November 24, 2013

#laterpost #flashbackfriday

November 24, 2013/ leah.egwuatu@6packusa.com

i'm going through a period in my life where i'm letting go of something good to make room for something a billion times better. why is that so dang hard though? always easier said than done in my world. accepting change doesn't have to feel like pulling teeth, but i tend to take it to that level ~~a lot~~ every now and then.

i stick to my 6 Pack USA workout plan for the majority of my workouts but sometimes i just go in and wing it.

today's sweaty randomness: back, light triceps, cardio

machine shoulder press 4 x 10
lat pull downs 4 x 10
machine tricep pushdowns 4 x 10
hammer strength pull downs 4 x 10
seated rows 4 x 10
deadlift / overhead press combo w/ 45 lb bar 3 x 10
steady-state, fat burning cardio on the elliptical 30 min

before that though, i met with the ladies of Style to Envy for breakfast at La Madeleine and did my best to resist all their crazy delicious savory and sweet pastries. i met Val and Nikki at the Blog Elevated Conference this past Sept. and we discussed a few collaboration ideas for 2014! looking forward to that.

Chiso worked up an appetite playing hard and requested pizza for lunch. soooo, since were in the vicinity, we chowed down on some Ruggles Green gluten-free cuisine.

i had the Atlantic salmon salad with all the trimmings. i actually forgot to ask for the dressing on the side this time and was too hungry to wait for a re-do.

what a Hammy Mc Hamster! Chiso got his pizza fix and i finished what he left which was only one dang slice! and i have no idea where he got 'eat everything but the crust' from. he certainly didn't learn that from Sonny or i cause we eat the whole thing. so yeah, i finished all his leftover crusts too. that dough is AMAZING.

*********************

here is a lighter, low sugar pumpkin cake recipe i made a few days ago i'd like to share before Turkey Day:

yummy pumpkin cake

the stuff:

1 cup Stevia for Baking
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 can pure pumpkin
2 large eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk

do this:

mix wet with wet, dry with dry, then incorporate together. do not over mix!
divide batter evenly between two 8 in round pans
bake for 28-30 min on 350 or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
let the cakes cool then pop them out of the pans
top however you'd like! i used vanilla butter cream and the very last few pecans in the bag (i hope that explains the debris on the plate) this time, but next time i'll keep it super light and use sugar-free/fat-free cool whip. there are actually a few vegan coconut cream frosting recipes i've been seeing around. that's a great option too!

makes 12 slices (for 1, no topping): 137 cals, 6g fat, 18g carbs, 3g fiber, 2g sugar, 3 g protein

hope you had a fantastic weekend. it's COLD in Houston these days, brrrrrr.

t-4 days yall!!

November 27, 2012

plateaus + 30 min shoulder workout

November 27, 2012/ leah.egwuatu@6packusa.com

the holidays take forever to get here and then they are gone just like that. *tear*

are you back on track from Thanksgiving yet? well how much more time do you need!!?!?! :shock: i'm good (now), but if your body seems to have come to a stubborn halt, or if your results seem to be going in reverse:

*lift heavier

*do a completely different set of exercises for a particular muscle group

*add a HIIT workout into your regimen to shock your metabolism (track sprints, bleachers, stair master, hill sprints)

*take a class at your gym! (spin, weights, kickboxing, boot-camp, yoga, etc.)

*do your normal routine in reverse order

i chose a different cardio toy last night! i know it's super similar to my fave machine (the machine with the feet) but the stride is wider, and there is an incline function. pick machines that use upper and lower body simultaneously cause that gets your heart rate up right away and provides a full body workout/warmup. remember, the more body parts moving, the more calories and fat you burn! you can do HIIT on that thing or steady state cardio, you choose.

i taught my Total Conditioning class this morning and burned about 700 cals, then hit the weights for a quick 30 min shoulder work out. i must share this burn!!

tripleset (using moderate to heavy weight)

seated rear deltoid press 3 x 12

seated lateral raise 3 x 12

seated front deltoid press 3 x 12

***

standing alternating forward dumbbell raises 3 x 24

standing dumbbell T raises 3 x 12

barbel upright row 3 x 12

***

25 heavy barbel shoulder shrugs 4 sets

early morning workout complete and i am done for the day at 7:30am!

we went to Ruggles Green again over the long holiday weekend and i finally ordered something different - organic turkey lettuce wraps.

not bad! i can totally make them at home though. lean ground turkey, black beans, carrots, red peppers, tomatoes, bean sprouts, and corn all nestled inside a thick leaf of crisp iceberg lettuce.

i ordered a 3 cheese kids pizza for Chiso as my former little garbage disposal has become extremely picky. wonder how long that'll last...

it was a winner.

if he didn't kill it, we would have.

money well spent. i ordered some of their famous butternut squash too as usual, and whaddaya know- he doesn't like it anymore :roll:

so i handled up on that.

Sonny ordered what i usually get- the grilled fish tacos on corn tortillas.

'pumpkin? clearly it's a basketball. '

he tried to bounce it and everything!!!

then....fro-yo time. i mean it was right next door.

aaaaalllll those toppings and i never really step outside my comfort zone.

no sugar added vanilla frozen yogurt, mini dark chocolate chips, sprinkles, and whipped cream. 20 cals per ounce - my kinda cheat treat!

creating a fro-yo monster :)

remember that shrimp i bought that was on sale at the same time fresh salmon was?

i finally defrosted it and threw them in my grill pan along with some raw zucchini for dinner that night. i sprinkled some more of that sweet smokey chipotle paprika and some dried parsley on them first,

and overcooked the heck outta them. shrimp cook so fast it's not even funny. you're supposed to do this for all proteins, but take them off the heat just before they are done, cover them with foil, and let them 'rest'. they will continue cooking from the residual heat. so if you take them off when they are done, they will get chewy on you after they cool a little and they won't be nearly as juicy.

Ogechi brought me those seasonings at the perfect time cause my HEB has been outta Mc Cormick's smokehouse maple seasoning for weeks.

we don't have our Christmas tree up yet. i usually wait until the price drops a little before we go get one. a real one! i love how they make the house smell. we were able to put up a few Christmassy items though.

Chiso did his own thing and wasn't interested.

matter fact, all those boxes back there were on the floor by the end of the night.

thanks to my little elf!

November 07, 2012

journey to clean(er) eating

November 07, 2012/ leah.egwuatu@6packusa.com

how it starts....

how it ends.

i got the baby basket on purpose but i stuffed it full like i knew i would. going in and coming out with one thing is a complete joke. there is always something else we need!! or want.

the journey to clean(er) eating starts in the grocery store. remember these tips when you go shopping:

MORE fresh fruits and vegetables

LESS processed foods (low to no)

lean proteins - chicken breasts, ground turkey, seafood, beef,

healthy fats - avocados, mixed nuts, olive/coconut oil, natural peanut butter

whole grains/fibrous carbs - oatmeal, sweet potatoes, quinoa, beans, whole wheat pasta, high fiber cereal

on Sunday's trip, i got everything on my list plus a few more items:

oh and Ezekiel sprouted grain sesame bread. left it off the list, oops. aaaand i did get a few indulgent items for Sonny for winning his show this past weekend... i know you see them :shock: oreos, gummy bears, and cookies n cream ice cream.

i have always wondered why pumpking pie spice is so freakin high!!! this 1.12 oz jar is like 4.99. for no reason. this is what i've always bought. i was on my way to get some magic pop when i passed a table of seasonings and saw a big bucket of this:

what! now 4.99 a POUND is more like it!! i grabbed a couple bags. man i love finding great deals.

yesterday, i applied that same 'squeeze the muscle with every rep' technique to my upper body workout and man did it give me a good muscle pump. try it!!

one of my fave exercises (i'm sure my class members HATE them by now lololol) are W presses with dumbbells. make a W with your arms (similar to my pose above) holding a heavy dumbbell in each hand. move both arms up / out simultaneously without going higher than your head with the weights. then, retract them back in towards your head. keep your elbows in front of your body. makes for great shoulder/collar bone/back definition! the racerback style is my absolute fave to wear, regarding my tops, and this exercises targets that area nicely.

dinner that night was a baked sweet potato stuffed with seasoned chicken breast chunks, green onion, and topped with fromage blanc. french cheese! i also had a side of steamed zucchini.

yum.

i found the fromage blanc at Whole Foods while looking for the quark that they didn't have. the cheese lady told me that fromage blanc was the closest thing to it. i picked it up and read the stats,

and they were even better than the quark! heck that's better than sour cream and greek yogurt! greek yogurt does have a ton of protein, but it also has sugar too. anyway, awesome find. HEB has it also.

today...cardio, legs, and stretching.

i could not WAIT to get home to dinner to make me a sandwich. that was all i could think about.

i made a big pan of baked chicken breasts this morning, so all i had to do was cut it up and put my sammich together. i seasoned each breast with something different (bbq, lemon pepper, garlic and herb, smokehouse maple, and montreal steak seasoning) and some dried parsley. 350 degrees for 1 hr.

finally! seasoned chicken breast, avocado, tomato, almond cheese and Trader Joe's pumpkin butter all on toasted Ezekiel sprouted grain sesame bread. i also had half a sliced apple and some Justin's maple almond butter for dipping.