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.
alright, those were our game day treats!
now, what did you make? was it 'clean' or 'dirty'?
le
my brother and sister-in-law came over to watch the game with us so i made a few snacks including this one i'd love to share with ya:
