Showing posts with label healthy eating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healthy eating. Show all posts

Thursday, June 21, 2012

The Dark Side

Hey There ~

I hope everyone is doing well. I on the other hand, have had a doozy of a time the last couple weeks..It all started when my husband gave me his nasty cold. Even though I told him I'd rather have a dentist drill on my tooth, he gave it to me anyway! So I was feeling crummy, stuffed up, sore throat, along with sneezing and coughing. So after about a week of that I was feeling better and then Sunday came along and my back was all messed up.

I have no idea how I hurt it. But after 3 days I knew I wouldn't be able to work so I ended up having to go see the Dr.  who then said maybe it was all the sneezing and coughing. Thanks sweet hubs for your gift that keeps on giving!!

Long story short, I was laid up for about a week and I'm just now starting to feel normal again. It's amazing what some Ice, heat and muscle relaxers will do for ya!

So you can image how horrible physically and emotionally I felt after about 2 weeks of not working out and eating things I shouldn't be.. damn Trader Joes and there delicious coffee ice cream bars!! Even though my back was sore and tight this morning, I knew the best thing I could do was get back in the saddle. I headed to the gym and did some good stretching and an easy workout well it was supposed to be an easy workout but of course that doesn't really fly with me... here's what I did.

3 sets of......

1. Static Lunges R leg ~ 15 reps
2. Static Lunges L leg ~ 15 reps
3. Curl w/ press standing on 1 leg for 10 reps then switch to the other leg for 10 reps
4. Tricep push up into a cobra into a downward facing dog 10 reps (these felt good on my back) slow and controlled people!
5. 1 arm fly w/bridge 8 lb med ball 15 reps ea arm (one of my new fave exercises)

I did 60 sec of jump rope in between each exercise..


Me after this workout!! SWEATY!!!!





Then I stretched again really good when I was done with my workout. My back feels great!!

Being active is what it needed once the spasms and pain subsided.. I did need that week of rest. We each know our bodies and I knew that a good stretch was what I needed in the healing process at this point.





My sister made a delicious pizza that I feel in love with and I had to have the recipe.


Caramelize some onions in evoo until they are sweet and brown, then I sauteed some thin zucchini slices with garlic for about 5 mins.. brush rolled out pizza dough with evoo and put on your sauteed veggies then add fresh mozzerella cheese and bake on heated pizza stone at 475-500 for 10 mins...

This is what you'll get to eat... so delicious! I'm in love!!!

I took the down time with my back to get some studying done. If you didn't see my last post I just started studying for my Personal Trainers Certificate through the NASM..

It's gonna be a hard but anything worth doing is, Right!!

This was just funny!!


I can totally geek out on Star Wars and who doesn't LOVE Pink Floyd??

Catch ya on the Dark Side..... :)
oxox Sherice

Sunday, May 13, 2012

SouthWest Chicken Salad

Hey Peeps ~

I hope everyone one's Mother's day was beautiful like mine! Around our house we feel that everyday is a day to celebrate mom's and dad's so we never really do anything extra exciting. Other than maybe I don't spend all day doing the usual chores and cooking. I love to cook so I really don't mind it!

Today I got up, had my coffee on the deck will being serenaded by the birds and being snuggled by Marley, all the while Mr. Sunshine warmed me!

Then I made Mexican egg wraps, which I LOVE!! I just can't get enough of these. It's so easy and super delicious. I need to get some whole wheat tortillas. That's the only thing that always makes me feel like I'm not eating as I should. But I'm human.

I use...
2-3 tsp Taco seasoning
4 egg whites
2 whole eggs 
small flour tortillas
hot sauce or salsa
Scramble eggs with seasoning and put in shells just like a burrito or taco. I add salsa, a little cheese, cilantro, and Fage yogurt to mine..but it varies.. variety IS the spice of life, Right!! 
This makes about 4 wraps, enough to feed the hubs and I, 2 egg wraps ea.


Then I did some "around the house" stuff ya know... the usual suspects.. dishes, laundry, bathing! Then it was off to visit with my mom for a bit and then get a workout in!
Here's my workout for ya! Do 3 sets!
 Once I killed my workout! Yes I'm guilty!! I came home and made some delicious gluten free, vegan oatmeal choc chip cookies.

So yummy and did I mention Healthy!

At Chili's they have a southwest quesadilla chicken salad with a cilantro vinaigrette that is the only thing I ever get from there, minus the quesadilla ( trying to be healthy, ya know) So I thought I'd try to recreate it at home..

Sherice's SouthWest Chicken salad

Chicken Marinade 
1/4 tsp chipotle powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin.. I love cumin
1-2 cloves garlic minced
about 1/3 cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
 I put all ingredients into my Magic Bullet and give it a whirl!! Have I mentioned how much I LOVE this little machine!!

Cilantro lime vinaigrette
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup EVOO
1-2 Tbls fresh squeezed lime juice.. I used 3 and it was perfect but I like lime
1 Tbls red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp oregano
once again I used my Magic bullet! put all ingredients in and give it a whirl!
put in jar and put in fridge. Let sit for about 30 mins so flavors can marry before using

then I grilled the chicken and sliced it up, and added it on some romaine added corn kernals, black beans, black olives, a little cheese, avocado, cherry tomatoes and some crushed up corn tortilla chips on top. Then added the 2-3 Tbls of the dressing. DELICIOUS!!

 now I'm having the same thing tonight for dinner and a cold Stella.

Happy Mother's Day!!
oxox Sherice

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Pasta? Think again!

Hey There ~

Things around here have been pretty quite. I'm excited to be putting some plants into my garden this weekend. When Mother's day rolls around you know it's safe to start planting. You don't want to any sooner for fear of frost. So I will be putting in some plants this weekend.. I've got some seeds also but I've been waiting due to lack of a fence across our garden area. We have a little puppy who likes to dig and run around in the raised beds so we will need to be putting up some fencing to keep him OUT unless he's invited in :)

 Last night I had a delicious dinner!

Spaghetti Squash with Quinoa "meat" balls and a little red sauce I made.

Sherice's simple red sauce ~ This is a super quick easy sauce I make when I don't have any spaghetti sauce in the freezer or I want a lighter sauce.

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1-2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 lrg onion minced or 1 sm onion minced
handful of crimini mushrooms minced
sprinkle of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
fresh chopped basil

Saute onions and mushrooms for 5-7 mins add in salt and pepper stir, add in garlic saute 1-2 mins, add in tomatoes and red pepper flakes. simmer for 10-15 mins. add in basil or sprinkle directly onto whatever it is your eating!  Enjoy!

Here's the video on how to make the squash and "meat" balls..

These meatballs were so delicious you've got to try them. I was thinking that the next time I make them I might mix it up a bit and add in some grated zucchini and some fresh basil.. just to give them a bit more flavor and to kick up the veggie content.. or even adding in some diced eggplant would be great. Go nuts!! That's the best part of cooking.. tweaking a recipe to suit your palate!

I also made Kale chips for the first time this week.. oh they were crispy and spicy.. just what I like!
I made 2 batches.. the first batch was my favorite but the second was good also!


All Hail Kale ~
preheat oven to 350 for 11- 14 mins keep a good eye on these, they go from not quite done to burnt in no time at all
I cheated and got a bag of organic kale already cut at Trader Joe's just because I could :) 
I split the bag into 2 batches..

#1 batch
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil
1/4 tsp Chipotle powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
good sprinkle of sea salt

#2 batch
1 Tblp EVOO
1/4 tsp chili powder
sprinkle red chili flakes
1/4 tsp cumin
good sprinkle sea salt

I made the mistake of thinking they were cooled and put them into a ziplock bag. The next day they were chewy instead of crispy, still good but not what your going for!

I haven't worked out this week due to a bruised knee.. I took a couple days off at work to let it rest and heal. Being on your hands and knees washing floors isn't going make the healing any faster ya know. So I will have a workout posted for you this weekend. 

I'm really going to try to get more blogs posted. I'm thinking maybe 3-4 a week. I want my blog to grow and get some more hits and followers so I need to be spending more time at it and start being a lot more consistent. I find that the only time I really blog is when I've got a recipe or workout to share, but I'm finding that on the blogs I follow and really enjoy, they blog about their day to day lives and what they've eaten that day or their workouts. So I will try not to totally bore you to death. I'm really NOT that exciting but I will try to blog more! 

OX Sherice


Sunday, April 22, 2012

Please don't squeeze our cheese

Hey everybody~

How goes it? I hope things are going well for everyone and you enjoyed your weekend where ever you are!

My weekend was good. The weather perked up here in Spokane this weekend and it's been beautiful! Today it was near 80.. yahoo. I can't wait for the boat to get running... we need a new starter :(.

On Friday I didn't have to work so I met up with my sister and we headed to our favorite lunch place Taste. It's a mom and daughter eatery that serves fresh local salads, sandwiches and soups along with delicious baked goods and desserts! We split our favorite, the avocado, bacon tomato, mozzarella Panini  and she had a cup of Clam chowder and I had a side salad..

We also each had a brownie.. We were going to share but I took one bite and said "nope, gotta have my own"










Later Friday night I got to the gym and busted out this workout. It was brutal but worth it!!

4 min Tabata warm up
1. Mt climbers
2. in and out thrusts (hands on floor and just jumping feet towards you and back)

then 15/45/24 rd/2x thru = 24 mins
I didn't keep track of my scores.. I was to wiped out just trying to get through this workout.. I have to figure out how to have enough motivation and energy after cleaning houses all day to get to the gym. Working out once a week is NOT working for me!!

1. Lunge back with a front kick touching opposite hand (R)

2. Lunge back with front kick touching opposite hand (L)

3. Jump jack elbow to knee.. I took this move from one of the new bodyrock workouts and it was brutal! but great cardio

4.  L raises.. a lat raise with a front raise but arms are in an L shape and you alternate them w. 4 lb weights which doesn't seem like a lot but it is! my shoulders are still tender!

5. plyo push ups using a bosu.. so one hand on the floor other on the bosu do a push up and on the up explode up and switch hands to other side.

6. side jump lunges

7. side bends w/15 lb weight (R)

8. side bends w/15 lb w (L)

9. J.J. elbow to knee same as # 3

10. Reverse crunches hold a ball between thighs

11. Sit ups touching hands between legs alternating legs each time up

12. side jump lunges

I was wiped out and I'm still sore! that's the 1 day a week.. :(

 Saturday, My sister and I met up again and went down town and enjoyed some Earth day celebration. We looked around in Main Market, which is an organic market that also is a local co-op. I FINALLY found 2 things I've been looking for,  Chipotle powder & Zico Choc Coconut water. The Coconut water is rich and delicious and tastes like choc milk! And the Chipotle powder is spicy with a kick! They also have a great assortment of cheeses and this sign was really funny to me.

 We also shared a Salad Sampler plate.. which included a Pesto Pasta with greens salad, a greek quinoa salad and a chickpea salad that to my surprise was really tasty.. last time I checked I didn't think I liked Chickpeas AKA Garbanzo beans but I guess I do! :)



We then walked to one of our new favorite cafe called Madeline's to sit in the sun and get a Cappuccino and dessert. On the way there, guess what I happened across ??


 YEP... you guessed it.. Spokane's own Lululemon store!! I was so excited I just about broke out into a dance. But I contained myself! :)


When we got to Madeline's we ordered a cappucino and a cigle.. which is like a rolled up thin wafer cookie with choc mousse in side and the ends are then dipped in choc. We shared of course!


 Then upon returning home I cleaned my bedroom, carpets included and washed bedding and cleaned my bathroom really good.. washed walls and all....

Then we bbq and had a nice fire in our fire pit. I made ( with my sisters help :) )  a delicious Quinoa greek inspired salad with artichoke hearts, fennel, red onion, cherry toms, italian parsley and a lemon and olive oil dressing. I also marinaded some tri tip steaks.  I unfortunately forgot to take a pic but here's the recipe...

Chipotle Marinade
1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chipotle powder
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp instant coffee or espresso powder
and a dash of salt

They were really good!!

Sunday was just as beautiful.. my sister came over and we had Eggs Benny and Mimosas

Then we relaxed in the sun for a bit and took the boys on a walk...

