I have decided to relate my posts on Fridays about fitness. I know it's not Friday yet, but I will be at the beach tomorrow beginning a few days of vacation and will probably not be blogging much. I thought I'd start Fitness Friday a day early!
This morning I created a new circuit. Obviously there are a MILLION ways that you can do circuits, but that's the fun part about them----they can always be different. Below is the one I did this morning. I hope you try it out...just don't curse my name while doing it... ;)
*10 minute warm-up*
then...
15 bicep curls
15 hammer curls
15 tricep extensions
15 tricep dips on bench
15 jumping jack squats
15 over head press
60 sec. plank (ouch)
20 pushups
15 jumping jack squats
15 dead lifts with barbell
15 barbell wide rows
3-5 minute intense bike (or other cardio like elliptical or treadmill)
30 crunches
15 front raises
15 side raises
15 burpees (I can't do these yet b/c of my leg issue, so I did jumping jacks instead)
2 sets of 15 reps, chest press
15 lunges PER leg (total 30)
15 dumbbell back flys
15 jumping jack squats
15 kneeling one arm row PER arm (total 30)
30 crunches (owwww)
REPEAT 1-2 MORE TIMES FOR A TOTAL OF 2-3 SETS!
*One circuit takes about 20 minutes. If you can do two or three of these you are doing GREAT! I did three of these this morning and man was I sweating. It's great ab work, too! Good luck!
**If you are unsure of what of these exercises are, check this out.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Creamy Tofu and Lentil Curry dish
The hubs was out of town for work last night, yet I still wanted to make something for dinner. We are heading to the beach (Pawleys Island, SC) tomorrow, so I have been wanting to clean out the fridge. I hate wasting food and always try to eat all of the things that would go bad while we're out of town. In the fridge I had, tofu, fresh and organic sugar snap peas and lentils. Hmmm...what to make with this? A tofu/lentil dish!
*Warning: I am aware that this doesn't look very appetizing...may not even sound appetizing, but I promise--it is delish! This dish is STOCKED full of fabulous nutrients for your body. Lentils are a very good source of cholesterol lowering fiber. They also are of special benefit in managing blood-sugar disorders since their high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising rapidly after a meal. They are high in iron and folic acid.
Go make this and be healthy...treat your body right.
Ingredients:
1 small onion
1 garlic clove
1 t. ginger
1 package of trader joe's lentils
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 package firm tofu
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon curry powder
bag of sugar snap peas (or whatever green veggie you'd like)
brown rice (if desired)
Directions:
Thinly slice onion and mince garlic. In a 2-quart heavy saucepan cook onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon oil over moderate heat, stirring, until golden. Add ginger and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add lentils and gently heat, uncovered, on low.
Gently press tofu between paper towels to remove excess moisture. While lentils are warming, cut tofu into 1/2-inch cubes. In a small heavy skillet heat remaining tablespoon oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook cumin, stirring, until a shade darker, about 1 minute. Add curry powder and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 15 to 30 seconds. Add split peas to tofu. Cook the peas for about 10 minutes. Pour coconut milk into tofu/pea mixture and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add lentils to tofu mixture and gently stir. Let curry stand, covered, 5 minutes to allow flavors to develop.
Serve curry over brown rice.
Enjoy!
*Warning: I am aware that this doesn't look very appetizing...may not even sound appetizing, but I promise--it is delish! This dish is STOCKED full of fabulous nutrients for your body. Lentils are a very good source of cholesterol lowering fiber. They also are of special benefit in managing blood-sugar disorders since their high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising rapidly after a meal. They are high in iron and folic acid.
Go make this and be healthy...treat your body right.
Ingredients:
1 small onion
1 garlic clove
1 t. ginger
1 package of trader joe's lentils
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 package firm tofu
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon curry powder
bag of sugar snap peas (or whatever green veggie you'd like)
brown rice (if desired)
Directions:
Thinly slice onion and mince garlic. In a 2-quart heavy saucepan cook onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon oil over moderate heat, stirring, until golden. Add ginger and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add lentils and gently heat, uncovered, on low.
Gently press tofu between paper towels to remove excess moisture. While lentils are warming, cut tofu into 1/2-inch cubes. In a small heavy skillet heat remaining tablespoon oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook cumin, stirring, until a shade darker, about 1 minute. Add curry powder and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 15 to 30 seconds. Add split peas to tofu. Cook the peas for about 10 minutes. Pour coconut milk into tofu/pea mixture and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add lentils to tofu mixture and gently stir. Let curry stand, covered, 5 minutes to allow flavors to develop.
Serve curry over brown rice.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Birthday fun
Today is Zeus' 3rd birthday! This morning I took the pups to their favorite place...Three Dog Bakery. They got some treats and I got Zeus a little birthday present, along with a "brownie" for Zeus' special birthday treat.
Yum!
