Last day of 2010! Are you ready for 2011?

Back from my Christmas vacation. Over a week of just good times, relaxing, eating delicious food and yummy treats, working out, playing outside and I'm ready to get back in action here!

I think it's really important to take some time for yourself every year where you can just unwind and just be. Be by yourself or with family or friends that you are close to and just share in the holiday spirit - the fun, laughter and food of the season. If you know me or have been reading my blog for a while you know I am a big proponent of moderation. Yes, THAT is the key to life in my opinion. I didn't get too crazy with the food that I ate. But yes, I ate several foods that in my day-to-day routine I wouldn't eat. But it was the holidays. So did I gain weight? Who knows? I didn't weigh myself and haven't weighed myself. I will probably weigh myself on Sunday morning as I will need to set up some goals for myself that have to do with weight/body composition.

I had such a great vacation. I was with family and there was a lot of love and laughter and to me there's not much more I could ask for than that. Here are some things that we did together as a family:

1) GAMES: We are a "game" family so there was a lot of game playing. On that list were Catch Phrase, Scattegories, Name 5, Quiddler, Spoons, 25 Words or Less, and Shanghai (our version of Contract Rummy).

2) GYM: My brothers belong to the same gym (24-hour fitness) and even though I don't belong to that gym, every year between Christmas and New Years they have a free guest week where non-members can go in free with members. That worked out perfectly for me. So twice I got to go there with them. Another time I went to Golds Gym by myself and that was good too.

3) SLEDDING/PLAYING IN THE SNOW and SNOW HIKE: The day we went sledding the hills were ICY. And to be honest it was a little scary so I only went halfway down the slope because otherwise it was way too icy, fast and dangerous for my liking. I love to sled when it's powder and you know you're a lot safer and not likely to get seriously injured. So we sledded a couple of times and then we just played in the snow and hiked around and kept getting stuck in the snow. It was all in fun though! Another day we went on a snow hike which is always fun. We hike up a trail and then sled down. It was awesome! It's always beautiful and this time was no different. Great fun!

4) EATING: But of course! There were many homemade goodies to be found in the house and I sampled all of these - Snickers cookies, saltine brittle (don't know the name), peanut butter balls, buckeyes, pinenut cookies, peppermint bark, gingerbread/molasses cookies, "Puppy Chow", caramels (OF COURSE!), and black licorice caramels. I'm sure there were more but that's what I can remember right now. Then there were the stocking stuffers - chocolate orange sticks, Hot Tamales (yes, these are my FAVE), M&M's, Almond kisses, See's peppermint twists, mini Butterfingers. And then there were some days of eating real food. My brother made Thai Basil Chicken one night - DELISH! We had "build your own spring roll" night with rice paper, julienned vegetables, mint, cilantro, shrimp and some dipping sauces - oh boy! This was TASTY!!! And fun too. Another night my sister-in-law made Pasta Arabbiata with mini meatballs, Caesars salad, and garlic bread. Again very very TASTY! Basically my family knows both how to eat and how to cook. We are lucky I believe to have such great palettes and cooking skills. It was fantastic! Of course we all had to eat at The Training Table because that's just what you do when you are in Utah. They have the best dipping sauce for fries. It's true. The BEST! I love it. That was a good calorie consumption day. But it was all in fun and it was again time spent with family. What more could you want? Right?

4) WII GAMES: Three words - Michael Jackson Experience! WAHOO! This was so so so much fun! If you are about my same age then you know Michael Jackson was IT in the 80's and early 90's. You knew every song and every video and dance. Well, this is his music with the dances and it is FANTASTIC!! It was so much fun. Very funny to watch us do it I'm sure but it was great. We also did some Wii Fit games that included  Canoe racing (yeah, this is painful to do after an intense shoulder workout the day before - ha ha!!), Kung Fu, Slalom skiing, ski jump, bubble something (don't remember the name). I"m sure there were others. But at least we kept it active even with the games.

5) MOVIES/INTERNET VIDEOS: My niece got Despicable Me for Christmas. What an adorable and funny movie. I LOVED it!! We also went to see How Do You Know? I liked that as well. I would say it's definitely a chick flick but just easy to watch, kind of cute and funny. On the internet we had to watch Lonely Island featuring Akon's "I Just Had Sex". Definitely R-rated but hysterical!!  And then of course I had to share the Whip Yo Hair cockatoo video. Too funny! And then this Speedflying video taken in Utah (Mount Superior)! I'm going to put this one here because I think it's an amazing video!!



These guys are NUTS! But amazing to watch. I won't be doing that anytime soon though!

There were other things we did but mostly just fun and laughter and full relaxation. I worked really hard this year and it was just so nice to relax, unwind and just be. And to have time to bond as a family and share stories and laughter. That's the stuff that makes life worth living. Fantastic vacation and probably the best Christmas I've had in a long long time! It was just great!

Today is a pretty low key day. I'm going to make Chili Verde for dinner tonight just because it's cold outside. So I'm off to the gym to get in a good workout then it's to the store for groceries and then back home to get my Chili Verde going. No, I've never made it before but I know I love it so I'm sure it will be delish. I'll keep you posted. While it's simmering for a couple of hours I'll have time to get my 2011 goals (some may call them resolutions) written down and do some soul searching for those as well.

Woohoo for 2010! It was a fantastic year for my and I had so much personal growth. So glad I started on my Figure Competition journey. It has taught me a lot about myself and others. Thank you to all that were involved with my life - friends, family, blog readers and followers! It was a great year and 2011 will be even better I'm sure! So cheers to all of you and here we come 2011! WATCH OUT!!!

Happy Holidays to all of you!

Sorry I have been MIA but I was very busy getting ready to leave for Christmas vacation. And then I've been very "busy" on vacation with family and fun around all the time! It's been great. I'm really having a great time. This will be a short post but I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Just a couple of things...first I haven't worked out in 3 days. Today I'm going to do a circuit and go sledding which is work in itself. So that will feel better. Both yesterday and the day before I got busy and before you know it the time for working out is not there. No big deal and you know I don't beat myself up. I just feel better when I work out.

Secondly, somebody save me from the goodies that are Christmas!! LOL!!! I've been slamming down some tasty treats and enjoying them. But I really need to limit myself to a couple here and there and NOT 15-20 at a time. Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration but you know what I mean! SAVE ME!! Ha ha ha!!!

Finally, I love having time to spend with my family and I'm very, very grateful to be gainfully employed and therefore able to spend time with my family. The laughter and hugs are really the best medicine. I've laughed so hard since being on vacation. There's just nothing like it. My family is crazy and we have so much fun and play games and just in general crack up! I consider myself lucky in that regard.

So I will be reining in my eating slightly and making sure I don't go completely overboard while I'm here so that when I get back it won't be an incredible struggle to get back. I'm just going to enjoy my time and eat the best I can eat while I'm here. That's really all I can do, right? Right!

Stay healthy and happy and enjoy what is left of the holiday season. The New Year is right around the corner and anything left undone in 2010 can get done in 2011!! So enjoy this time and RELAX!!!!!

Whoa! Where did the week go?!?

Apparently I've been a little busy this week. And to be honest with you I wasn't feeling great, both mentally and physically. But today I'm back on it. I had to straighten up my food a little and get in a couple of good workouts. But I'm back at it. Even though I go out of town in a few days I went and bought a bunch of veggies yesterday just so I can eat well until I leave! Very important. I was on a slippery slope this week but I'm back again. Whew! I don't like that feeling like I'm eating wrong and then eating even more wrong and then totally out of control, tired, lazy...you know the drill. The holidays can be overwhelming like that. And I think that combined with my side business selling caramels this year I've been very overwhelmed! Very! So I regrouped and here I am!


Last night we had our office party at an Italian restaurant. It was delicious!!! I had bread and olive oil and bread and butter!! Then I had some of their focaccia which was basically very thin pizza crust (think of a cracker) drizzled with olive oil and a sprinkling of rosemary and salt! DELISH! Then it was on to salad with roasted veggies and lemon dressing - also very good. Then I had scallops with wild mushroom sauce and we ordered gnocchi for the table with tomato sauce. It was divine! This restaurant is known for their gnocchi and it was light in texture and just scrumptious!! Then it was time for dessert. Everyone at the table ordered some apple thing that sounded good but not great. My boss ordered chocolate mousse and I ordered custard with caramel sauce! OH MY! It was so ridiculously good. Everyone tasted it and they all said they should have ordered that. The caramel sauce tasted just like MY caramels! It was ridiculously good. So very tasty!

I just found this article on Men's Health and since I just finished my little guest appearance on Gina's video on rolling, I found Rule #7 of this article very apropos! So don't forget to get your roll on! Very important.