These are both our dogs but they love auntie Kristine very much!! Marley in front Luka in back.. Luka really enjoyed his harness once he stopped trying to figure out how to get it off and he liked his walk.. we are just getting him out walking, the weather has been to cold for these guys. Boston Terriers don't have much of a coat and don't get a winter coat as other dogs do! Once home they both had a big drink of water and crashed out! :) I love my boys!!!

My sis and I then went to N.W. Seed and Pet and I got 2 more Strawberry plants and 1 Cherry tom plant and a Early girl tom plant! One of our raised beds is half Strawberries which have already started creeping, so I've decided to just fill the whole thing with strawberries. You can never have to many Strawberries!! Then we got some Frozen Yogurt!

Once home I had some lunch.. Leftover Qunioa salad and a bacon, tom, avocado sandwich on Ezekiel bread..

I'd love to hear about what you did this weekend. Whatever it was I hope it was a good as mine :)

Sherice oxox

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Haystacks..... and I don't mean cookies!!

Hey guys!!

I hope everyone's Valentines day has been good. Today is just another day to the hubs and I.....We celebrate our love everyday, we don't have any need to make a big production out of this one commercialized holiday!!

I have a quick, easy, delicious, dinner for you that has literally been in my family for years.. I'm 38 and I've been  I'm in my early 30's and I've been eating this since I was a kid!

Haystacks ~

this is my cleaned up version of this recipe.. the original calls for chili, my family likes Nalley's and I use Amy's Vegan Chili and corn chips. And you still can if you want to.. you can make this dish as "clean" or as "dirty" (lol) as you'd like!!

you will need......
Chili.. what ever kind you like or that suits your dietary requirments
organic corn tortilla chips
Reg cheese or Daiya cheese
salsa
sour cream, I use Better than Sour Cream
and any kind of veggies you like..

This is what we put on it ...
mushrooms
cucumbers
avocado
bl. olives
cilantro
onions
tomatoes

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family and I do!

My workout for today was a timed workout. Not necessarily a time challenge but I do like to push myself but because I was doing a few exercises I'm not really good at,  I took my time and watched my form. 
3 sets
20 reps ea exercise except for the skipping do 100 reps
Remember to breath out on the exertion

1. squats w/ a side leg lift w/15 lb kb ( 10 ea side)
2. plank jacks
3. deadlifts w/15lb kb
4. skipping (100 reps)
5. plank w/ shoulder taps ( 10 ea side)
6. plank jacks
7. bicep curl w/12lb on rd side of bosu....go slow on the way down, that's when your building muscle
8. skipping
9. stability ball roll outs
10. plank jacks

I finished my workout in 38 mins
Don't forget to drink water and stretch before and after

I hope you all have a great night :)
Sherice ox

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Baked Pears, Sprouts & a workout


Hey!
What's happening in Blogger land?

Not a lot going on here. OH wait.. I did win an awesome prize from one of my favorite healthy blogs, www.bexlife.com.

It's a composting factory !!! *cheering and hand clapping*

It's a worm factory 360!! It comes with all the stuff minus the worms, you get those separately, and was a snap to set up!!  All I need to do is make the worm bedding with the pumice and bedding that was provided, order my worms and let them start turning garbage into compost. My husband built us 4 beautiful cedar raised beds last yr that are going to LOVE, LOVE this!!! Can you tell I'm excited!! when I get it set up and functioning, I will try to remember pictures or maybe even a vlog.. I'm interested in posting those sometimes I just need to figure out how to do it on my Macbook. Which I'm sure is super easy. :) you keep this little beauty inside. It doesn't like temps below 40 and above 80 degrees. It comes with 4 compartments but you start out with just one, when the worms have done their job and have turned the junk into compost then you simply add another compartment and they will work their little wiggly bodies up into that compartment and get busy working. You then add the bottom compost to your beds!! HOW EASY!!! and the way the worms work, there is no odor.. so don't worry about it smelling up the house, It won't! It was a little over 100 bucks, which I could not have afforded right now!! Thanks Bex!!

