kettlebells — Blog — Fit Foodie Le

last night's meal 5.... ain't she fine? i took a roasted baked potato, topped it with crumbled 99% lean ground turkey (seasoned with Mrs. Dash no-salt fiesta lime seasoning, fresh parsley, garlic, and liquid aminos) chopped green onion, fresh tomatoes, and a dollop of 0% greek yogurt. finished it off with a sprinkle of more Mrs. Dash and dried parsley.

flavor EXPLOSION in ya mouth!

i cooked the potato like i always do- 450 deg for 45 minutes or until oozy. if you poke holes in it beforehand it won't ooze, but there's no fun in that.

after 42 pics from every angle possible, i gobbled it UP. yall know i love the versatility of sweet potatoes- try them with your family and see what they think! you can customize your toppings for sure, just like you would on a normal russet potato. don't let the sweetness throw you off- it will work out, i promise.

so i'm gonna post LEG exercises all this week, and i'll start with these two:

1. side lunge w/ squat

1. start position stand with feet shoulder width or closer apart

2.(lunge) keeping your left leg straight, step out to the side with your right leg, and bend at your right knee.

3. (squat) push your heel firmly into the floor while pushing your glutes back and keeping knees behind your toes.

push-off the right leg through your heel to return to the start position.

repeat; 3 x 12, each leg.

above is just a collage of what the lowest point of your lunge/squat should look like^

knees behind your toes
straight opposite leg
back flat
chest up
head up
weight planted firmly into your heels
lift your toes in your shoes
push back up to starting position through your heel, not your toes

Q: can't you do these with a dumbbell? A: this particular exercise, DEFINITELY. however, the two main differences (ok really the only two in my book) btw kettle bells and dumbbells are the grip/handle and the center of gravity of the weight.

'once the bell is thrown with force, it must be controlled and stopped with an equal amount of force. you are now working twice as hard to move and stop the bell. these actions and reactions require tremendous efforts to stabilize the body. most of these efforts start with your legs and hips and are controlled with your shoulders and trunk or core.'

kinda hard to do that with a dumbbell... and some will argue that you just can't get a GREAT, EFFECTIVE full body workout with a dumbbell alone vs. a kettle bell.

well, what do you think?

2. knee to elbow standing crunches

these are fun and all about obliques! they also contribute to balance and core stability. the kettle bell handle is very useful on this one.

1. engage your core while standing with your feet shoulder width apart.

2. drive your right knee up, and simultaneously bring your right elbow down to meet it, crunching your right oblique in the process. same rules apply:

chest up

back straight

core engaged

you can speed it up or take it slower, depending on the weight of your bell. really engage the obliques though by keeping your movements controlled and with a full range of motion. keep it even and hit both sides of course til it burns!

*****

being an instructor has its perks- this outfit is a testament to that! an Athleta (by Gap ) store opened up close to my gym, and they kindly gave the instructors tops and bottoms to model and show off to our members.

sweet deal.

*warning* i took these pics after working out and put this fit to the ultimate test! excuse the sweat stains! among other things ;)

Athleta - Inside Track Knicker 69.00$

great for running, gym training
wide waistband streamlines hips
NeverEnd drawstring means no hunting for ends

lightweight, sleek, stretchy, comfortable, moveable
made of recycled polyester/lyrca spandex
performance fitted, mid-rise, and tight leg

not shorts and not pants- i have always dug the cropped length.

Athleta - Run On Tank 39.00$

running, gym training
ultra flattering style lines
lightweight, silky, breathable, stretchy
polygiene (ployester/spandex)
rear zipper pocket (cards, keys, small items, etc.)
semi-fitted (more 'flowy' than skin tight)
reflective detail keeps you visible in low light conditions (for my evening runners!)

if you haven't checked out Athleta yet, go for it!

i told ya i don't discriminate- i found the biggest beets i've ever seen at wally world (Walmart) and threw them in my basket without hesitation. @ 1.98 for 3 huge bulbs, they are as big as grapefruits!

however i was looking for eggplant, which i did NOT find and had to go elsewhere to get it.

i found some for a great price at Fiesta! i also copped some papaya since it was on sale. lunch was a plate of grilled chicken breasts seasoned with Mrs. Dash garlic and herb seasoning, grilled egg-plant, roasted sweet potatoes, and papaya salsa!

fresh & fit papaya-lime salsa

1/2 diced red bell pepper
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1 cup diced papaya
2 tbsp cilantro
2 tbsp green onion, chopped
juice of half a fresh lime

slice and dice that all up, squeeze the lime over it, refrigerate, top on whatever you like, devour.

WHEW! it's a lot goin' on in this post lol! until breakfast, goodnite fit foodies.

i started my super bowl sunday out with a beast of a workout! why was it such a beast? well, my bro-in-law, Brian, strolled into the gym and took the last 30 minutes of my total conditioning class with me, and he made me do 30 minutes of his workout afterwards in return, whew. s/n- it's always a great thing to see familiar faces in my class!!! when i first started teaching, i used to get ridiculously nervous if someone i knew told me they were coming. even having my own husband there used to frighten me! i just didn't want to get so nervous and mess up.... unconfident much?

but you know what i learned? nobody even know's i've 'messed up' unless i SAY something. i actually used to apologize on the mic to everyone in the middle of the routine! i have grown tremendously over the years through practice and experience and did NOT give up. even now, i have brain farts often but it's usually because i get so pumped and start to run around the room motivating members that i forget what i was about to do next in my routine!!

quitting is NOT an option though- do. not. give. up. if you're committed to something you truly LOVE, your passion for it won't let you. it's worth all the time, energy, and effort you put into it.

we did a kettle bell and box circuit.

when i saw him go get those stupid boxes i knew it was about to be ON. #crotchsweat

that's my grimace face...not a smile.

i post pics of my Polar watch after my workout on Instagram sometimes and i get questions like, 'wow, what'd you do to burn all that??' or 'how much of those cals were from ____?'

truth be told, it's different every work out, of course. i try to get in and out in under 90- minutes, but it also depends on what i'm workin that day. here's the approximate breakdown for this particular day though:

200 cals - 15 min fat burning warmup on the elliptical while waiting to begin my class

750+ cals - 1 full hour of Total Body Conditioning (cardio + weights, HIIT)

350 cals - 20 minutes of kb's and boxes with my bro

i go over 1k maybe twice a week at the most.

working out with Brian = soreness in places i forgot about. never a dull moment with him, EVER.

hope you guys enjoyed watching the big game on Sunday, whatever you did! we had a little last-minute viewing party at our home and i told myself i wouldn't stress this year and to make it a SB potluck party! i only made four things:

1. chunky grilled shrimp dip

grilled chunky shrimp dip

the stuff:

1 lb EZ peel shrimp, any size
1 avocado, chopped
half of 1 red bell pepper, chopped
half of 1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 lemon
1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
2 tbsp coconut aminos
2 tbsp fresh, chopped cilantro
1/4 cup red onion, chopped

do this:

cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice onto the thawed shrimp and add 1 tbsp of liquid aminos. season with your choice of no-low sodium seasoning, and let it sit for 30 minutes minimum. whip out your grill pan and grill them up on high heat. remember they cook extremely fast...no more than 3 min on each side. plate them, cover with foil, and let them sit tight for about 5 minutes. chop up everything else if you haven't yet and throw it in a bowl: cilantro, bell peppers, red onion, avocado, and finally your shrimp. bite size pieces perfect for scooping with chips is best. add the last tbsp of aminos, squeeze the other half of the lemon over your mixture, and sprinkle with the cracked pepper. let this chill in the fridge for at least an hour. then, scoop away. fresh, easy, quick, mmm hmm, all that!

2. tidy turkey janes

waaaaait a minute....i said i was saving this recipe for my Fit Foodie Le fit e-cookbook, remember!?!? uh oh, i think i only disclosed that info on IG and hadn't mention it on my blog yet. well, SURPRISE!!!! :shock:

the meat sauce is aaaaaalll clean, but you can always switch out the rolls and use whole wheat/grain for sure. e-book is still in the works! will hop right back working on it after i finish this post. it'll be worth the wait;)

3. homemade, clean guacamole

i did everything 'to taste' with this guac recipe! forgive me! here is everything i used though:

ffl's homemade guac:

the stuff:

8 ripe avocados
2-3 roma tomatoes
garlic powder
onion powder
coconut aminos
half of 1 medium yellow onion
fresh cracked black pepper
sweet, smokey chipotle paprika
juice of half of 1 lemon
fresh chopped cilantro

do this:

you can throw ALL this into your food processor/blender and whip it into a smooth, creamy avocado mousse like texture, or chop everything finely by hand and keep it chunky. here's a tip though- make sure the tomatoes are somewhat dry, cause they can make the dip runny. taste and season accordingly from there!

4. savory & sweet rotisseri chicken bites

ok....i did not get to go to Sam's and get some rotisserie chicken, but i DID have some leg quarters in my freezer already. so i totally switched this recipe up this year. i roasted them on 350 for about an hour or so, then shredded them after they were cool. dark meat just doesn't shred as easily as white meat, but i did my best to make it work. and i didn't use flour this time. the clean version is right beside each ingredient in parenthesis for ya, as promised!

savory sweet rotisserie chicken bites w/ pb toast crunch coating

the stuff:

4 cups shredded chicken (white, breast meat)
1 bunch chopped green onion
4 oz garlic and herb goat cheese (4 oz fat free cream cheese)
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar (1 cup low fat or 2% cheddar)
1/2 cup sriracha hot sauce
2-3 tsp black pepper
coating - 3 cups crushed peanut butter toast crunch cereal (3 cups peanut butter puffins or fiber one cereal)
4 scrambled raw eggs (5 egg whites)
2 tbsp tony chacheres cajun seasoning (salt-free tony chacheres)
2 cups flour (whole wheat flour) OPTIONAL!

do this:

turn oven on 350. after the chicken has been shredded finely, add the cream cheese, hot sauce, shredded cheese, green onion, seasonings, and form individual balls (1-2 in in diameter) with your hands. get two separate bowls and put the eggs in one, crushed cereal in one, and the flour in another. use one hand to roll the chicken ball into the flour first (optional), then the egg wash, and finally the dry cereal mix until it is covered completely. place the balls on your baking pan, and cook them for about 15-20 min or until brown and crispy. makes about 30+ balls, depending on the size you rolled'em!

yes, more goat cheeeeese! i found this one right next to the honey goat cheese @ HEB. it worked GREAT in the chicken bites recipe! so much flavor.

alright, here's some of the spread!

these snacks made the Beyonce concert, i mean, the game much more enjoyable. a family member of ours brought wangs, YUM! you can't watch football without'em. hot, galic and parmesan, and my fave, honey bbq.

friends also brought several bags of chips, like these multigrain Tostitos i adore, among other things! we were so grateful for every contribution thank you MUCHO, friends and fam! and lastly, there is NOTHING thing clean about these babies! i just used an ordinary vanilla boxed cake and made mini and reg size cup cakes topped with vanilla icing and sliced strawberries. they went FAST.