7. Massage Your Muscles
PVC piping does more than make a daily guest appearance on HGTV. It can actually save your muscles. That’s because foam rolling—with a PVC pipe, foam roller, or even a tennis or lacrosse ball—is the best exercise you’re probably not doing. When you lift weights, sit, stand, or breathe, the quality of your tissue can be altered. Little adhesions build on your muscles. Think of the adhesions as knots. I don’t know about you, but when I have a knot in my shoelace, it’s a pain in the ass to fix. Now imagine tons of knots all throughout your muscles, inhibiting your every movement. Doesn’t sound fun, right?
Foam rolling helps remove these knots from your muscles, so you improve the quality of your tissue. It doesn’t always feel good, but the results are better than sex. (Ok, that’s a lie. But still, please foam roll. It’s my big hope for 2011)

Today I started out with a meal of puffed kamut cereal and an egg white omelet with zucchini and cherry tomatoes. My second meal was a big fat salad with cucumber, zucchini, celery and cherry tomatoes with a dressing made with just 1 tablespoon of olive oil. I added some rotisserie chicken and a little hummus and it was fantastic! So veggies are up today! Yeah for me!

I'm going to do a circuit later and then I get to relax with my BF and get ready for one more day of work and then I'm off for Christmas vacay!!! WOOHOO!!! I can't wait to relax and enjoy! That's the part of the holidays I really love - family time, laughter, games, enjoying each other's company! Can't wait!!!!

Have a great Sunday and get ready for this final week before Christmas and then one more week until the new year. Are you ready? Work on your goals and be S.M.A.R.T. - specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely! New year...new time to reach bigger and better goals!!

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe." ~Anatole France (French Writer, member of the French Academy and Nobel Prize for Literature in 1921, 1844-1924)

Weekend update and Video Clip - foam rolling!

Hello hello there! So over the weekend as I told you I went to San Diego. I met up with Gina and Traci and we made a video on using the foam roller. A little snippet is below.

So this is just a little clip of the video that I recorded with my ex-coach/mentor, Gina Aliotti-Silva! It was such an incredibly beautiful day on Saturday. So we shot our video at the bay in San Diego and it was really fun. The full video can be seen on Gina's website. If you haven't checked out her site, you definitely should. She has a 2-day free trial that you could try out just to see the content if you would like! It's an amazing site...amazing place for competitors and non-competitors alike.

I had some difficulties this weekend. It all started on Friday night with wanting to do a circuit workout from Gina's site but my computer was acting up and wouldn't play it! Aargh! So I wasted a good 30-40 minutes there and should have already been finished with my circuit. I just decided to do a card deck workout instead. Finished that and headed right into my "caramel factory". Started making my caramels and after the butter, sugar, and corn syrup had been added, here comes the cream and half & half. Well, guess what? On the second round of that I realized that it was curdling! The half & half was rotten with an expiration date of Jan 16, 2011!!! UGH!!! That was awesome! NOT! So off to the grocery store I went to get a fresher one that was not spoiled! And then it was back in the caramel factory. Saturday actually was a great day! I drove down and back from San Diego.

In the middle of the night on Saturday night there was the sound of water overflowing. Yes, my bathroom sink had backed up and was flowing all over the bathroom floor!!!!!!!!!! AAUGH!!!! I took one look and since it wasn't overflowing anymore I went back to bed. I really couldn't deal with it at THREE in the morning!!!!!!!!!!

Kind of threw off my Sunday but that's okay. Still got some things done but just not quite as I planned. So to be honest I was more than ready for Monday. And so my week began. And here we are already 2 days down and just 3 to go. Then it's weekend time again. Work one day and then off for Christmas VACATION!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! I can't wait! Love Christmas vacation and hanging with the family and enjoying the laughter and craziness! Can't wait!!

Hope everyone is having a great week and enjoying this holiday season so far!

Hello Monday! Hello new week! Back at it!

I had a good weekend with a few challenges. I'll write all about that later. Just basically wanted to say hi and hope you all have a fantastic day today. My weekend kind of got away from me due to a few unforeseen issues! But here it is Monday. It was coming whether I liked it or not so here it is. WELCOME MONDAY!! Thank you for stopping by yet again.

I was up and at 'em at 5 something this morning, ate a quick meal and off to the gym. I knocked out some good shoulder work and a little abs and some push-ups and then finished off with 15 minutes of jump rope. It was a pretty good workout. I think I do much better when I do heavy shoulders at night as opposed to in the morning. I just feel like it's much better for me. Other things I can do in the morning but that one is good, not great! May have to switch things up in the new year. I'll keep you posted on that.

Hey! Remember my Cranberry Orange Cereal Bars?

Well, they are certainly not easy to resist! Yesterday I ate three of those bad boys!!!! Woohoo! What a champion I am! LOL! I ate my last one from the batch this morning. So I'm safe until I make them again!!

Have a fantastic day! I'll get you all caught up later today or definitely tomorrow. It was definitely a Murphy's Law kinda weekend. That's for sure! As Gina reminded her website members today, get your 2011 goals ready so when January 1st hits you know what direction you're going to be running! Are you ready?

Ahhh...the grill/griddle pan from World Market!

I'm so excited about my purchase I recently made. I would have told you about it sooner but didn't want to alert the BF since I bought one for him too. Luckily the other night I finally gave him his so now I can broadcast my excitement. It's a double burner cast iron grill and griddle from Cost Plus World Market. And here it is at its initiation!

Mushroom caps, stems, and asparagus - Welcome Grill Pan!

On that night I grilled asparagus, mushrooms, and zucchini. And then I grilled pork chops. TASTY!!! Love the grill pan. And it was a super duper price! Oh yes! Even better!

I have been hard at work in my caramel factory for a couple of days. Today I have a little more work in the caramel factory but then I'm also going to make some goodies to take with me to San Diego this weekend. Yep, I'm going to good ol' SD again this weekend! Wheeeee! I get to see my coach, friend, mentor, amazing woman Gina (well, maybe I should say ex-coach) and my good friend Traci! WOOT WOOT! Yep, it's going to be a party in San Diego! I'll try to take some pics for you to see what I'm up to.

On the plan to make are my mighty doggone good Cocoa Rum Protein Truffles, some protein muffins but undecided on which ones to make, and my Cranberry Orange Cereal Bars. I thought that would make a good little package for both of the girls. We'll see what I end up making. Surprises, surprises. I love the holidays and holiday baking is so much fun. Although this is most certainly the healthiest baking I've ever done for any holiday. I guess the millions of batches of caramels make up for this healthiness though, right?

So today I knocked it out at the gym!! Yes, I was on fire. I swear the less motivated I am to hit the gym the better of a workout I have. Why is that? Theories anyone?

I did Hams and Glutes and loved it! Here's the workout:

Lying ham curl (glute focus) 60# 3x12
Butt blaster 70# woot woot! 3x12
SLDL w/ cable 57.5# 3x15
Bulgarian Split Squat 10# plate 3x15 staying low
SM Squats 50# 3x12
Jumps SLOW holding 10# plate 3x12 (so much harder than I had envisioned!!!! LOL!!!)
Lying ham curl 50# (ham focus) 3x12, hold 10 counts on last set - yowza!!

My food has been on today, just not enough or just kind of odd:
1) 4 egg whites w/ spicy jalapeno chicken sausage  and pepper jack almond cheese - again yummy!!!
1/2 cup oatmeal
2) 6 egg whites w/ YUMMY salsa & 1/4 of an avocado ! Oh boy!, 1/2 jicama, 1/2 cup brown rice medley w/ 1/2 T tahini dressing - oh yum!
3 & 4) !/2 a Quest bar
5) Blueberry protein shake w/ 2 t coconut oil - Holy Yummy!, 2/3 cup Kashi Go Lean Crunch...just because :-)
6) Undecided
7) Probably pumpkin souffle...

So working in the caramel factory is hard and fun all at the same time. I love being able to make something that I know people will love. Sometimes I feel a little looney after a while though because you literally have to stir the post for about an hour and a half while it caramelizes. That's the "hard" part. I usually end up dancing around a little and just singing Christmas carols. It takes my mind off the task at hand. There's something very meditative about stirring though. I don't just stir in a circle but up and down, circle around, side to side, circle around, then up and down again. Yes, I have it down to a meditational science!!!!!! LOL!!!!

Back to my real job tomorrow. I kind of miss it when I'm not there. It's nice to have that structure, ya know? And I like to feel like I'm contributing to society in some small way. I contributed to society a lot today when I had to be in line at the post office! And let me just say that the geriatric community cracks me up. They won't use the "postal center" there. They would rather wait in line even if it's a good 20 minutes just to do the same thing they could have done in about 3 at the vending maching/postal center! So cute! It makes me wonder what "technological challenges" I may face in another 20-30 years. Then I'm sure I'll be cracking up the younger generations as well. Hee hee...me as an old(er) biddy. Ha ha!! Funny!

Friday is almost here.....

“Getting what you want is not nearly as important as giving what you have.” ~Tom Krause

Great Shoulder and Triceps Workout

I did this workout yesterday. I really didn't want to work out yesterday but I really needed to!! It's the holidays ya know!!!! So I pushed myself a little harder than usual. And I ended up with this workout followed by 20 minutes of jump rope!! Felt great! I did what I had to do to get it done and felt better after for it.

DB Shoulder Press
-15# 10 reps
-20# 10 reps
-25# 10 reps
-30# 8 reps
-35# 6 reps
Single side lat raises 20# 3x15
-5 thumb up, 5 thumb forward, 5 twist up to forward
Front plate raise 25# 3x12
Rear delt flies on slight incline 15# 3x12
Machine shoulder press
-50# 15 reps
-60# 10 reps
-70# 8 reps
Overhead DB triceps ext 25# 3x12
Skullcrushers w/ DB 10# 3x12 plus 10 pulses - ow! LOL!

Get your workout in today and do something to move every day this month! You'll thank me later! Enjoy the holidays with a clean and clear mind...easily done with getting your body moving!

Revving up for another holiday week!

I just feel like there's a lot of "holiday energy" in the air! Some of that is good and some of that is bad! At any rate it's there so do what you have to do to get "it" done, stay healthy and happy, and ENJOY it the most you can!

Yesterday I went to the Excalibur competition. My friend won her class and looked amazing!!! It was a big class too (17 girls). Actually the show was HUGE!!!! I've been to that competition 3 times and this was the biggest I've ever seen it. It was GINORMOUS!!! Lots of competitors and lots and lots of spectators! It was crazy.

I've been working in my caramel factory quite a bit. Just making caramels all the time now. And I'm sure I will be right up until the time I get to run away for Christmas. That's great though. I'm glad so many people are liking them and want to order them. AWESOME!

Yesterday I got up and ate and then headed to the gym for my Back and Plyo Legs Superset workout as well as some pretty good abs. I didn't do the one are row superset but instead did assisted pullups superset with 30 bodyweight squats. For abs I didn't cable crunches 3x15, hanging leg raises 3x15, hanging oblique raises 3x10 (5 each side), decline ab crunches w/ 10# plate 3x15. It was pretty good but something's up with my strength. It's just not quite right. I think I haven't been quite as clean with my food and I haven't been completely on with my supplements. I also ran out of vitamin D and maybe that makes a difference. My goal for this week is to be ON with my meals and supplements. I guess I better pick up some vitamin D, huh?

My meals from yesterday were just okay and I only got in FIVE:
1) Dandyblend protein shake, 2 cups puffed kamut
2) 5 egg whites, 1/2 cup oatmeal
3) Lunch at Tender Greens - Hot plate w/ chicken and grilled veggies, side salad of arugula w/ tomatoes-TASTY!!!!
4) 5 egg whites wrapped in seaweed, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1 red bell pepper
5) High protein tofu with low-sodium soy sauce and fresh grated ginger! YUM! I haven't had this for a long time and I LOVE it.

Today's meals, however, are off to a great start!
Meal 1) 3 egg whites with 1 spicy jalapeno chicken sausage (from Trader Joe's) and grated jalapeno almond cheese, side of Ezekiel bread with a dab of butter
Meal 2) repeat of meal 1 but with 1/4 cup oatmeal instead of the bread
Not sure what else is on the menu plan today but I'll let you know. I guess it really doesn't matter since my first two meals were the BOMB!!!!! Woot woot!!!

Going to grill/broil/roast some veggies as well so I'll be all set for the week. Need to have things available so I don't eat all my caramels! LOL!!

Hope you're all having a fantastic day! I'm off to get some work and cleaning done. Let's keep the energy up and keep on pushing forward!!! Today is here! What are YOU going to do with it?!?

Rest day and Wednesday's Shoulder & Abs workout!

Hello there!! So I'm kind of getting back in the swing of things and it's not a minute too soon. My life feels like a runaway train this year. Next year I'm going to work really hard on several things and one of them will be to have better scheduling for myself and also to be more punctual like I used to be! I'm late too often these days and overbooked and overwhelmed too often too. Not in 2011, nope...it's not going to be like that. No sirree!!!

I went to hang with my friend that's competing in Excalibur tomorrow. She looks FANTASTIC! And she is going to rock that stage BIG time!! As much as I said I was glad I did it one time and don't really feel the need to do it again being there with her all tanned up and the excitement of it all made me rethink. I'm not saying I would do it anytime soon if at all. I'm just saying the excitement of it all is kind of fun. I think it would make a difference if I did a competition with some girls I already knew. It would just be that much more support.

So I think I was overly tired from last week and this week. Last night I was in bed by 8:45pm and not up until about 6:15!!!!! Thank you very much! 9 1/2 hours!! AWESOME!! I rock! What can I say?!? LOL!!!! Sometimes you've just gotta do what you've gotta do. I realized how exhausted I was when I was doing my Ham & Glutes workout last night. I was tapped out. Each rep was almost impossible in my mind. I think the first set I did was good but I quickly lost any strength and energy so it was HARD. REALLY, REALLY HARD!!!!!! I completed my workout though and then my aerobics instructor was teaching some high impact aerobics so I headed in there for just 15 minutes. It felt good to move but only made me even more exhausted! And I was starving!! So when I got in my car I quickly ate a Vanilla Almond Crunch Quest bar and headed home ASAP! I got home and made some chicken quickly in the microwave and had a mighty green smoothie that was delish of course!! I needed some veggies and quick! I ate that about 8:15 and then headed to bed. Whew!

I felt great today and well rested. I decided to take today as a rest day since I was clearly hitting my limit for what my body could handle so one more day of rest. In the meantime my meals have been a little whack. Let's see...here's what I ate today. Tomorrow I'm going to be on it much more! I stocked up at TJ's with veggies and pork and tilapia so I'm good for now.

Meal 1) 5 egg whites, 1/4 cup oats
2) 5 egg whites, 1/4 cup oats
3) Quest bar, 1/4 cup oats
4) Tuna salad sandwich w/ light mayo, mustard, capers, celery on 2 slices Ezekiel bread - yummy!
5) Quest bar, 1 apple
6) Salmon, 1/2 cup wild rice, steamed veggies
7) Probably Pumpkin Souffle w/ coconut oil and almond butter - what can I say? Still addicted!!!!!

Now for my shoulder and ab workout from Wednesday!

SHOULDERS and ABS WORKOUT

DB shoulder press 3x12 20#
Single Side lat raise 3x12 20#
Front raise w/ rope 3x12 17.5#
Rear delt flies 3x12 15#DB
Arnold press 3x10 20#
Shoulder press on calf raise 15# 10 pulses - WHOA! HARD!!

Crunches on decline w/ 10# plate 3x20
Ball roll-ins and pikes - 10 each x3
Crunches on ball 3x10

This was a great workout. I think I'm going to make another page on my blog for my workouts since there are times I want to do my past workouts but can't find them. Great idea! I think I'll do that right after I post this. 

I'm off to work in my caramel factory and get to bed. Tomorrow's another day and I want to be ready for it and well rested too! I have a lot to do this weekend and basically until I leave for Christmas vacation on the 21st!! Woot woot!!! That is soon!

Have a great weekend everyone!

I haven't left you again!

Sorry that I didn't post yesterday but my internet was out!! Ugh! Kinda frustrating. I thought it was my own problem but apparently that was the way for many last night. Luckily it's back up. Just wanted to say hi and yeah for Friday!

I'll post more later when I'm not at work. Shhhhhh....don't tell my boss!!! LOL!

In the meantime I'll leave you with this oldie but goody! "All right Janice" crossed my mind this morning and I had to laugh. So here it is!

Yes! December! We made it!

And now the craziness really begins! First of all, let me apologize for being MIA. This is what happens when you have a houseguest and are just too busy running around and enjoying their company! It was a great holiday weekend and we had so much fun. I love friends! They rock! So we ate a little more than usual, I think. Well, maybe not actually. I'm so used to eating 7 meals a day that I think I didn't eat that much more than usual but ate out quite a bit and also ate more at the meals that I DID eat. At any rate, my weight remained the same over the holiday weekend and I'm just hovering around 135-136. Great! That is FINE by me! I'll take it.

So what did we do while my friend was visiting?

1) Santa Monica Stairs: We ran the Santa Monica Stairs on Saturday. I did 9 rounds and my friend did 8. But she's much crazier than me so she actually RAN them a few times. When I say we "ran" the stairs I actually mean I walked them but you understand what I mean I'm sure! At any rate...it made us OLD...very, very OLD. Not while we were actually doing them but for the days following. We were so sore that we didn't work out again. We went for walks on Sunday and Monday which were very nice and the air was super clean because it had been windy but it is unusually cold this year. So we hobbled along with our calves that were as tight as the tightest rubber band you could ever find!!! Yes, it was painful!

2) Thanksgiving Dinner: Yes, you all know me and my rules for Thanksgiving. Well, I followed them to a T. Thank you very much. On the menu - turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry salad, candied yams, pumpkin pie, pumpkin pecan pie, apple pie, green bean casserole, steamed green beans, monkey bread. I think that about sums it up. And yes, I had a good portion of all of those and they were DELICIOUS!!! It was good food and grand company! Great Thanksgiving!

3) Shopping: Oh, yes, my friend can shop! She is going to keep LA. going with her fine purchases. We hit several stores and had some good finds. I am not really a shopping gal but I enjoy going with her because she really loves shopping/fashion/home decor. So it was fun.

4) Ate out: We went out to eat at some of our favorite haunts that include A Votre Sante (we went for salad and ended up with some Mexican or Southwest scramble that was very yummy), Bombay Cafe for yummy Indian, and Cafe Midi (I got the Salad with Grilled Steak With Shrimp, Asparagus, Avocado, Organic Greens & Feta - they have really delicious steak!). I also had to take her out for Chinese Dumplings so we headed to Dean Sin World in Monterey Park with my BF. We ordered Steamed Pork Bun, Wonton in Spicy Sauce, Pan Cake with Beef, Beef Noodle Soup, and Shrimp Wonton (wontons in broth). DELISH!! And so homemade tasting.

5) Worked out: We headed to the gym the day after Thanksgiving. We did shoulders and back and jumped rope after. Yes, my friend was subject to my jumprope addiction! I felt sorry for her. Just kidding!! We had a great workout together. It makes me wish I had someone like her to work out with regularly. That would be awesome!!

6) Relaxed: Need I say more? We both got to unwind and relax. Just hang out and just be. Talk, laugh and enjoy each other's company. Nothing is better than that.

Of course I had to make some things for her that I wanted her to try. So I made my Cranberry Orange Cereal Bars, Zucchini Loaf and Pumpkin Souffle. Oh, yes, she liked them all. I think the Cereal Bars might have been her favorite though.

So now we're into December. What are you doing to keep on track? To not go too crazy? I have made a decision for myself to just say no to the goodies on the table. I know how one can lead to another and so on and so on...You know how it goes. So just say no. I may take a few things to freeze and just have them when I want and deserve them post-holiday season. But for me this season I say no to the goodies that will most certainly fill the break table at work! That will keep me happier in the end. Yes, I'm sure they will be tasty and yes, I'm sure I will WANT them but no, I don't think I'll miss them terribly and no, I won't be sorry come January when I feel good about me, my body and my mind! Oh, by the way, I don't include my caramels in that say no category. But I do have only one to three at a time now and only a couple of times a week. That way I am safe. It's all about knowing what you can and can't eat and how to make it work best for you without losing your mind. Whatever you do don't tell yourself no for everything because that will most certainly end in a fine binge!! And no one wants that!

Make December a good month for you. Finish out your year strong. Enjoy your time with loved ones and find the joy in the season amidst the craziness.

My coach Gina put this on her site today and I thought I would share since I liked it so much. Enjoy!

“When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves.”~William Arthur Ward 

Okay, get ready...Holiday Season is in full swing!!!

Good morning everyone!! Here we go...HOLIDAY SEASON IN FULL SWING! So do you have a plan? Are you ready for the bombardment of food, drinks, and parties? Make sure you're ready. Get your mind and body ready for it because it's here. Make sure to get your workouts in, eat less during the day on "party" days. Just say no to those holiday treats that will most likely be at every corner you turn from here throughout the rest of the year. Yes, it will be there sneaking up on you but don't let it catch you by surprise!! Be ready. Be prepared. And most importantly...ENJOY!!

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and got into the holiday spirit. It was a great holiday for me. Lots of cooking and lots of eating. It was great to spend time with my family and friends. There was a lot of laughter and good conversation! We all put into the day and had a great time.

Here we are the day after. My visitor and I are going to go hit the gym and then probably hit some shopping. She's VERY good at that so of course we will have to do that. She's one of those people that always gets good deals. ALWAYS! It's kind of ridiculous but she always gets some good deals. I'll have to let you know what she gets this time.

Have a great Friday and enjoy the holiday season with all its craziness. It only comes once a year. Don't let it make you crazy. Just enjoy it and know that it's really only about 6 weeks of the year so have fun and enjoy all the craziness it brings. Why not? What are you going to do? Fight it? I don't think so. It's going to happen all the same so you might as well find a way to make it as enjoyable as it can be. Embrace the craziness and just go with it.

“Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.” ~ Calvin Coolidge

Rules for Thanksgiving OR How to do Thanksgiving the right way!

Oh yes, this is going to be a very tongue in cheek post for sure!! See I believe like most things in life that some things are just too precious or special the way they are and need to be left alone. For me Thanksgiving and Christmas are that way. Yes, at Thanksgiving I believe that it is ONE meal out of  approximately 2373in a year and it needs to be enjoyed just the way it was meant to be...with LOTS of food!! That is just my belief! So shoot me. There are very few things that I find are traditions that stick around forever. Guess what? Thanksgiving is one of them. Gluttony...food coma...more food....more football...yep! That's the stuff of Thanksgiving. ENJOY it! Have a great time and overindulge! Why wouldn't you? I mean unless you're mid contest-prep but other than that, why not? So live it up! Here are Erin's rules for how to enjoy Thanksgiving the way it's supposed to be enjoyed:

1) OVERINDULGE, Now let's say you're someone who doesn't like to overindulge. That's cool too! You can still eat all you want in much smaller portions and have a much smaller food coma to be in, if at all. But if that's you, do it! Just do you, as they say. Eat whatever you fancy and don't stress out about it. After all, the stress just brings on the cortisol and do we really need more of that? NO! So I say overindulge or don't, whatever you wish! The choice is yours. So make it and be proud!!

2) EAT CREAM AND BUTTER. As Nike says, Just do it! It will make you happy and make you feel like a kid again. Oh yes, what would pumpkin pie be without whipped cream? And monkey bread with no butter? SIN!! How about candied yams? You KNOW those would be no good without the butter. They just wouldn't be. And a pie crust made without butter? Puhlease!!! Not happening! Not in this house for sure!!!!


3) LAUGH AND LOVE. When was the last time you really had a good belly aching laugh? Isn't it time you did? Use this day to find something that just makes you laugh till you wanna die! Warning: Make sure you do this before Rule #1 or you'll be VERY sorry! And love yourself, your friends, your family, your wine, your food. Have a LOVE FEST!! Why not? When was the last time you did that?


4) EAT EVERYTHING AND DOUBLE UP ON YOUR CARBS. No, don't hold back or think you don't want it. Can you think of one thing you don't want on that menu? I can't think of one thing. Talk about carb cycling? Now this is a great day for carb cycling. You can't even use it for your high carb day. You have to use it for your EXTREME carb day!! At least that's how I envision it. See with all that I plan on throwing down that day I can only see carbs. Yes, I will eat a slice or two of turkey but for the most part..um, no! Carbs it is!! Cranberry salad, cranberry sauce, candied yams, monkey bread, apple pie, mashed potatoes, stuffing, another cranberry salad,pumpkin pie.Oh boy...I better be careful before I drool on the keyboard!

5) WATCH FOOTBALL. Now you don't even have to care who's playing or winning, if it was a good play or bad play. All that matters is that football is on and you HAVE to watch it. Even if you never watch it, on Thanksgiving you HAVE to watch it. And you'll need it to be on for Rule #6!


6) ENTER A FOOD COMA. If you don't get this right you clearly didn't follow the aforementioned rules. And that, my dear friends, would be a shameful way to spend your Thanksgiving. And since I don't want you to be ashamed when you go back to work and people ask how your Thanksgiving was, you definitely want to put a little extra effort here. Make me proud!


7) WAKE UP AND REPEAT RULE #4. Admittedly, this is a more advanced technique and not everyone can do this one. But real champions and those that have proved themselves in Thanksgivings past will most certainly be able to pull off this feat. Go for it and see how you do. Now this second round you will definitely need to take it down a notch. Your plate should still look full but not crammed as your first plate should have looked.


8) GIVE THANKS. Whatever you did or didn't do, experienced or didn't, give thanks that you're here, alive, well, breathing, with friends and/or family. And be grateful for the beautiful bounty that is put before you. Whatever it may be, each day find something to be grateful for but on Thanksgiving challenge yourself and name at least 10. And if it's a particular person that you're thankful for, contact them and let them know. You can do that the old fashioned way (postal mail), slightly old fashioned way (telephone call), not so old fashioned way (e-mail), or any new way (text, IM, tweet, blog, Facebook). But let that particular person know that you are grateful for them and let them know exactly why. It will make your Thanksgiving even better!

Yep, that about sums it up. Erin's Rules for Thanksgiving! Now get out there and get your workout on because come Thursday you are REALLY going to need it! Especially if you play by MY rules!!!!!

BACK in the gym...oh, and superset plyo legs with that!!

