Staying Active {Pineapple Mango Smoothie}

Staying active is important, but so is giving your body rest. I was absent Tuesday and Wednesday but doesn't mean I wasn't staying healthy.

Tuesday was a busy day and after a long day at the office, I was really exhausted. My legs felt it from Monday's workout and decided to take a rest day. After you exercise, your body is trying to rebuild and repair any of those muscles that were torn during your workout. Time is important. Without giving your body enough time to rebuild and repair, you end up doing more damage than before. That's why it's common not to exercise the same body part two days in a row.  Tuesday's dinner was left over burgers that we made last week! Delicious :)

I was back to business on Wednesday. I started my day with a hearty breakfast. Scrambled eggs and Broccoli. It was so hardy I couldn't finish it and ate the rest for lunch after I finished my workout.

I also had a great smoothie for lunch. It was full of tropical flavor. I tested Jay Robb's pineapple whey protein. I use this protein powder over other brands mostly because it doesn't have many extra additives. I'd rate the flavor a 7/10. It was good, but I like the Orange flavor much better...


I spent the rest of my afternoon with the family. My sister cooked up a favorite Indian Dish - Malai Kofta. We all needed a walk after dinner.  We ended going on an adventure trying to follow a bunch of firetrucks that passed by. We couldn't figure out what the commotion was all about, but we got a nice walk out of it.

I was actually still pretty full from yesterday that I skipped breakfast today and enjoyed a Iced Coffee...recipe coming soon ;) But in the meantime here's that recipe for the smoothie that helped me recover from my sweaty workout...




Pineapple Mango Smoothie

1/4 mango chunks
1/4 cup pineapple chunks
1/2 cup ice
1 cup almond milk
1 scoop Jay Robb Pineapple Whey

Blend together for a creamy tropical post-workout drink.

Perfect is never

How many times have you told yourself, it has to be the perfect moment before you can do something...what is perfect? Will it really ever be that perfect time...Stop procrastinating and start doing. 

The 3 C's

Happy Monday {Chicken Adobo & Garlic Cabbage}

Hopefully everyone had an enjoyable weekend. I know I started it off great with an amazing massage Friday afterwork. It was well deserved after working so hard all week. Friday night was date night and we enjoyed some delicious wine with Brick Oven Pizza...A little cheat is ok once in a while, 80/20 remember :)

I haven't been cooking up a storm as much lately, mostly because we always end up with tons of leftovers. Since it was a new week, we were actually scarce of food and I ended up doing a little grocery shopping today. Luckily, this recipe I've recreated is really simple and doesn't require any special ingredients, so my trip was probably one of the shortest.

I like using the slow cooker because it lets me do other things while flavors are brewing. Today for example, I set the slow cooker on high for a bit, then reduced it to low and went on with my day.

While dinner was cooking, I was tending to my workout of the day. It was great, I got super sweaty even though I only concentrated on my upper body to give my legs a little rest. My heart rate was still in the medium intensity range (130-150), which meant I was still getting a great workout.  The key is intensity and weight. By increasing the intensity, your burning calories but still building muscles.

After working out and getting ready, dinner was almost done and I was ready to eat....B liked this recipe so much, I ended up throwing more chicken in the crock pot for tomorrow's lunch...Hope you like it just as much!

Chicken Adobo

Ingredients

• 2 -3 pounds chicken (cut into pieces)
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup coconut aminos or tamari
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp raw honey

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker.
2. Cook on high for two hours; reduce heat to low and continue cooking for four to six additional hours.
3. Serve with Garlic Cabbage. 

Garlic Cabbage

Ingredients

• 1 head cabbage, thinly sliced
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp coconut aminos
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat oil in saute pan. 
2. Add cabbage and stir until heated. Add garlic and coconut amino. Continue to cook over medium heat until cabbage is soft. Season with salt and pepper,
3. Serve with Chicken Adobo. 

What's your skin Eating?

A while back I posted about how important it was to avoid toxic chemicals and use a more natural approach to personal hygiene and beauty care.  I myself have switched out more than half of my skin care and makeup for natural and organic cosmetics. Even though I don't see any dramatic differences, I think it takes time before I see and feel real results. 

I found this cute pictorial on the internet and thought it would be great to share so you can see how important it is to take care of your skin...

http://www.ecomom.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/infographic-skin-final.png

Fitness Friday {HIIT Full Body Circuit}

Earlier this week I promised you a great Full Body Workout and here it is! I was seriously shaking after I finished this workout that's how good it was.  I like finishing knowing I gave it all I had and didn't leave anything left. This motivation has really been paying off. I've had more energy and my strengths have been improving. Even better, my jeans are getting looser.

For this workout, you are strength training and in between raising your heart beat so you are benefiting for HIIT. Your heart rate should slow down during the strength training and then you bump it up. I recommend using a heavier weight to get the full benefit and giving it all you can during the 90 second burst of "cardio." 

DISCLAIMER: I’m not a doctor/nutritionist/dietitian/personal trainer. This post is basically my opinion and NOT what you should base your own healthy living decisions off of. I recommend you contact a qualified professional if you are planning to change your exercise or eating habits. They can be invaluable and help you safely start a weight loss or exercise program.

{Quinoa Salad w/ Garlic Chicken}

I've been getting really good at sprints, and today I had a personal record. I completed 30 minutes of full out sprints, without any breaks! Usually, I try to take a small break at each 10 minute mark, but today I just kept going. I've been using my Garmin to help track my heart rate and it reached close to 185 at some point, with a maximum speed of 10.5mph. That's definitely HUGE progress for me, considering the first time I did sprints, I was in pain for almost a whole week afterwards.

To help fuel my workouts, I've been increasing my carbs, which also seems to help with recovery. I've also upped my protein. One of my favorite non-paleo foods is Quinoa. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the grass family. Quinoa is closely related to species such as beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds. (Wikipedia)

Quinoa has a great reputation mostly due to its higher protein content. Nutritonal data shows it's a complete protein, so it's another great way for vegetarians to fulfill their protein requirements. It's a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is naturally gluten-free and considered easy to digest, which is good for me.

So far I've tried both Red and Plain Quinoa, and they both taste great. You could make it either stove-top or in a rice cooker. I prefer a rice cooker because I can set and let it cook without worrying about stirring.

Tonight's dinner I used some vegetables I had leftover to make this yummy salad. 

Quinoa Salad 

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups cold water or vegetable broth
1/4 tsp salt
1 medium ripe tomato, chopped

1 small red onion chopped
1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, cilantro, or basil

Fresh ground pepper

You could also add a tad of olive oil, chopped avocado, and goat cheese for an even more delicious summer salad.

Directions

Soak the quinoa 5 minutes in cold water. Rinse thoroughly 2 times, pour off the water and drain through a large fine mesh strainer. Cook in rice cooker until done. 

Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, chop the tomatoes, herb, cucumber, and onion.

Gently combine veggies and quinoa in a large bowl

Cover and chill or serve immediately with your Chicken or Fish. 

{Motivation}

Happy Wednesday {Motivation}

A little something to get you through the rest of the week. 

Strive to be better!

A New Favorite {Burger Recipe}

Finally, it feels like Summer is actually coming closer. Chicago was blessed with amazing weather. Every time it gets nice out I feel like people become nicer, which is obviously a good thing. I had a full day and lots of work to get through so didn't make it out during the day. To my surprise it was almost 85 by the time I did get out of work, and was tempted to walk home, except I wasn't wearing the most comfortable walking shoes...next time i'll make sure I bring a pair of sandals.

After work I did a quick workout, staying motivated is they key. I'm glad I got a workout in, it always puts me in a better mood since it good for releasing endorphins. My workout was pretty intense for only being 30 minutes. I used the Random setting on the StairMaster and upped my resistance level up to 10. No strength training today, saving my strength for tomorrow.

After my workout, I decided since it was so beautiful out, it was a perfect day to grill some burgers. Fortunately, more and more stores are starting to carry grass-fed beef. Even though I shop at Whole Foods, it's nice to know you have options when something isn't always available at one store. Grass-fed beef is soo much better than anything I've ever tasted. I'm not even a huge red meat eater, but I can truly taste the difference, as my sister would say, the don't taste "burger-y," or they don't taste "processed" to be exact.