It seems when the weather turns cold, cloudy and snowy I turn to pj's and comfort foods. I haven't had a workout in the last couple days, So with that in mind I've tried to keep my eating on the good side.
I scoured over online recipes looking for a baked pear recipe that sounded good. But I only had what was in my kitchen to work with so that eliminated a lot of the recipes.
After not finding anything that really peaked my interest I decided to do what I usually do and that's to use a little of this and a pinch of that.
I had 2 Bosc pears in my fridge because this craving had been stewing a bit in my memory from seeing a delicious looking pear on foodgawker. I cut up the 2 pears into halves, cored them and placed them in a sprayed baking dish, then I took a couple handfuls of oats, a tsp of cinnamon, a little bit of ginger, a splash of vanilla, 1/2 cup brown sugar and some room temp Earth Balance butter maybe 3 tbls. and blended it all together with a fork.. I placed the oat mixture on top of the pears and baked it with foil at 400 for about 20 mins.. then took off the foil for about 5-10 mins. Pictures and a blog post was an after thought I'm sorry to say, so not great pictures!
This is before I cooked them. They were good. A couple days later I made them again but I used a Bartlett Pear and it was so much better. The Bartlett had so much more flavor and it created it's own juice. Even though they say Bosc are better for baking I'd use a Bartlett instead ;)

I love sprouts.. I remember my mom always had sprouts growing on the kitchen counter when I was a kid. I found this great website www.sproutpeople.com and found sprouts galore!! So I got myself a couple sprouters, or you can use the old school glass mason jars with a little screen in the tops. I like these because you can see the magic as it's happening but since my young ones aren't so young anymore and really don't care about sprouting sprouts, I opted for the "sprouter" at sproutpeople, along with the starter kit of sprouts. I have a bunch of different sprout varieties.. I've got...French garden, Italian blend, Spicy mix, alfalfa, clover, Russian mix, Oriental mix, Nick's mix, and Moo mix. You can go to the website I linked above to see what is in these mixes, but for instance the Oriental is what I sprouted and it's got, alfalfa, red clover, mustard, mizuna and tatsoi seeds! The first day you put 2 Tbls of seeds into your cup, then fill with water. Let seeds soak for 24 hrs on kitchen counter. In am drain and rinse seeds let sit on counter.. I usually rinse and drain 1-2 a day. Another reason I got this type of sprouter is because it's got an insert the when twisted it doesn't allow the inner compartment with your seeds in it, to touch the bottom. So it also works as a strainer. So if your using the old school mason jar, make sure your sprouts are not sitting in water.. that's the key to sprouts!!  In about 4 days depending on what sprouts your using you will have yummy healthy sprouts to eat!
Day 2





day 4 ready to eat
soak in water to remove hulls



Now your ready for some yummy sprout sandwiches!

I hope you've found something worth while on my blog today. Remember that today is what matters not yesterday. It's over and done. No replay!! so focus on TODAY and making good choices to improve your life! :)

EDITED @ 2:45pm

Hi again.. just finished my workout... here it is....
I did 5 exercises in a Tabata format, in between each exercise I alternated 50 toe taps and 50 mt. climbers. Here's the breakdown
10/20/8rds= 4 mins this is called a Tabata interval

1. Plie Squat w/12 lbs,  I did this 1 exercise for the whole 4 min tabata interval before moving on to my next exercise. remember 10 secs of rest and 20 secs of work for the whole 4 mins BEFORE moving to next one!!
9, 9, 9, 10, 10, 9, 10, 9

50 Toe Taps you can use the floor or a ball or what ever makes you feel good :)

2. Side Plank lift (R)
8, 8, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10,

50 Mt. Climbers

3. Side Plank lift (L)
12, 14, 12, 10, 11, 10, 11, 12

50 toe taps

4. alternating punches with resistance band.. hopefully you have a door attachment for your resistance band..put it in door attached to your RB shut door tightly. Stand with your back to the door gripping the handles on RB walk out until there is tension on your RB then alternating punches. ;)
17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 20, 20, 18 my shoulders were on fire by round 8!!

50 mt. climbers

5. Toe Touches laying on floor
11, 12, 12, 11, 11, 10, 13, 14

I feel better now!
Sherice ox