Zeus was sooo tini-tiny when we first brought him home. I can't believe that he is three now...the time has flown. Zeus is such a sweet dog. He is soooo cuddly and always up for snuggles. He has a big heart and only wants to please. His favorite things to do are SLEEP/snuggle, lay in the sun, play soccer and EAT. Some of his favorite treats are apples, peanut butter and carrots....and of course, he'll go ga-ga for some bacon or eggs if Dad makes them for him. We have two spoiled pugs on our hands! Happy Birthday, Zeus...we love you!!! (Yes, we are those crazy dog lovers...) ;)
*I am making a tofu-curry dish tonight...stay tunned for the recipe tomorrow!
Yum!
Zeus was sooo tini-tiny when we first brought him home. I can't believe that he is three now...the time has flown. Zeus is such a sweet dog. He is soooo cuddly and always up for snuggles. He has a big heart and only wants to please. His favorite things to do are SLEEP/snuggle, lay in the sun, play soccer and EAT. Some of his favorite treats are apples, peanut butter and carrots....and of course, he'll go ga-ga for some bacon or eggs if Dad makes them for him. We have two spoiled pugs on our hands! Happy Birthday, Zeus...we love you!!! (Yes, we are those crazy dog lovers...) ;)
*I am making a tofu-curry dish tonight...stay tunned for the recipe tomorrow!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Special Treat weekend
It was off to Raleigh, NC for the hubs and I this past Friday. Good friends were getting married in Downtown Raleigh on Saturday evening. My husband's parents live in Raleigh so we had the pleasure of staying with them. Friday night we had reservations to celebrate our anniversary at Second Empire in Downtown Raleigh. Hands down, this restaurant is AMAZING. Everything from the complimentary, warm, fresh, homemade bread to the chocolate souffle we had for dessert...it was all perfect and mouth watering delicious!!!!!! Such a special treat for us since we never go out for fancy dinners. :)
We started off with freshly baked bread brought promptly to the table. I only had one roll, but I could have had five. They were SO fresh and tasted as if we were in Paris at a french bakery. Another "special treat", a light and refreshing bottle of Pinot Grigio with the meal.
For a first course, we shared the Pan-Fried Georgia Quail. This quail was served with grilled corn & scallion pancakes, smoked cabbage slaw, apple & pear chutney, arugula, molasses & ginger reduction. It.was.awesome.
For our entrees, the hubs had the "Off the Hook" Ocean Catch which was Key West Grouper. The Grouper was served with sauteed herb polenta rectangle, roasted summer tomato ragout, haricot vert & celery root, Swiss chard, grilled lime & poblano vinaigrette.
I had the 330 Jumbo Lump Crab Cake. This was served with garlicky kale & grilled onions, cannellini bean ragout, sun-dried tomatoes, spicy cucumber & cabbage salad, in a sweet curry jus. This was to die for. The crab cake had no fillers of mayo and bread crumbs which is an A++++ in my book! I was so happy with this dish! The hubs was jealous of my entree...no fear, we shared. :)
For dessert we shared an out of this world chocolate souffle. It was moist, flavorful, and just out of this world. We also had decaf coffee with our dessert.
Just as we were feeling as if we were going to POP from fullness, our waitress brought by another dessert as a Happy Anniversary from the restaurant. It was a beautiful scoop of icecream...duh, of course we had to eat it---somehow icecream just fills in the cracks of your stomach. ;) Everything is made in house and this icecream was crazy good. When they first brought it out, I told Daniel that I could not eat one more bite...well, that was a lie. I helped with the icecream and I'm glad I did because it was holy.cow.good.
The chef also signed a menu and gave it to us. He said "Taste with your eyes!" They are huge on presentation...and of course, quality of food. So fun, I got to meet the Chef as well!
We left feeling fat, happy and FULL. :)
On Saturday we attended a lovely wedding of two good friends. We had a blast and the bride looked stunning and glowing. I love weddings! On Sunday we had lunch with family before heading back home. Such a great, special treat kind of weekend!
(Holding up the #2 for anniversary #2. We frame these so that we cansee how we age every year add memories on our walls)
We started off with freshly baked bread brought promptly to the table. I only had one roll, but I could have had five. They were SO fresh and tasted as if we were in Paris at a french bakery. Another "special treat", a light and refreshing bottle of Pinot Grigio with the meal.
For a first course, we shared the Pan-Fried Georgia Quail. This quail was served with grilled corn & scallion pancakes, smoked cabbage slaw, apple & pear chutney, arugula, molasses & ginger reduction. It.was.awesome.
For our entrees, the hubs had the "Off the Hook" Ocean Catch which was Key West Grouper. The Grouper was served with sauteed herb polenta rectangle, roasted summer tomato ragout, haricot vert & celery root, Swiss chard, grilled lime & poblano vinaigrette.
I had the 330 Jumbo Lump Crab Cake. This was served with garlicky kale & grilled onions, cannellini bean ragout, sun-dried tomatoes, spicy cucumber & cabbage salad, in a sweet curry jus. This was to die for. The crab cake had no fillers of mayo and bread crumbs which is an A++++ in my book! I was so happy with this dish! The hubs was jealous of my entree...no fear, we shared. :)
For dessert we shared an out of this world chocolate souffle. It was moist, flavorful, and just out of this world. We also had decaf coffee with our dessert.
Just as we were feeling as if we were going to POP from fullness, our waitress brought by another dessert as a Happy Anniversary from the restaurant. It was a beautiful scoop of icecream...duh, of course we had to eat it---somehow icecream just fills in the cracks of your stomach. ;) Everything is made in house and this icecream was crazy good. When they first brought it out, I told Daniel that I could not eat one more bite...well, that was a lie. I helped with the icecream and I'm glad I did because it was holy.cow.good.
The chef also signed a menu and gave it to us. He said "Taste with your eyes!" They are huge on presentation...and of course, quality of food. So fun, I got to meet the Chef as well!
We left feeling fat, happy and FULL. :)
On Saturday we attended a lovely wedding of two good friends. We had a blast and the bride looked stunning and glowing. I love weddings! On Sunday we had lunch with family before heading back home. Such a great, special treat kind of weekend!
(Holding up the #2 for anniversary #2. We frame these so that we can
Friday, June 24, 2011
How does your garden grow?
Although owning your own home is a lot of work and A LOT of money...it is worth it (well today I'm saying it's worth it--tomorrow might be different, haha). The hubs and I love having a large yard...especially during beautiful weather. We tend to find ourselves outside more than inside working in our yard when the weather is nice. I love this!
Since buying our home last year we have done TONS of work to our yard. In short (go here for more details), we put grass in last year, and this year we just finished making new beds and putting in all new plants. My husband has a true talent for yard work/landscaping, so this is his baby. He has done a GREAT job! Here are some before/after pictures.
Before:
After:
I wasn't planning on doing a vegetable garden this year because we still have lots of to-do's in the yard, but it kind of just happened. My Mom gave me a tomato plant that already has a few baby tomatoes on it (woohoo!), my Mom also gave me a mint plant, our neighbors gave us two basil plants and we just bought a pepper plant. My little veggie garden. :) Everything is doing great and flurishing!!!! We had all of the plants since they were tini-tiny and now look how big they are! It is exciting. I am looking forward to a fresh and delicious BLT this summer...a tomato sandwich or tomato pie---right from the garden. Can't wait...have I mentioned how much I LOVE summer???!
Basil:
Tomatoes:
Mint:
Everything plus the pepper:
Do you have a veggie garden? If so, what's in it?!
Since buying our home last year we have done TONS of work to our yard. In short (go here for more details), we put grass in last year, and this year we just finished making new beds and putting in all new plants. My husband has a true talent for yard work/landscaping, so this is his baby. He has done a GREAT job! Here are some before/after pictures.
Before:
After:
I wasn't planning on doing a vegetable garden this year because we still have lots of to-do's in the yard, but it kind of just happened. My Mom gave me a tomato plant that already has a few baby tomatoes on it (woohoo!), my Mom also gave me a mint plant, our neighbors gave us two basil plants and we just bought a pepper plant. My little veggie garden. :) Everything is doing great and flurishing!!!! We had all of the plants since they were tini-tiny and now look how big they are! It is exciting. I am looking forward to a fresh and delicious BLT this summer...a tomato sandwich or tomato pie---right from the garden. Can't wait...have I mentioned how much I LOVE summer???!
Basil:
Tomatoes:
Mint:
Everything plus the pepper:
Do you have a veggie garden? If so, what's in it?!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
NEW BLOG DESIGN!
Hello lovely blog readers! How do you like my new blog design???!! Fabulous K Creative designed this and I am LOVING it. Kelly did an awesome job. I took the pictures that you see, but my best friend, Jenny with Sweet and Sunny Images, edited them. They look awesome as well!!!! So happy to have this up. I hope you enjoy!
p.s.- Anyone/everyone can comment now, so please do so!
p.s.- Anyone/everyone can comment now, so please do so!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Saucy Mama!
I don't know about you, but I'm the kind of person who never wins anything. Well, my never streak just ended! I was the lucky winner of a Saucy Mama giveaway from a local Richmond blog: One Couple's Kitchen.
Here I am opening up the box...
I won a 3 pack of Saucy Mama products. So exciting! They are:
Saucy Mama Pacific Rim Ginger Dressing
Saucy Mama Tarragon Lemon Mustard
Saucy Mama Sweet Heat Marinade
I am looking forward to trying this recipe as well as creating new recipes with these sauces.
Have you ever won anything? If so, what was it?!
Here I am opening up the box...
I won a 3 pack of Saucy Mama products. So exciting! They are:
Saucy Mama Pacific Rim Ginger Dressing
Saucy Mama Tarragon Lemon Mustard
Saucy Mama Sweet Heat Marinade
I am looking forward to trying this recipe as well as creating new recipes with these sauces.
Have you ever won anything? If so, what was it?!
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