Sadly, I didn't make it upstairs to the roof, but we still opted to use our George Foreman, and dinner was nothing less than amazing! B said it was probably the best burgers he ever had, that put a huge smile on my face.

I don't have an exact recipe for these burgers, mainly because they were so simple...


Pepper Crusted Burgers

Ingredients

1 lb grass fed beef (85/15)
garlic salt
Steak Seasoning for creating crust

Directions

Mix beef and salt in a large bowl and form into 4 even patties. (Tip: I used the lid of a jar to get the patties even)

Pour steak seasoning onto a small dish, and dredge patty in seasoning, on both sides. Grill for about 10 minutes, until juices run clear.

Enjoy with your favorite salad or burger bun.

Strength {Motivation}

It's normal for you to think that Strength = Power. Well to be honest, it didn't come to me until I saw that but your strength should really be measured by how much perseverance you have in yourself, followed by persistance. Never giving up on a goal, persevering to get there in my mind is a measure of how Strong you truly are....

Feeling Energized {Spanish Shrimp and Zucchini}

Most Monday's are productive, especially today, sort of. My morning started off pretty well, but then I ran into some issues later in the day with my computer breaking down on me a handful of times. Frustrating! Well, after rebooting and talking to IT for several minutes, I was able to get up in running, until it broke down several more times through out the day. You could say that my day was pretty frustrating, but I managed to stay calm.

Even with a day full of miscellaneous annoyances, I was able to stay motivated to get my workout down. I started off with my usual sprints, added a few challenges by increasing the incline. It really wore me out, so much I had to split up my workout. After recovering from my sprints, I did a HIIT full-body circuit which took about 45 minutes. I almost didn't do, but then remembered my quote from this morning, and got my butt up and got my sweat on. Stay tuned for the workout, which will be posted on Friday. It's a good one, I promise!

After my workout, I looked through my fridge for some inspiration for dinner. I came up with a Spanish Style Shrimp Dish...It was really good and reminded me of the flavors of my "Arroz con Pollo"

For this recipe I used the vegetables I had on hand, like zucchini, tomatoes, onions, carrots, and mushrooms. You could probably add peppers to make this dish even more vegetable loaded.

Spanish Shrimp and Zucchini

Ingredients

• 1 pound shrimp, deveined and detailed
• 1 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 2 medium zucchini, cut into wedges
• 1 plum tomato, quartered
• 1 cup mushroom, sliced
• 1/2 cup carrots, sliced
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp mexican oregano
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

Heat oil in medium fry pan. Add onions and garlic and saute for few minutes until aromatic. Add tomatoes and continue to saute. Add wine to deglaze pan and allow wine to reduce. 

Add remaning vegetables and spices. Add water to create a sauce in the pan. Continue to cook until tender, about 10 minutes.

Add shrimp and mix well. Cover pan and reduce heat to low. Cook for 2-3 minutes until shrimp are done. 

Serve immediately with caulirice and sour cream. Enjoy!

Happy Monday {Motivation}

You have a full week ahead of you, and in case you get discouraged, here are some motivating words....

Happy Mother's Day {Blackberry Banana Smoothie}

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. Make your mother something special with this delicious blackberry banana smoothie. The banana adds a hint of sweetness without any extra added sugar. If you use frozen bananas, no need to add extra ice, keep it to 1 or 2 cubes. The blackberries are full of antioxidants, which will keep you feeling rejuvenated and healthy.  For this recipe, I used coconut milk, but you can easily use Almond Milk, which ever one you prefer.


Blackberry Banana Smoothie

1/2 cup blackberries, rinsed
1 banana, frozen
1 1/2 cup milk of choice
1-2 ice cubes
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (optional)

Add all the ingredients to your blender and blend until nice and smooth.

