Wednesday, September 26, 2012

I'm Hooked

On Fish that is!! Get it?! Hooked....Fish.....
It's been a long day. :-)
So last night after Insanity, we decided to cook up the Tilapia we bought on Sunday. I have had tilapia before, but it's been a while. I think really the best way to make it is to bake it. I guess you could grill it, but It would have to be in tin foil since it is so thin and flakey. It really turned out great, I have been really happy with the way the frozen seafoods we have bought have turned out!
We just added some mixed herb seasoning we had and lemon (which is key) and baked it at 375 for about 15-20 min.
To go along with this we had some bagged green beans from trader joes, all you have to do is vent the bag and microwave them....easy enough! We just added a little bit of seasoning in the bag while it was steamed. I also sliced up some sweet potatoes and made sweat potato fries. Same as before with these, i just added olive oil and salt, but this time i added a little brown sugar. Then baked on 375 for about 40 min and broiled for a couple minutes at the end. The whole meal turned out great and was super easy!
For lunch we had plenty of leftovers, but only enough fish for one....so I let the husband have it (aren't I sweet ;-)). I heated up an apple chicken sausage we had in the fridge to go along with the leftover green beans and sweet potatoes. It may not look that appetizing, but it was!
The other day I mentioned some greek yogurt and granola snack I was eating. I had that again today, but this time it was Pumpkin flavored greek yogurt. I liked the honey flavored better, but this one was better for you since it was low fat. It also has 18g of protein, cant beat that for a snack! I still added in the pumpkin granola as well, nom nom nom.

 And then this has become a staple snack for an hour or 2 after lunch, it really gives me a boost of energy when it's getting towards the end of the work day, and believe it or not, Dark chocolate IS good for you (in moderation of course). I eat about 2 blocks a day, so this bar has lasted me the week.
It has been nice to have the evening off since I did Insanity this morning. Now it's time to relax, cook up some dinner and catch up on these new shows coming on! Hopefully you all got in something healthy today and a good workout! I love to hear what you ate or the workout you did that day so let me know!

Plyometrics - Love vs. Hate

So I have not given a full detailed description of one of these INSANE insanity workouts. I found a good source that gave a good detailed description of the full 40 minute workout, so i thought I would share. So this week we have done the "Pure Cardio and Resistance" on Monday, "Pure Cardio" on Tuesday, and then "Plyometric Cardio Circuit" this morning. They are all really hard in their own way, but i think the "Plyometric Cardio Circuit" is my #1 on the hate list. So here is a play by play recap of the work out.

Warm -up - This gives a whole meaning to the word "warm-up", this is a work out in itself.
Each of these are for 30 seconds:
  • Jog
  • Jumping Jacks
  • Heisman’s - jumping from one leg to the other while alternating opposite leg and bringing it to chest.
  • 123's – These are Heisman’s with 3 steps between
  • Butt Kicks
  • High Knees
  • Mummy Kicks - kick alternating legs out while arms are straight out and make 'scissor' like motion.

  • No rest....go through this again, this time with more intensity.

    No rest....go through this again at maximum intensity, as many reps as possible in proper form.

    End of warm -up!

    Stretch:
    So after this, you are already dripping sweat and breathing really hard.

     25 sec water break

    Then into stretching. I like this, because you get a better, dipper stretch since your muscles are warm.
    Stretching consists of a series of leg, hamstring, hip, calf, quadriceps, and back stretches with some upper body stretching.

    Another 25 sec water break

    Now into the REAL work out.

    Workout Part #1
    Do each of these for 30 seconds:
  • Suicide Drills - run from side to side and touch ground on each side (kind of like 123's but touch ground rather than knee up)
  • Power Squats - regular squat but when come up, jump in air and land back down in squat position.
  • Mountain Climbers - Extend arms straight up and alternate grabbing imaginary robe while bring alternating knees up.
  • Ski Down - Imagine downhill skiing, keep both feet together and use your arms to propel yourself down the hill, then with each arm propel you are jumping side to side with your feet together.


  • 25 sec water break

    Do this all again, but this time at a much faster intensity.

    25 sec water break

    Do this all again but this time at maximum intensity, with as many reps as possible in proper form.
    But....NO water break...adding in more drills....30 seconds of each:
  • Switch Feet - Go from heel to toe, keeping legs straight and switching feet and arms from left to right.
  • Football Wide Sprints - Just like in football practice, fast feet, and he shouts commands from turn right, turn left, back, go left, go right, "set", which is football stance, then sprint it out.
  • Repeat Football Wide Sprint


  •  25 sec water break

    Workout Part #2
    Here comes the really fun part of the work out, which may create my  "hate" for this one:
  • Basketball Drills - go down touch floor in squat position and jump up like shooting a basket ball.
  • Level 1 drills - 5 Sets:

    1. Do 4 Push-ups.
    2. From the top push-up position do 4 mountain climbers – Bring your knees to your chest.
    3. Stand up and put your hands in the air – Great you just completed 1 Level I Drill.
    4. repeat 4 more times
  • Ski Drills - 5 sets

    1. Start off in the Plank position
    2. Use your abs and legs (keep your legs and knees together) to jump out to the right (knees toward your chest) while staying in the plank position.
    3. Use your abs and legs to jump back into the center.
    4. Use your abs and legs (keep your legs and knees together) to jump out to the left (knees toward your chest) while staying in the plank position.
    5. Use your abs and legs to jump back into the center. 
    6. Repeat 4 more times
  • In and Outs

    1. Start off in the Plank position
    2. Use your abs and legs (keep your legs and knees together) to jump your knees into your chest while staying in the plank position.
    3. repeat 4 more times
    25 Sec water break

    Do all of Workout Part #2 again, as many reps as possible in proper form.

    25 sec water break

    Do all of Workout Part #2 again, as many reps as possible in proper form.

    No water break, go straight into the following, for 30 seconds each:
  • Jabs - Boxing jabs with alternating fists
  • Cross Jacks - like a jumping jack, but alternating arm up over head and cris cross feet.
  • Uppercuts - Boxing uppercut with alternating fists.
  • Attacks - in squat stance throw open palm hits against an imaginary opponent

  • Now collapse on the ground because you just finished 1 Insanity video!!!!

    25 second water break

    Cool Down and Stretch
    Same stretched as first stretch session.


    So that is a recap of 1 Insanity video. There are 4 different ones in the first month (all 40 min each), which you mix up and do 6 days a week, with one OFF day. As you can see, they are pretty Insane, and I always feel victorious when I finish one. It's a great feeling after, which is the "love" part of the relationship, but there are parts in the video when i really hate it too. Tomorrow is the Recovery workout Day, so I am really looking forward to that! I'll be back later with some dinner pics from last night!

    Monday, September 24, 2012

    Wedding Weekend Recap

    You know those weekends where you need another weekend to recover? This was one of those. It was fun, just exhausting! We had a good friend's wedding to attend and my husband was also in the wedding, so we went to the rehearsal/dinner on Friday night, and then had all day wedding activities on Saturday! Here are just a couple pictures we took. There was lots of dancing, and we even incorporated a couple Insanity moves into our dances ;-)




    After we got back Sunday i made a grocery run and put together a quick dinner. We grilled turkey burgers (bought pre-pattied from Trader Joes) with Munster cheese, tomato and spinach. We also grilled some zucchini to go with it:
    This was a yummy, quick dinner. I always love a turkey or chicken burger. We also had enough leftover for lunch today.
    I also pre-baked some sweet potatoes for lunch and separated out some granola and carrots into snack bags. I always find it a lot easier to have it already put together, so then you can just grab what you want that morning, rather than wasting the time to pack it all up (and sleep a little longer of course ;-))

    For dinner tonight we made some spaghetti with the lean ground turkey we bought, and sauteed some yellow and orange peppers to go in it. We used some whole wheat pasta we already had in the pantry and added a spinach salad on the side.



    Today also started the second week of Insanity, we did the Pure Cardio and resistance for the second time. It was one of those days where i collapsed on the floor when it was over! It was a tough one, but it felt good! I am looking forward to the workouts to come the rest of the week! I am also looking forward to all the good shows starting back this week! As if i don't already have enough to watch with Prison Break!

    Sunday Shopping List

    So i got a lot of hits on my Shopping List post from last week, so I thought I would do it again and possibly make it a regular thing. I will be posting a Weekend recap later, but when we got back from our busy weekend I was able to make it out to Trader Joes and get plenty of groceries for the whole week.




    So here is a list of what I purchased:

    Meats:
    Lean Turkey Burgers
    Lean Ground Turkey (I actually prefer ground chicken, but they did not have any)
    Frozen Salmon
    Frozen Tilapia
    Frozen Tuna Steaks

    Veggies:
    Zucchini
    Cauliflower
    Green beans
    Sweet Potatoes
    Stir Fry Veggie Pack (pre-cut package of stir fry veggies, fresh, not frozen)
    Pepper (yellow and orange)
    Baby carrots
    Butternut Squash

    Fruit:
    Bananas
    Frozen Strawberries
    Frozen Mango

    Carbs:
    English Muffins
    Quinoa
    Pumpkin Spiced Granola
    Multi Grain Pancake Mix
    Sweet Potato Chips

    Misc:
    Greek yogurt (honey, pumpkin and strawberry/vanilla flavored)
    Eggs
    Horseradish flavored hummus

    There will be lots of good meals in there! I have never cooked butternut squash before, so I am interested to see how it will turn out. Any suggestions or tips are welcome!

    I think i also found a new favorite snack today.....Honey flavored greek yogurt with the pumpkin spiced granola, oh my goodness, SO Good. Try it! :-)



    I'll be back later with a weekend recap and some dinner meal pics :-)


    Friday, September 21, 2012

    Fitness Friday

    And Fitness Friday it was, whew! But I won't start on that yet. Let me back track to yesterday. Yesterday was Recovery Day!! Woo hoo. This does not mean an OFF day, there is actually a recovery workout DVD in Insanity. I really enjoyed this, it was a nice break from the soreness. This 30 min DVD included A LOT of stretching, which felt great. There were a lot of yoga poses in there, which were pretty tough. You were feeling the burn for sure with all the pulsing squats and lunges, but in the end my body felt much better and I still broke a little sweat.

    Then it was time to make dinner! We had some Salmon in the freezer we got from Trader Joes. They have a lot of good frozen seafood for a good price. We thawed that out and baked it on 375 for about 20 minutes with some spices and lemon juice on it. Lemon juice is key!
    We also sauteed some peppers (red, orange and yellow) in olive oil and salt and pepper:

    And then, my favorite side i have made so far, homemade sweet potato fries/wedges. These turned out awesome, way better than store bought ones. I just sliced them up, and baked them on 375 with olive oil and salt (I would prefer sea salt). They baked for about 30 min, then i turned them on broil the last 5 minutes to get them crispy. Yum yum!

    Overall, this meal turned out great and took less than an hour!

    After this it was time to relax and watch the DVR'd Big Brother Finale! (Spoiler Alert) I was totally team Ian, so I was really glad he won, with his socially award and dorky self.

    Today's Insanity work out was Pure Cardio. We did this one this morning, and it was Rough to say the least! We had been warned about this one, it was indeed hard, but I liked it. There was the usual warm-up and stretch, but with this one, you would do a full 1 minute of each exercise, with no breaks. I cannot even remember how many exercises it was, i lost count, maybe 10? maybe more, who knows! All I know, is by the end i was about to die. Dang you Saun T!!
    He did actually cuss on this DVD too at the end, which they bleeped out, but it made me laugh, and glad he thought it was as hard as I did! He does tell you to stop and break/get water if you need it, which we did. But eventually I want to be able to make it through without stopping....we will see.

    That was the last DVD, so we have gone through all of them now. I am glad i now know what to expect with each one. We have one more workout for the week, Sunday is supposed to be the OFF day, but it may be Saturday, just depends on how the weekend works around our workout.

    I am glad we made it through the week and can now enjoy the weekend knowing we were active and healthy all week!

    Now it is coffee and work time! Hope everyone has a fantastic (and fitness filled) Friday!

    Thursday, September 20, 2012

    Let's talk smoothies

    So I have gotten some requests for my smoothie recipe. I guess I have not been very good about putting exact recipes, more just pics and the ingredients, so I will try and do better about that :-)

    There are many ways you can alter this smoothie, so I will list some substitutes.

    Breakfast Smoothie (for 1 serving):
    1/2 banana
    1 1/2 - 2 cups of almond milk (you can sub a juice or water if preferred. You can get almond milk from any standard grocery store)
    1 cup of either strawberries, mango, or pineapple (some type of sweeter fruit, i usually buy frozen)
    1/2 cup of blueberries (optional, it is fine with just the fruits above. I also buy frozen in this)
    1 scoop of Vanilla whey protein powder. (I get mine from Trader Joes, but you can get this at most grocery stores in the protein bar section, or even walmart).
    1 tablespoon of ground flax seed (I get mine at Trader Joes. You can also find it at a health food store and in some regular grocery stores, i know Kroger has it)
    1 handful of kale (this is also optional, you cannot taste it, only get green flecks in your smoothie. You can get kale at any standard grocery. TJ's has bagged kale already separated from stem which makes it easier)
    1 tablespoon of nut butter (all natural peanut or almond butter)
    Hand full of ice

    Add all together and blend! You may need to add a little more liquid depending on how thick you like your smoothie. As long as you have a straw you should be good to go though!

    This is a great nutritionally packed breakfast, and really easy to make in the mornings. Try it out and let me know what you think!

    Wednesday, September 19, 2012

    Dilemma : How to survive work Pizza Parties

    Ok, so this may not sound like a dilemma, but when your work has a pizza party almost every week it can be! We have so many, one week we had two on back to back days! I mean can we get a Salad party or Sandwich party for that matter?! But we all know, that will never happen.

    Don't get me wrong Pizza is one of my favorite foods (along with burgers, fries, cupcakes etc) but that doesn't mean i need to eat it all the time, especially while i am trying to fuel my body through Insanity.

    So how do you handle this dilemma....not eat the pizza?? Yea right, when everyone around you is eating it and you cant escape the smell!

    So this is what I do: get 1 piece of pizza (not 2 small ones that you think equal 1), and not the largest piece either. Get whatever kind is healthier, an all veggie, or Margarita pizza or just plan cheese. Skip the meatlovers or the supreme. Then (if you know about the pizza party ahead of time) pack a salad (with a meat or protein) or some type of veggie combo to eat with it. That way, you still get full from your 1 piece of pizza and you get something healthy in there with it.

    Now, if you want to avoid eating the pizza all together (and you aren't required to eat with your co-workers, a 'grab and go" type situation). Then bring your entire lunch that day and go eat outside before the pizza arrives. Do not return until you know it is gone, then you don't even have to be tortured with the smell or watching others enjoy it. 

    So today i chose to have a medium sized slice of this pizza (this was NY style, so most of the pieces were HUGE):
    And then brought along a spinach salad topped with quinoa and goddess dressing. I also brought this as a snack for later, which was leftover from last night's side dish:
    So i survived the weekly pizza party. Hopefully these tips will help you out next time you face this "dilemma" :-)

    The Results are in.....

    The long awaited results are here!! I know you all have been anxiously waiting on this, so I will not torture you any longer ;-)

    1st Fit Test Results (Descriptions Here):
    Switch Kicks - 62
    Power Jacks - 55
    Power Knees - 82
    Power Jumps - 32
    Globe Jumps - 12
    Suicide Jumps - 13
    Push Up Jacks - 16
    Low Plank Oblique - 25

    So there you have it, based on the results of the people on the video, some I am significantly lower than, and some I am right about the same. We will see how I improve (or don't improve, which would be embarrassing :-)).

    Since my last post, I have done 2 full Insanity workouts. Yesterday after work the Husband and I did the Plyometric Cardio Circuit. I think it was tough not knowing what to expect, so I wasn't sure when to push my  hardest and when to hold back a bit. It's 40 minutes total, with warm up and cool down. It started into the warm up, which was pretty tough, and I actually thought we were going straight into the full workout. But he gets you a little sweaty and loose, then you start to stretch, which i like. It's a nice little break after getting your blood pumping. Right after that, you go into the High Intensity workouts. They are about 3 minutes of high intensity (30 sec per exercise) non stop, then a 30 sec water break. You do this about 4 times. It is tough that's for sure, but thankfully not that long, and they have a count down on the TV, so you know exactly how much longer you have of the total workout, each exercise and when a water break is coming up. This is all cardio work, it used some of the fit test exercises and then several others. By the end, i was definitely dripping sweat, our poor hard word floors are going to need to get mopped pretty often now. To be truthful, i cant even remember the workouts we did in this one, i think i was just trying to get through it without taking the break allotted, but i still had to stop for a couple seconds here and there.

    It is nice to be home working out, and to be able to start dinner right after, versus driving home from the gym. By 7 we were done and already making dinner. For dinner we baked some chicken (mine with just spices, The Accountant's with spices and a BBQ sauce). He ate his by its self, while i put mine in a whole wheat flax seed tortilla (from Trader Joes) and used this new Pesto Spread I got from World market, then topped it with mozz cheese:


    My tortilla kinda fell apart while flipping it in the pan :-/. I also made a quick black bean, corn and tomato salad for the side. This meal turned out really well, i love pesto, then with the chicken and mozz cheese, it was awesome!

    Lunch yesterday was a mix of leftovers and new stuff. I had the leftover brussel sprouts (still not a big fan and they stunk up the office), a baked sweet potato (which i baked the night before when cooking the swordfish), and a spinach salad with quinoa and mozz cheese on top:



    The workout this morning was Pure Cardio and Resistance. This one had the same layout as the previous, warm up, stretch, then full on high intensity workout. This one was tougher i think, because of the strength part, there were a lot of push ups, of all different kinds. I had never seen some of these types of push-ups before, but I could def feel the burn! I think the moving push up was the worst, where you move your hands and feet to the left push up, then to the right, push up, and keep going. That was in the middle of your High intensity work out, so you are already worn out. I sweat a lot today too! Which i like, but, a little risky on the hardwoods. We kept a towel near by to keep wiping it up. It was a little rough on the wrists too with all the different push ups, but i guess your wrists get stronger the more you do.

    So that's my experience so far! So far, so good. The workouts are similar to what I thought, but overall it is harder than i imagined, and I sweat a lot more than I thought I would!


    Tonight's dinner is....Indian!! I never really eat Indian, so I have no clue what to order, but I will be sure to take some pics!

    ....catch ya on the flip side!

    Tuesday, September 18, 2012

    Insanity Fit Test Recap

    So yesterday I completed my first Insanity workout. This was the Fit Test. It consisted of 8 exercises, where you complete as many of each exercise within 1 minute. You then get a 1 minute break in between each. There is also a warm-up and cool-down, so about a 30-min work out total. This is pretty short considering i am used to 1 hour work outs, but each minute was very intense.


     I will have to post my Fit test results later when i have them on hand, but for now, below is a list of the exercises that had to be performed:

    1. Switch Kicks - Jump kicks, alternating legs. 2 kicks - 1 rep
    2. Power Jacks - Jumping jacks where you land in squat position
    3. Power Knees - In a slight lunge position bring knee to hand. only perform on 1 leg.
    4. Power Jumps - Jump in air and bring knees to slap hands. Keep knees bent.
    5. Globe Jumps - Squat jump by touching ground and jump with hands in air. Go around the world, 4 jumps = 1 rep.
    6. Suicide Jumps - Burpees
    7. Push-up Jacks - Push-up, when go down spread legs apart, bring back together when go back up.
    8. Low Plank Oblique - In plank position, bring alternating knee to elbow.


    This Fit test was pretty tough, and as you would expect, the longer down the list, the harder it gets. By the time you get to the end you are exhausted. My lungs were hurting, and that has not happened in a long time. I would have to say the toughest of the workouts was the Power Jumps and the push-ups jacks. I dont think i did terrible, but it will be interesting to see the improvement after each Fit Test. You do a total of 5 fit tests, 1 at the beginning, 2nd half way through the 1st month, 3rd at end of the first month, 4th half way through 2nd month, and 5th at the end of the 60 days. I am not really sore today from this, but i know this will change after my full workout today, this will be a full 40 minute workout. Recap on that will come later.

    As far as food, Breakfast and lunch yesterday were nothing new, another smoothie for breakfast, only difference is I added kale in this time. Lunch was another wrap with some sweet potato chips. Below is one of my snacks for the day, almonds and banana chips:

    Dinner was really yummy! We had baked swordfish, roasted brussel sprouts and quinoa. The swordfish was baked with lemon juice with some misc spices we had in our cabinet. The brussel sprouts were roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper, and for the quinoa i added some sriracha hot sauce! We have never cooked swordfish, and it turned out great, i would definitely do it again, i may like it better than tuna actually. Brussel sprouts.....not my fav. I think roasted is the best way to cook them, but they definitely stink up the house, and I can only eat a couple until I am tired of them. So this may not be a staple in our house.

    We switched up breakfast this morning, it was a Cinamin Crumpet from Trader Joes. This is a lighter, fluffier version of an english muffin. The texture is strange, and I only like it toasted. Without it toasted, it is a little too dry for my taste. I added almond butter on top and sliced up a banana.

    Hope everyone had a healthy and happy Monday! It has been rainy and dreary here, but that doesn't mean you can't still be active! I'll be back later with Fit Test results and a recap of today's full Insanity workout!

    Monday, September 17, 2012

    Lets go Shopping

    So i thought it might be beneficial to post my grocery list i purchased for the week. Insanity does come with a nutrition plan, which i read through. I feel like i already eat pretty similar to this, at least the type of meals I have, but, this calls for 5 meals a day. Not 3 meals and snacks in between, but 5 full meals. I don't know if i can do that. So, i am going to stick with how i normally eat (3 full meals with 2 snacks), and try and add more protein in there. If i start to feel weak through the workout plan, like i need 5 full meals, then i will start that. But for now, I'm sticking with what i am comfortable with.

    So here are majority of groceries i purchased for the week (best i can remember):

    Meats:
    Salmon
    Swordfish
    Apple Chicken Sausages
    Deli Turkey

    Veggies:
    Broccoli
    Brussels Sprouts
    Spinach
    Kale
    Peppers (red, yellow and orange)
    Avocados
    Tomatoes

    Fruit:
    Bananas
    Strawberries
    Cantaloupe
    Frozen berries and mango (for smoothies)

    Carbs:
    Flax Seed whole wheat tortillas

    Snacks:
    Sweet potato chips
    Banana chips
    Almonds
    Dark Chocolate

    Misc:
    Hummus
    Protein powder
    Almond Milk
    Canned Black Beans and corn

    I also have several things leftover from the week before i will probably use: Frozen Chicken breasts and pork chops, eggs, quinoa, Chia Seeds, cheese, almond and peanut butter.

    So there you have it, i will show what meals come out of this throughout the week!


    Weekend Recap

    Monday's are always tough to get back into the swing of things, especially after such a fun weekend! Below are some pics to recap my weekend, mainly of some of the meals I enjoyed, although it was not the healthiest weekend, i tried my best with what I was given!

    Friday Night dinner Out: Oysters!!

    Saturday Morning Breakfast: 2 eggs with hot sauce (Sriracha i bought this weekend at World Market), turkey bacon and a banana
    Tailgating Snacks! These sweet potato chips are awesome!

    Go Wolfpack!! We won AND The Accountant wore Red! (with an ECU shirt underneath)


    WARNING: Do NOT drink this beer....I should have known by the name.

    Sunday Morning Breakfast: Frittata with tons of veggies (broc, onions, tomatos, mushrooms, peppers) and topped with sour scream and chives.
    So that is a quick recap of my weekend, plenty more fun in between (like watching a million Prison Break episodes and helping the family with a fundraiser).

    Also....Delivered Saturday was.....INSANITY!!! The Accountant and I will start today after work with the "Fit Test". I will give a full recap after we are done (and maybe some pics???? If you're lucky)!

    Hope you all had a fabulous weekend full of yummy foods, football and awesome fall weather (I even pulled out the (nc state) hoodie!!)

    Friday, September 14, 2012

    Breakfast: the most important meal of the day

    I was telling a friend yesterday how important eating breakfast is. I know we have all heard it, but I truly believe breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It increases your metabolism for the whole day, energizes you so you can start your morning off right, and keeps you from stuffing your face at lunch because you are so hungry! Breakfast has always been my favorite meal, there are so many easy and quick options!

    My breakfast was the same as the day before, another power smoothie (banana, strawberries, blueberries, almond milk, vanilla protein powder, peanut butter and flax seed). Also had my daily cup of coffee. Apparently my body requires coffee now. I went 3 days the other week without coffee (not intentionally i just got busy and forgot to make some) and I had the worst headaches all day, for 3 days straight. I couldn't figure out what it was, I was actually a little scared there at the end. Then I thought about caffeine headaches that addicts have ( i did not think i was an addict) so I drank a cup of coffee the next day, and bam, it was gone like that, and has been ever since. So now i know I am officially addicted to caffeine.....:-/

    Lunch was another wrap (on flax seed flat bread) with the quinoa and grilled peppers left over from the other night! I also added the typical greens, turkey, swiss cheese and hummus. This was even better than yesterday and packed more protein from the quinoa so stayed more full after.


    I was meeting a friend (my MOH) for dinner last night, so I went to the gym right across the street before hand. I took this new "CrossTraining" class, I have seen it on the schedule and been wanting to check it out. I figured it would be similar to Insanity, and it was, except it incorporated some weights as well (which was pretty rough since i had just done BodyPump the day before). The class was good, we all stood in a circle around the instructor as she shouted out the next move for us to do. Examples: 20 sec of burpees, 20 sec of mountain climbers, jumping jacks, high knees and so on. We also worked the arms and abs, so it was a good full body workout within the hour. I am pretty sore today i must admit.

    Dinner was Sushi! One of my fav 'going out to eat' meals, since i cant (or choose not to) make it at home. Below is the pretty picture of it all (after we had both eaten a couple pieces, whoops). It was a perfect night to sit outside and catch up with sushi and a beer!
    I am anxiously awaiting 5:00pm so I can start my weekend! I cannot promise yummy sandwiches and healthy shakes for the weekend, but there will be some exercising and fun times of course! The Accountant and I will be going to our first NC State game together, and I cannot wait to see him in his RED cheering on the Wolpack! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

    Wednesday, September 12, 2012

    A Sandwich a Day.....

    Keeps the doctor away?? Not medically proven, but it works for me!

    Pretty much all the meals today were typical in our house. Breakfast consisted of my Fav smoothie: Banana, Strawberries, Blueberries, almond Milk, all natural peanut butter, Vanilla Whey protein powder and flax seed. The picture does not really do it justice, but it is SO good, and always keeps me full until lunch time! This gives me tons of my fruit servings for the day, protein, calcium and fiber, such a powerful meal in one container!

    Lunch was....drum roll please.......a Wrap aka Sandwich! This wrap was really yummy today. It was a flax seed flat bread (try saying that 5 times fast), spinach/artichoke hummus, greens, turkey breast and swiss cheese. This is a normal wrap i make, but the new hummus i got makes it even better. I think all hummus flavors are great on sandwiches though.
    After lunch the hubs and I decided to walk over to Stabucks since it was so nice out and get a little treat for ourselves, the ever famous Pumpkin Spice latte! I don't really go to Starbucks, but these things are amazing! I have been wanting one since they came back but had to wait for the perfect fall today, and i think today was a good one!
    Today's workout was one of my personal Favs....BodyPump! This is one of the many Les Mills classes they offer at my gym, and it is strictly strength training. It incorporates a high number of reps, so you get a good cardio work out too, and I am always really sore afterwards. If you dont take this class consistently you will not be able to walk for several days after, so i try to take this class atleast 1 or 2 times a week.This is one of the classes i want to continue taking while doing Insanity, so i can keep building muscle.

    For dinner we thawed out some chicken legs and grilled them along with some orange and yellow peppers and portabello mushrooms. I also cooked some quinoa to add some protein and mixed it all together. It turned out great, and I have extra quinoa to put on a salad or wrap for tomorrow.

    So that is my typical day, i just got an email that my Insanity Shipped today so I am hoping to have it by Friday or early next week!! Woo hoo!

    Tuesday, September 11, 2012

    Pumpkin all around

    Within the past week it has really started to feel like fall. I had a full gym workout planned for the day but then the hubs and I decided to go for a run outside instead since the weather was so nice. I was a little hesitant at first, considering I had not done a forreal run outside in months.

    Recently I have been obsessed with only doing group fitness classes at the gym. Group fitness classes have always been my favorite type of exercise, but i knew i needed to try and mix in some running. So we found a route (not really sure how long it would be) and it ended up being a perfectly routed 5K, which I did suprising well considering the lack of running. I know i have been doing consistant cardio, but i always feel like running is so different and if you do not do it for a while, it's tough to get back into it.

    This weather is perfect for outside exercise, i just sometimes feel like if i don't go workout RIGHT after work (my gym is a mile down the road from work) then i will get home and start doing other things and never end up doing any exercise. So now i have ordered Insanity, which i will be doing at home, in the comfort of my living room, but the plan is to do this in the mornings, before work. I go through spurts with early morning exercise, and i have not been in morning workout mode in a while. But really, i think it's the best time to get it done. You are energized the rest of the day and you dont have other obligations pop up that keep  you from doing it after work (working late, errands that need to be run, dinner plans that come up). So the plan is the do Insanity in the morning, if it doesnt work out some days, no biggie, we can just come home and do it after work.

    So after our run, we ran to the grocery for things to finish out the week of meals. I was excited to see that all the Pumpkin spiced beer is out! This is my fav beer season, so of course i got some, and the hubs got a pale ale. Mine of course was way better! ;-)
    I know i know, beer is not healthy, but it's a guilty pleasure i like to enjoy in the evenings. I love cooking dinner with the The Accountant, having a beer and enjoying each other's company.

    So dinner, was my version of an open-faced sandwich. Mixed greens with a black bean burger, swiss cheese and portabello mushrooms on top. I also added a little ranch dredding to the greens. Very yummy! We also baked a couple fries to have on the side with it!
    Now it's time to relax, get my Fantasy Football team in order for Thursday and enjoy the rest of my pumpkin beer :-)

    What is a Sandwich?

    I am so glad you asked!  Here is the official definition of a sandwich:

    Definition of SANDWICH

    a : two or more slices of bread or a split roll having a filling in between
    b : one slice of bread covered with food
    So a sandwich does not have to be a deli sandwich, or even have two pieces of bread attached. I really don't even think it has to include bread if you dont want! As long as there is an outer layer with some type of filling, i believe THAT is a sandwich. What more can you ask for: carbs, veggies, meat, dairy and even sweets if you desire, in one dish! And I can promise you, I bet you cannot find one person that dislikes sandwiches.

    The Beginning

    I decided to give my first blog a whirl. Let me first describe the name. I am in fact Insane for Sandwiches, anyone that knows me knows I am obsessed with sandwiches and always have been. I love them all and do not discriminate. I eat some sort of sandwich almost everyday, whether it be for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Of course, i don't think i could ever have a blog strictly devoted to sandwiches. I am also a fitness fanatic, and have been for about 6 years now. About my junior year of college i realized something had to change with my lifestyle choices, so i joined a gym, changed my eating habits, and 30 lbs later I was a much happier and healthier person and have continued to be since then. I just recently purchased the BeachBody Insanity DVD set (which i have been dying to try for probably a year now). I finally broke down and forked over the money and will be starting it within the next week with my Husband, the Accountant. I thought this blog would be a good place to track and be held responsible for the Insanity challenge as well as spread my love for sandwiches, hence the name "Insane for Sandwiches". I will also try and post other helpful stuff like workout tips (other than Insanity) and quick and healthy recipes I try to use in my everyday life. So here goes nothing!