So I'm back at it and LOVING my workouts. So so glad I took a break! If you ever question if you need a break...probably you do! That's the lesson I learned here. Wow! It makes such a difference. Now I feel energized, creative and focused. I LOVE it!!

Started out this morning with my 5:30am workout! When I do circuits or weights in the morning now I've decided I need to eat something so I've been eating a protein shake and 1/4 cup oats. However, this morning did I do that? NO! Oops! I forgot! Well, I remembered while I was warming up but just couldn't bring myself to get bundled up to go back out to my car. It was COLD this morning...brrrrrrrrr! LOL! Anyway on to my workout...an oldie but a goody. Here is what it was!

BACK AND PLYO LEGS SUPERSETS
All back exercises were sets of 12 and the plyos were sets of 20 (or 10 each side)
3 of each Superset:
Wide grip lat pulldown
SS w/ jump squats

Underhand grip bentover row
SS w/ jumping split lunges

One arm row
SS w/ straddle jump up onto board (10 staying low in squat basically and 10 with height - getting air)

Seated cable row
SS w/ straightleg deadlift with plate (only 15 NOT 20)

Lat pulldown with rope
SS w/ side step squats returning to center each time

So it was a little bit of a struggle to get through with my lack of fuel but I managed and had a shake directly after leaving the gym! Now I'm headed into Meal #2 and right back on track I am. I LOVE taking a break! I really do!

Oh, and  just thought I would let you know about how my weight was affected through my break and until today. I purposely didn't weigh myself during my break but when I was finished I did and it was 138. No big deal since I was sitting at about 136 before my break. But the next day I weighed myself again and it was 140! Small minute of panic and then reminded myself that I had gone back to the gym and my muscles were probably holding a lot of glycogen, etc, etc and I talked myself down off of THAT particular ledge! This morning I was feeling tighter again and more back to my normal self so I thought I would weigh again which I won't do now for another week and it was 134. Whew! Back to normal. And again these weights were taken Saturday, Sunday, and Monday...and THAT'S why weight is a tricky thing. Do you really think I lost 6 pounds yesterday? I think not!

Have a great short week and I hope you all are ready for Thanksgiving. I'm going to THROW DOWN!!!!! I LOVE Thanksgiving and I eat more than I should and I really don't care because it's only once a year that I eat pretty much all those foods so I'm okay with all that. So delicious and such a great day in general. For me Thanksgiving is all about food, football, and food comas!!! ENJOY!

Giving thanks this week so I'll start with my friends. Any of you that are my friends, the above quote is for you. Thanks for being my friend and supporting me through my competition journey and way, way beyond!!

Mighty Creamy Green Smoothie

Okay...wow! This was so much better than I had planned that I thought I would share it with you. Whenever I don't feel like I've gotten in enough veggies for the day I head to the Mighty Green Smoothie. Believe me, if you've never tried it you definitely should. It sounds weird and not very tasty but it's really good actually! This one, tonight, however was VERY DELISH!!! Here's how it went down...

1/2 avocado (Thanks Deb!!)
2 stalks celery
1 green bell pepper
2 cups spinach
4 ice cubes
1 scoop unflavored protein powder
2-3 drop stevia
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup aloe vera juice
1/2 cup water
3 stems of mint (leaves only)

Throw it in the blender and voila!! I love the mighty green smoothie because it's a great way to use those veggies that really aren't crispy anymore that are supposed to be. I would have thrown in a cucumber or 2 if I had them but I didn't. I love that I live in California and have friends with all kinds of fruit trees. This week I have received free (grown on friends and coworkers trees) 3 pomegranates, 5 avocados, 2 mangoes, and many persimmons! Lucky me! Thanks to all of you that contributed to my eating frenzy! LOL!

So what's the gift of taking a break? BEING 100% PRESENT!!!

As you all know I took a break this week from the gym, the regimen, planned things like meals, sleep, workout...etc. And guess what? It has paid off BIG TIME!! I woke up early this morning and had my first meal - protein shake with 1/4 cup oats while I was on G-Chat with Gina and Liz!! Great way to start my day and got me even more pumped for my workout. Then I headed to the gym for Glutes and Hams and 40 minutes of cardio!!! WOOT WOOT!!!

While I was doing my workout though I was amazed at how present I was. I had my mind in my workout THE ENTIRE TIME!!! It was no joke! Every single rep I was present, in the moment, squeezing my muscle and feeling it! It's been a long time since I've had THAT kind of mental strength during a workout and boy, oh boy, does it make a difference? I LOVED it!!! It rocked my world. YES!! The break paid off BIG BIG time!!!!!!!

Second meal down too and into the shower I go. I get to hang out with my friend today and then tonight we have some pretty serious cleaning to do for my houseguest that's coming this week. Here come the holidays. Are you mentally and physically prepared? I can truly say that NOW I am. I am coming back super strong and feeling like a million bucks! Woohoo!!!! Have a great day!

Hams and Glutes Workout today:
-Lying Ham Curl (glute focus) 50# 1st set then 60# 3x10
-Butt Blaster 3x12 60#
-Straight Leg Deadlift w/cable 3x15 57.5#
-Bulgarian Split Squat w/ 10# plate 3x15
-SM Squats 40# 3x10 plus 5 low pulses
-Bent Leg Butt Squeeze w/ Ball 3x15
-Lying Ham Curl (ham focus) 3x12 50# then 10 pulses and hold for 10 at the end!

Remember, if you want a caramel sample, send me your name and address!!

FREE CARAMEL SAMPLE GIVEAWAY TO THE FIRST 50 PEOPLE!!

HOMEMADE CARAMEL SAMPLES
 

FREE TO THE FIRST 50 PEOPLE!!

 
JUST SEND AN E-MAIL TO AUNTENNIESCARAMELS@GMAIL.COM
IN THE E-MAIL, PLEASE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
1) Your Name
2) Mailing Address
3) A quick note telling me how you heard about the giveaway


SIMPLE AS THAT! 

IN EXCHANGE YOU WILL RECEIVE 3 HOMEMADE CARAMELS TO SAMPLE! 

For more information on the caramels or to place an order, please go to Aunt Ennie's Caramels

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Taking a break is...weird? odd? strange? GREAT!!!

As much as I know I need a break I'm feeling kind of weird about my break. I don't know how to describe it. I know I need it for several reasons but it's an odd feeling just the same. See, my body has let me know it needs a break and my mind is in the same position. I need a break from everything so I'm "on vacation" this week from everything. I'm not logging every piece of food that goes in my mouth. I'm not planning every single meal ahead of time. I'm not planning my workouts or even if I'm going to work out. Just taking it day by day and minute by minute. It's nice in some ways and in others it almost feels too "free"!!

It's also giving me the mental break I need before I come back strong in preparation for the holidays!! Oh yes, that is always a little challenging but I've got it down. I'll be logging, training, cardio and all that at pretty much max effort up until and right through the holidays so come January 1st, 2011, I'll be spot on and feeling good. It's the only way. And now...ACCOUNTABILITY!!! Since I just broadcast my plan I guess I have to stick with it. You'll all keep me straight. And I thank you for that!

I have had some tasty things this week as far as food is concerned. I created that Cocoa Rum Protein Truffle recipe last night. It was a little confusing to figure out at first but boy was it worth it!!!! They are sooooo delicious! I also made a roasted veggie soup. Very tasty. I'll post that recipe soon. I took a break from my usual morning eggs and oats. I had some eggs and cereal one morning. I've been eating some Shake Cake for my 2nd meal every day and I'm loving that! I still have some leftover beef (kyinkyinga) from the weekend and BBQ'd veggies. So I've just been switching things up all over the place. Oh, and I also made some tahini dressing that my friend made for me and put that on some kale with some chicken. VERY tasty! I'll post that recipe too because it's awesome.

At any rate, I'm loving my "vacation" and getting excited to get back in the gym!! Hope everyone is having a great week!!!!

Shake Cake from Figure Athlete website

Stems from Figure Athlete's website posted this recipe. I hadn't made this for a long time but made it on Sunday and have been eating it all week. YUMMY!

 

Shake Cake

2.5 scoops vanilla protein (I use Beverly Int'l - Muscle Provider)

1.5 cups raw oats

3 egg whites or(3/4 cup whites)

1.5 cups crushed pineapple (in its own juice)

1/3 cup no sugar added apple sauce

4 T chopped walnuts (sometimes I omit this)

1 T baking powder (I omit this sometimes too)

1/2 T cinnamon (or more)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (or more)

Spray baking pan, mix above and pour into pan and bake at 350 for about 20-30 mins. I usually use this recipe for a cake so the above breaks down into 4 servings in an 8x8 pan.

For variety or for extra carbs, add 1 peeled and sliced apple (peel and slice apple and in small bowl sprinkle 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 packet splenda over the apples,spread 1/2 of the batter mix into the pan and layer 1/2 of the apples, then pour the rest of the batter in and top with the remaining slices of apples and bake as instructed above).

Refreshed and Renewed...oh, yes, I have a PLAN!!!!

Good morning/afternoon/evening!!!! Hello one and all and welcome back to my blog! Did you miss me?

I kind of miss blogging when I don't do it for a few days but I really could see that I needed some time for me, to just be, relax, unwind, have fun, cook, breathe, etc. And I did all that and it was a super fantastic weekend!!!

On Friday I worked out early in the morning but felt weak. I don't know why but I did. Friday night I made Gina's G-Fit Chicken Pot Pie.

G-Fit Chicken Pot Pie

Oh my!!! I've made this only once before and it was equally as delicious, hmmm maybe even better, than I remember! You MUST try it. Perfect dish for the winter time and just so soothing and homey feeling. Please try it. Even my BF couldn't believe how tasty it was and that it's still very good for you. Yes, to die for!

Saturday my BF and I had a THROWDOWN!!! You see, it all started with me finding a recipe using peanut flour. It was a recipe for some West African Beef. I kept it to myself though since I wanted to just make the recipe and then surprise him. But then he was telling me about a recipe that was so similar I thought I had emailed him my recipe. I hadn't. That, my friends, is where the trouble began. Being male and all, he decided that we should make it into a competition to see whose dish was better. Now mind you he grew up in West Africa. I did not. So...he actually knows what he's trying to make. I did not. Of course it was all in fun and both of them were fantastic. It was a great meal! Very tasty!

Veggie Skewers and West African Beef Skewers

Straight Up Veggie Skewers!!!

 Earlier in the day on Saturday we did a card deck workout. We used UNO cards. Now keep in mind that an UNO deck is equal to TWO regular decks of cards. Oh, yes, it was hard but a really great workout. Here's how it went down. We would draw 3 cards at a time. Each card had 2 or 3 exercises we could do. Here's what they were. For the color cards, reps would be the number on the cards for the Draw 2, Draw 4 and Wild reps would be 10.
Blue: Walking Lunge or Crab Lunge (walking lunge staying low)
Red: Jumps (touching the ground and jumping as high as possible) or Squats
Green: Side lunges or side-to-side
Yellow: Jumping split squats or Bulgarian split squat
Draw 2: For abs - Leg throwdown (other person pushing legs down), ball toss to partner or standing oblique twist
Draw 4: Planks
Skip: 50 jump ropes (originally started with 100 but after getting 2 skips in one pull decided to make it 50)
Reverse: reverse back through the draw - for example in the picture below you would do 10 leg throwdowns, 4 side lunges, then 4 side lunges and 10 leg throwdowns
Wild: personal choice that included high knees, butt kicks, backwards running, etc.

This was a super fun workout and challenging. Since my BF has shoulder problems we kept upper body out of it except for the jump rope. We got about 60% through the deck and my BF hit the wall. So then I continued with him pulling a single card at a time and telling me what to do. That was actually pretty fun because you just didn't stop. Either way is fun and I can see how the card deck workouts are kind of addicting because you can do whatever you want with them.

UNO workout remnants

View from the park where we worked out - notice the ocean between the trees! BEAUTIFUL!!!

Sunday was a day of rest and relaxation. I made my plan for the week and it is this. I HAVE NO PLAN!! Yes, my plan is to have no plan whatsoever! Yeah for me! So I will be keeping track of what I eat in my head and as for working out I will be doing whatever workout I feel like doing. I'm going to do some yoga here in just a minute or dance...hmmm...still haven't decided! I'm thinking this break will definitely help me set my priorities and figure out how I want to handle the gym. The one thing I know for sure is that I prefer doing weights in the morning due to the fact that there are much fewer people there so you can use any equipment you want and have a fairly smooth workout. However, my strength is less in the morning. This is another thing I will have to figure out. Do I eat before I work out on days I'm doing weights early? I think the answer will probably be yes but I don't know for sure. These are things I will ponder this week. OH! And IF I feel like working out in the gym this week I will but I don't HAVE to. That's the deal. Can't wait!

OTHER BREAKING NEWS!!!!!

I will be doing my free caramel sample giveaway this week. It could happen as early as tomorrow but no later than Friday. I am only giving away 50 free samples and only to U.S. residents. I mostly want people that are interested in buying for themselves or as holiday gifts to try the samples. However, I know I have no control over who signs up for the free samples. I will only ask that you send me an email to the address that I will post at the time the giveaway starts stating why you want the caramel sample.Details to follow soon!

I'm off for the night. Hope you all have a fantastic evening and that your week has started off well. Keep smiling and keep pushing and let's just see where we end up at the end of the week!
 

Thursday is almost over...I'm tired...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I was up and at 'em this morning and up to my usual antics. Hit the gym at about 5:45 or so and did bis and tris and then went CRAZY with the jump rope. I don't know what it is about that thing but I think I have a little addiction with it! Hee hee! Weird, huh? I think I'm just a jumper. I've always liked jumping. It's just more fun than staying on the ground, don't you think? Probably not. A lot of people don't like to be jumping or off the ground but I, for one, LOVE it! Call me weird. Call me crazy.

For some reason I didn't work out fasted today. I woke up and felt the need for fuel so I ate at about 5:15 or so. Just 1/2 scoop or protein and 1/4 cup oats. I think that worked out well for me today though. Maybe that's what gave me that extra umph while I was jumping rope?

So my workout:
3 sets of 21's with 8# dumbbells
SS with DB triceps ext 8# 3x12

Concentration curls 15# 3x10
SS with overhead tri ext 25# 3x12

Triceps pushups off DB 3x12
SS w/ rockets (abs)

Bicep cable curls EZ bar 30# 3x15
SS w/ hanging leg raise 3x24 (8 front, 8 left, 8 right)

Finished off with 20 minutes jump rope combining all kinds of things (all in sets of 100 minimum):
regular jumps
side to side (ski)
20 sideways to left then 20 to right
jump front and back
jumping jack
jump backwards across room
run forwards
run in place
combo - 8-10 moving backwards, 2-3 to turn a quarter turn, 8-10 moving right 2-3 quarter turn, 8-10 moving forward, 2-3 quarter turn, 8-10 moving left - this was fun and confusing to my mind!
DOUBLE JUMPS!!! - Okay...almost gave up on the double jumps but glad I didn't because I finally got them going on my third try! Even got in a few single double combos (about 3 at a time!!) Yeah for me!!!!

Food was kinda interesting today since I started out so early:
1) 1/2 scoop protein, 1/4 cup oats
2) Yam smoothie w/ 1 scoop protein and 4 oz yam - oh so tasty!!!! LOVE it! and 1 1/2 T NuttZo
3) Interesting combo...Heated 1/4 cup applesauce and 1/2 cup kabocha, added 1/2 cup cottage cheese and 1/2 cup Kashi Go lean Crunch - This was quite tasty and texturey! LOL! That's not a word!
4) 1 cup lentil soup, 2 Jamie Eason Chicken Meatloaf Muffins, Roasted veggies
5) Turkey Taco Burrito? - DELISH! - 1 spelt tortilla, 4 oz turkey taco meat, Roasted veggies, 1 oz Pepper Jack almond cheese
Dessert was homemade sugar free hot chocolate - YUM! - Just heat 8 oz Unsweetened vanilla almond breeze and then add 1 tablespoon cocoa powder and 2-4 packets stevia. Mix well and enjoy!
6) Spaghetti squash w/ 4 oz shrimp and 1/2 T olive oil
6 1/2) 3 prunes, 2 brown rice & buckwheat crackers (great deal - only 35 calories and 7.5 g carbs per 2 crackers!)
7) Going to be 1 Jamie Eason Chicken Meatloaf Muffin and a mighty green smoothie, dessert of pumpkin pie souffle w/ 1 t coconut oil & 1/2 T almond butter - 'cause tonight's gonna be a good night...'cause tonight's gonna be a good, good night!!!!!

So, it's Meal #7 for me and SUPER early to bed for me too! This girl needs her zzzzzzzzzzzzz. That's all there is to it! Goodnight all. Sleep well and I'll catch up with you tomorrow!!!

Men are like the stars; 

some generate their own light while others reflect the brilliance they receive. 

~Jose Marti

Wednesday...Wonderful Wednesday!!!

So I just looked at my post from yesterday. That was kind of funny, wasn't it? I mean I just didn't really finish my entry. So unlike me! Ha ha!! So today I will write a complete entry. What do you think of that?

Got up bright and early again this morning. Headed to the gym for 40 minutes of steady state cardio on the treadmill 4.4-5.0 at 12.5-15% incline. It felt good to do that for a change. It's been a while since I did steady state for that long on ONE machine. Nice way to get my day started. Today is a REST day from training so I get to relax tonight! Yeah!

My meals have been good so far today:
1) 5 egg whites topped with Bac'Uns and cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup oatmeal w/ applesauce and walnuts
2) 5 egg whites as Meal 1, 1/2 cup oatmeal with almond milk, stevia and cinnamon
3) 1/2 cup cottage cheese mixed with 1/2 cup applesauce and sprinkled with 1/2 cup Kashi Go Lean Crunch - yummy combo!!!

There will be more food as the day goes on but so far so good. It's a beautiful day and I'm in a great place in my mind. You should all come join me. It's nice in here! LOL!

Have a fantastic day and keep on keeping on! And for those of you that are training today, please do a little extra for me and I promise to rest a little extra for you!!

  

Don't let your mind bully your body into believing it must carry the burden of its worries. ~Astrid Alauda

Getting it done!! Back and Legs workout!

Got up a little late but still got in the gym and knocked out this workout in about 40 minutes. And it was GREAT! I really liked it a lot! Hard but not too hard!

Leg Extensions 60# 3x12
SS w/ DB Rows 25# 3x12

Assisted Pullups 60# 3x12
SS w/ Bodyweight squats 3x30

Lying Ham Curl 60# 3x15

Straight Arm Lat Pulldown 35# 3x12
SS w/ Sissy squats 3x15 10 pulses

Close Grip Lat Pulldown 70# 3x12
SS w/ SLDL w/ 35# plate

Seated Cable Row 70# 3x12
SS w/ Bulgarian Split Squat 10# plate 3x15

Meals so far today:
1) Yam smoothie w/ 6 oz yam, 1 1/2 scoops protein powder, also celery w/ 1 1/2 T peanut butter on the side
2) 1/2 cup Voskos yogurt, 1/2 scoop protein powder, 1/2 cup instant oats, 2 T pumpkin, cinnamon, almond milk

It's already been broughten...LOL!!

So, my Monday bring it really brought it! I was up and at 'em before me alarm and off to the gym I went. I got in 40 minutes of fasted cardio. 20 minutes on the stepmill at level 10 speed training. Then it was onto the treadmill at 4.4-5.0 and 15% incline entire time. Yep, I was back on it! I had a nice relaxing and meditative stretch and then it was home for breakfast and showering, etc.

My meals today:
1) Kabocha protein shake, 1/3 cup oatmeal with a couple tablespoons of homemade applesauce
2) 1/2 cup oatmeal w/ 1/4 cup homemade applesauce, 5 egg whites w/ homemade salsa - Yummy!
3) 1/3 cup oatmeal w/ UVAB & 1 t coconut oil, 5 egg whites w/ Iris's homemade salsa - THANKS Iris!
4) 4 oz turkey taco meat, 1 1/2 spelt tortillas, 1 sugar-free creamsicle
5) 1/2 cup Voskos w/ 1/2 scoop protein and 1-2 T pumpkin and 1/4 cup oatmeal
6) Thai Basil Chicken and 1/4 cup brown rice - forgotten how GOOD that is!! Oh boy!
7) Chocolate Protein Cake w/ 1 T NuttZo - also forgotten how good THAT is! YUMMY!!

I trained shoulders tonight. It felt great but I remember why I started lifting in the mornings instead of at night. The gym is just crazy crowded at night and especially on Monday nights! At any rate, this is what I did:
DB Shoulder Press 20# 3x12
Single Side Lat Raise 20# 3x12
Front Raise w/ plate 25# 3x12
Rear Delt fly DB 15# 3x12
Push up off DB 3x12
Incline Chest Fly 15# 3x12
Hip raises 3x20
Hanging Leg raises 2x15
Hanging leg raises obliques 2x10 each side

Great workout! Great food (except I definitely need more veggies tomorrow! I'll work on that!) And great relaxation and chitchat tonight. Just a great day all the way around!!! LOVE it when you're ready for the week to start! Woot woot!!!! 

Monday...BRING IT!!!!

I'm ready for ya good ol' Monday. I did lots of cooking today. My place is clean and organized. I'm well rested. So I'm ready. Come on Monday. Let's do this!!!

I made a number of items in my kitchen. I baked a bunch of yams, roasted a kabocha, cooked some turkey taco meat, broiled some shrimp, and I'm getting ready to make some Thai Basil Chicken. That ought to just about cover me for the week. LOL! I didn't make any zucchini loaves though and those were on the list as well. Hmm...well maybe tomorrow night. Those are always good to have on hand. But for now I think I'm good to go. I will also be making some Double Hot Might Green Smoothie during the week since I have the ingredients for those as well. Yum!

So preparation is key and very, very necessary if you're going to stick to any kind of mealplan to bring you closer to a healthy body. Yep! Preparation truly is key! We all have limited time in our lives these days and I, for one, know that if I don't get my meals ready for the week on Sunday then I'm bound to derail and Fridge Eat. Yep, you know the kind...where you don't really even sit down, just stand there eating out of your fridge. Sometimes known as Pantry Eat. Yep, I've done that one too. Possibly even more often actually! That one I'm pretty good at. But this week that's not going to happen. I'm too prepared to fail!!! Ha ha ha ha!!

Last week has been put to rest and this week I'm going to be on fire so watch out now! You may want to join me. Why not? It's only a couple more weeks until Thanksgiving. Might as well start gearing up for that big meal to take you down a notch!! Join me? Great! It should be some good fun.

Hope everyone had a great weekend and you are happy you got your hour back that was stolen from you in the Spring. I, for one, am NOT a fan of daylight savings time!!! I don't understand it at all and would like to do away with it forever! Do ya hear me? Say aye if you do!

Goodnight and until tomorrow, be happy and give love!

Okay, let's be honest. This was NOT my best week...

So let's close that one up and head into the weekend, shall we? Great idea!

This week didn't start off well and I ate too much over the weekend and followed that up during the week. So, to be honest, my weight is up but that's okay. I'm not worried about it because it's weight and you know how I feel about that. But I know I ate too many things that aren't really on my plan over the past week. But this weekend I'm getting back on track. I'm going to straighten up my place and start my Monday off organized and level-headed and most importantly, with a plan of attack. You know the old adage - Fail to plan...plan to fail? Yeah, I understand that saying completely this week. Because THAT, my dear friends, is pretty much what happened to me. So, next week, I will be having a plan, making some goals and knocking them out. Whaddya think of THAT? Impressive, huh? I thought so! LOL!!!!

Last night I had a really nice night. I went on a hot date with my BF. We went to Reel Inn in Malibu. I love that place. It's a restaurant you can eat at even while you're doing a prep. During my prep I went there and had grilled tuna and salad and steamed veggies. Last night I got Cajun grilled trout and salad and steamed veggies. They have yummy salsa and lots of lemons. And guess what else? This place even has Stevia in the Raw packets for your drinks!!! How great is that? So it's a great place to go eat. You can eat clean like I did or you can get a little dirty - french fries, rice, white potatoes, etc. or if you want you can get super dirty and just have fish and chips!!! With tartar sauce!! Now THAT'S dirty!

Well, after dinner which we ate outside because it was so beautiful, we went to the beach and sat on some rocks and watched the dark ocean, listened to the waves. My BF was in shorts and a t-shirt...me in capris and a long-sleeved T...YES, it is November!!! Is that crazy or what? I thought so too. Great meal, great relaxation, great company, great conversation = great night!

Today I was late getting out of bed, late to my chiropractor and late to work. So that's pretty good because at least I was consistent!! At any rate, I made it through my day and my chiropractor helped straighten me up but Aunt Flo came and so I'm in some pretty good pain today. I was going to work out tonight but now I'm not. I'm just going to take it easy. I just am not feeling the workout. Tomorrow will be a new and fresh day for me and I'll be able to start right in with my LEGS day! Yeah!

So, it's off to the weekend I go and come Monday...you better WATCH OUT because I am going to be on fire and there will be no stopping me then!!!! Have a great weekend and stay safe! Hope everyone's week turned out well or at least as you planned (or didn't)!!!

I was just looking for a quote for falling off the wagon as I feel my week was and found this article in TIME: It seems quite apropos so I thought I would let you all read it. With the new year right around the corner and people making New Year's Resolutions they won't stick to, maybe this article will help you stick to your goals no matter how many times you "fall off the wagon".

“I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb." ~Nelson Mandela

So here's to REGROUP WEEKEND! CHEERS!!!!

OOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWW! My head hurts!!!

Well, that's how I felt this morning when I was doing my cardio. You see, I was doing HIIT and since I've somehow tweaked my neck it was pinching a nerve that must have been cutting off my circulation, every time I would finish the high intensity part and I was doing the recovery my head would start throbbing. At first it wasn't that bad and then after a while it got worse and worse with each high intensity interval. I eventually had to finish my cardio at 15 minutes because I thought my head was going to explode. Fortunately for me (and all those around me) my head actually didn't explode!! Whew! Lucky me and lucky people in the gym, huh?

I ate pretty well today and then I got attacked by yumminess at the Farmers Market. I bought all kinds of great tasty things. I started out with just celery, cauliflower and cilantro. The fine lady at the stand threw in a bunch of basil too. Thank you farmers market stand lady. Then I bought some lentil soup to have whenever. It was tasty. Yes, buying soup when it's about 100 degrees outside!! Good choice! LOL! But it IS supposed to cool down soon so I'm sticking with that idea. I also bought some Korean items - seaweed salad and spicy codonopsis. Now this may sound yucky and weird and oddly enough I never had this growing up. I just looked it up on the internet though and it has some very good things to say about it - invigorates spleen and liver function, excellent blood tonic, and major immune system tonic. Fascinating! Then I headed over to the Greek stand and picked up REAL pita (oh boy is their pita good!), jalapeno hummus, babaganoush (eggplant dip/spread), and taramosalata (whipped roe dip/spread). Yeah, it was a scary trip to the farmers market and now I remember why I don't go to that particular farmers market. Too many prepared foods and not enough raw. Oh well. It was fun all the same and now I have some fun things to eat. Yippee!!

So my meals:
1) 2 cups puffed kamut, 1 scoop protein, 1/2 banana, 2 T walnut pieces

2) 5 egg whites, 1/2 cup oatmeal w/ 1/2 banana & 1 T walnuts
3) 5 egg whites in seaweed tacos!, 1/2 cup oatmeal
4) Traci's Thai Chicken (recipe below and YUM!), 1/2 cup brown rice
5) 1 1/2 pita bread, 2 T jalapeno hummus, 2 T taramosalata, 2 T babaganoush
6 & 7) to be determined

I did heavy shoulders this morning as well as bis and abs. It was a great workout. Amazing what 2 days of rest and 1 workout day does for your strength!!! Hahahahaha!!!!!! No, really, I haven't taken that much time off or training for a long time and I think my body liked it.

I'm off for the evening! Have a nice night and I'll see you tomorrow. Well...you know what I mean!!

Traci's Thai Chicken

4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 cup salsa
2 T peanut butter
2 T lime juice
1 T low sodium soy sauce
1 T minced fresh ginger

Chili garlic sauce to taste

Place chicken in crock pot, combine all ingredients except chili garlic sauce and pour over chicken. Cook on LOW 6-8 hours or HIGH 3-4 hours. When done cooking, top chicken with chopped fresh cilantro and chili garlic sauce.

Variety is Queen when it comes to food!

When asked what helped me stay on track during my contest prep and even now after it, my answer is always my food first. Then my explanation of that is usually something like "very clean" and a HUGE variety. I am just not one of those people that can eat the same thing day in and day out. Nope. Can't do it. Whether that makes/made a difference in my metabolism I'm still not quite sure. But I do know that I rarely eat the same thing two days in a row. I'm sure you've noticed this with my food plan. If you're a little scared to try new things, maybe these little pointers can help you a little.

1) Try a new food each week. It doesn't have to be any major thing. Maybe try a new grain (kamut, millet, quinoa, etc.) or some new protein (buffalo, ostrich, trout).

2) Go to a new grocery store. Maybe try an Asian market or a Mexican market. Or even just go to a farmers' market or a different farmers market. Switch it up. You can always find something new if you look hard enough.

3) Search for new recipes online. This can be for food you already know or if you follow suggestion #1 this is a good place to learn something new all together. Just try a new recipe and see how it tastes. It may and usually does for me even inspire yet another recipe with similar ingredients.

4) Try a new cooking technique. Make an old protein made in a new way (add new seasonings or pan fry instead of broil). Or maybe a new grain made in an old way (try savory oatmeal instead of sweet). Barbecue, crockpot, broil, bake, blanch, steam. The possibilities are ENDLESS.

5) Try different oils/fats for flavor. Don't be afraid to try different oils There are so many - avocado, walnut, peanut, canola, sesame, coconut. And nuts - walnuts, pecans, cashews, Brazil nuts, almonds, peanuts, macadamia. And nut butters - almond, walnut, macadamia, NuttZo, peanut, cashew. And there's always avocados.

6) Try different liquids. Try different milks - cow's milk, goat's milk, almond, rice, soy, coconut, coconut lite. Or even different alcohols - red wine, white wine, sherry, rum, marsala, beer. Stocks - chicken, beef, vegetable, mushroom.

7) Use different flours. Oh yes, my favorite...and there are sooooo many different flours and all good for something. Amaranth, brown rice, quinoa, oat, kamut, spelt, coconut, peanut, corn, masa harina, soy, buckwheat, flaxseed, black bean, garbanzo bean, graham. I could go on and on. I haven't even used all of these but I can see I have some work to do here!

8) Find a healthy way to make your old favorite classics. Now, no booing in the crowd! I know...I know. I will forever love my beef stroganoff. It is divine. However, it is made by dredging beef strips in WHITE flour and then cooking it in butter. Now while this is incredibly delicious, I know there's a healthier way to make it. Watch for that recipe coming soon. I'm not saying to always eat things in a "healthy" manner. Sure, I will have my beef stroganoff this winter as a very special treat but in the meantime I can have a lightened and healthier version more often. To me, it is worth it to have it lightened up and still have the ability to have it the "real" way once during winter. 

9) Make a savory food sweet or vice versa. I learned this when I finally stepped out of my box and tried oatmeal savory instead of sweet. Now while I've only made that a couple of times I know I need to make it again because it was delicious. I have made kasha sweet and I really would like to try it savory. These are just two examples. 

10) Always try new herbs and spices. Here is where boring and bland meets flavor and fire!! Just adding an herb or spice can completely change the taste of something. Sweet spices I love are cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, vanilla. Savory spices/herbs I love are basil, oregano, thyme, cayenne, chipotle, pepper, sea salt, paprika. I could go on and on but definitely try new and interesting herbs and spices. They'll change your life and tinge your foods with flavors.

So as you can see there are so very many ways to add variety to your food. And in the end I really believe it makes a difference in your metabolism since your body has no idea how to digest this "new" food and has to work extra hard just to metabolize it. No, I'm not a scientist but I do have a LOT of common sense and this seems to make so much common sense to me that I don't really feel a need to have science back me up! LOL!

A little sick but getting back to normal...I think

So today I didn't work out because I'm feeling a little under the weather. I slept in a lot and then slept some more after I had been awake for a couple of hours. Then I felt slightly better but then I went to Trader Joe's and felt worse again. We'll see what tomorrow holds. So today, workout was nonexistent and food was weird BUT I made the yummiest dinner EVER!!!!! It was so very delicious! Here are my meals today just to entertain you and appease me of my guilt for torturing my body with not enough food choices! LOL!!!

1) 2 cups puffed kamut with protein powder "milk", some dried cranberries and 2 T walnut pieces
2) Deli-made chicken noodle soup (that barely had any noodles left) with additional chicken (about 5 oz) and 2 slices olive bread (I know...I'm a danger to myself!!!)
3) Slice of olive bread with butter - please note above comment!!! - I was saving myself from myself by finishing the loaf
4) Might "Brown" Smoothie? - I needed some antioxidants so I added some things that made my might green smoothie mighty brown!! aloe vera juice, apple cider vinegar, spinach, cucumbers, celery, bell pepper, mint, frozen cranberries, frozen cherries, cacao nibs, stevia
5) 2 pork chops with Smoky Spicy Mashed Cauliflower!!! - Please try this recipe. You will die. It's so incredibly delicious, creamy, smoky. To die for!!
6) Probably going to be Pumpkin Souffle - what can I say? I'm addicted.

I need to have something else but I also need to get to bed soon. Hopefully tomorrow I'll wake up feeling 100%. I definitely need to repeat this ridiculously good dinner. I am definitely having that for at least one meal tomorrow and maybe 2. And then I'm going to buy the ingredients all over again so I can make even more of the same. It's THAT good!!!

Hope you are all having a nice November so far! Here's to another day. Enjoy your evening.

Smoky Spicy Mashed Cauliflower - OH BOY! TASTY!!!!!

 Pork Chops and Smoky Spicy Mashed Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower

1/3 brick Almond Jalapeno Jack Cheese (from Lisanatti), shredded

2-4 T almond milk

1 jalapeno

1/2 cup cottage cheese

4 large garlic cloves (or 6 small cloves)

1) Break cauliflower off stem. Steam in basket over simmering water for 10-14 minutes until very tender. 

2) Turn broiler on. Place jalapeno and garlic cloves on foil and put under broiler. Broil a couple 1-4 minutes, checking and pulling out when they are light brown. Jalapeno can get a little more char on it. The char will make the final product smokier. 

3) Place steamed cauliflower, 1/4 - 1/3 of the jalapeno, garlic, cheese, cottage cheese and almond milk in food processor. Run processor until smooth. If too thick, just thin out with more almond milk. Taste and adjust for spiciness. Add more jalapeno if needed and run processor again until well mixed.

These are SOOOOOO DELICIOUS!!!! Try them! I ate them with pork chops as you can see in the picture. Yummy and super quick meal!