Fitness Friday {Full Body Circuit}

It's that time of the week again, where you get your sweat on! I came up with this workout after I completed a 30 minutes of 30 sec on/off sprints. I'll be honest, it was brutal! But I felt amazing afterwards, and extremely energized. This strength workout allowed me to keep up my heart rate and continue to get a great burn. Remember to warm up and cool down after your workouts. Also, keep in mind you should use heavy weights, about 70-75% of your maximum 1 rep to get all the great fat burning benefits. 

It's been a while! {Szechwan Eggplant and Chicken}

It's been a while since I've been on here, I hope there are no bad feelings! Just a quick update, I was in NYC last week for two weddings! It was an amazing time. I haven't been to the city for almost 5 years nows, and this time we stayed in Midtown which was nice, since we were only a few blocks from Central Park. We did a lot of walking and I enjoyed some very good food. I even got to catch up with some old friends and my family. For the first time, I felt like I came back ligher, possibly from all the walking!

It took me a few days to get back into the swing of things. Tuesday was grocery shopping day since we had absolutely nothing in the fridge. For this recipe, I saw some eggplant at Trader Joe's and decided to be a little creative and came up with the recipe. It can be made spicier for your preferences.

Hope you enjoy! It tastes even better the next day~

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Szechwan Eggplant and Chicken

For the eggplant:

• 1 large eggplant
• 1 tbsp roasted sesame oil
• 2 green onions, white and green parts, sliced on a diagonal
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 fresh red chile, sliced
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 3 tbsp coconut aminos
• 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1 tbsp palm sugar
• 1 tbsp arrowroot powder
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
• Thai holy basil and fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

Cut the eggplant in 1/2 lengthwise and then slice crosswise into wedges. Rinse with cold water in colander. Sprinkle with salt generously. Allow to sit for about an hour. Eggplant will start to "purge", or release its water to help it retain its texture, otherwise it turns to mush.

Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high flame and add the oil; tilt the pan to coat all sides. When you see a slight smoke, add eggplant and stir fry until cooked, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the eggplant to a side dish.

After all the eggplant is out of the pan, add the green onions, ginger, garlic, and chile; stir-fry for a minute until fragrant. Add the broth. In a small bowl, mix the coconut aminos, sherry vinegar, sugar, and arrowroot powder until the ingredients are dissolved. Pour the sauce mixture into the wok and cook another minute, until the sauce has thickened. Put the eggplant back in the pan, tossing quickly, until the sauce is absorbed. Garnish with sesame seeds, Thai basil, and cilantro and serve.

For the chicken:

• 1 lb skinless boneless chicken, cut into strips, or bite size pieces
• 2 tbsp coconut aminos
• 2 tbsp dry sherry wine
• 2 tsp arrowroot powder
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• 1/4 tsp palm sugar
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 2 tbsp roasted sesame oil
• 6 stalks green onion, cut up

In medium bowl, combine coconut aminos, sherry, arrowroot powder, ginger, palm sugar, and crushed red pepper; add chicken, tossing to coat.In wok or large non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Add chicken mixture and stir-fry until chicken looses its pink color throughout, 10 minutes. Add eggplant and green onions. To serve, transfer chicken and eggplant to warm platter and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Motivation Wednesday

Sunny in Paris {Chili Lime Chicken Burgers}

One of my favorite buys from Trader Joe's includes their Chili Lime Burgers. Even though I can always go and get a pack from the store, I wanted to be more creative with my recipe. One of the other spices I picked up from Penzey's was Sunny Paris Seasoning. It's a blend of my some of my favorite spices including chives, shallots, peppercorns...and more. This recipe isn't an exact replica of Trader Joe's but its definitely similar. Try it out and let me know what you think ;)

Chili Lime Chicken Burgers

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped finely
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped finely
• 2 garlic cloves minced 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes 
• splash of lime
• 1 Tbsp Sunny Paris Seasoning 

Directions

Combine chicken, bell pepper, parsley, garlic, salt, sunny paris seasoning, red pepper flakes and splash of lime. Mix until thoroughly combined, then form into 4 patties.

Heat a large grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Grill burgers for 3-4 minutes a side, or until cooked all the way through. 

Serve with guacamole with your choice of bun or salad.

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