burn (?), so if after a few minutes the meat isn't cooked through, pop the pan in a preheated 350*oven for a few minutes once the outside is nice and crispy.
I probably wouldn't go with all olive oil for frying next time either... I like olive oil, but not too big on the taste. Now, butter. That makes everything better. Butter. Better. It's meant to be.
So, without further ado, here's the recipe for my homemade
Parmesan-Crusted Turkey Breasts:
Heat pan, add oil/fat of choice (I used olive, but probably will go butter in the future)
Combine:
Italian seasoning
Oregano
Onion powder
Parmesan, small amount (otherwise will burn in the pan)
Ground flax seeds/meal
Ground/finely chopped almonds or almond meal (I actually liked having a few crunchy almond pieces in there!)
Salt
Chopped garlic (which I didn't think to add, but yum, wouldn't that be good?!)
2 eggs, or however many you need to make it into a sticky paste of sorts
Rub mixture on both sides
Throw them in the pan for 2-ish minutes on each side
Garnish with more parmesan
And, devour!
If I were more on top of things, I would serve with marinara and pasta, at least for the hubby to enjoy. The turkey had a very yummy American/Italian flavor.
Hope you had a
Happy Valentine's Day!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
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