February 9th...Feeling the love for Fulton Hill!

 Well here it is, Saturdays 8am workout...I woke up early this morning not knowing what to do yet for today's workout.  Usually I get inspired by something and design a workout around it.  Today, as I looked out my window I thought of Fulton Hill, and that was it!

 Look at their smiling faces, they have no idea of what their in for!  They think my shirt is a funny joke...we'll see!

 So we had to run to the bottom of Fulton and at each side street stop and do the mini workout...I told them, "see it as your rest break!"

 Fulton is way steeper than it looks!

Ewa and Tony, so happy to be at the bottom!  I told them to just keep looking down as they run, don't look up...don't do it!

 Almost had our first puk-ER here!

 I don't care how you get up that hill...walk or run, Diana, Bev and Rebecca, just keep moving!

 Casey and Kathleen motoring up the hill...it wasn't really that steep, was it?

 O.K. O.K. yes it was freak'n steep, my lunges were burning! Baby steps, that's all I kept telling myself!

Ahhh you guys rock, you are amazing! Now we deserve a nap today!

February 6th...Super Powers of the White Kidney Bean!

Why are White kidney beans so great?  They are among the best foods for helping you lose weight due to their high fiber content, which leaves you feeling full for longer and keeps food cravings at bay. Native to Central and South America, they are well known for their texture and their ability to absorb flavors. Rich in fiber, white kidney beans also contain essential nutrients such as minerals, vitamins and proteins.  So I thought why not try to make a dip out of them as the White Kidney bean has a similar texture to the Chickpea.  Here's what I can up with, and here's what you'll need...

Now if I was super awesome and had copious amounts of time, I could have made this dip using a homemade Ranch dressing...nope used what was in the fridge!  To cut some calories I used a low-fat sour cream which is missing from this picture, ooops! 1 can White Kinney beans, 1/4 cup low-fat Ranch dressing, 1/4 cup low-fat sour cream, 1/4 cup Sun Dried tomato's,  1/4 cup green onions, 1/2 cup Parsley, 2 cloves minced garlic and if your daring, 1/2 tsp Chipotle Chile pepper.  Mix all ingredients in a food processor.

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What are the benefits of White Kidney beans?  They are rich in Fiber, have Cancer-Fighting Properties, Heart Healthy, and Improved Cognitive Ability...we could all use that! 

Here is the Nutrition facts!  So in the recipe above, there are 68 calories per 2 tbsp, so knock yourself out, with vegetables that is!

February 5th...Surviving the High 5 W.O.D.!

 OK so here you have it!  First WOD of the year, Mel's "High 5".  I sent out a little sneak peek picture in the am as each WOD is always a surprise!

 Originally I had my Boot Campers doing 5 minute rounds but was told by my brother that I was Freak'n crazy (that was the clean version!)and that it was too much, so I compromised and made it 4 minute rounds at each station with only a 1 minute rest!  Let's get this party started!

 As her fellow Boot Campers did their Burpees, Dale decided to ponder the idea of what color her nails should be!

 Then they switched to Squats with a ball overhead tap, I said "ball tap, not bash your heads!".

 This must be one of the "funner" stations, Crab Kicks, because Mel#2, I think is giggling...Tara on the other-hand is not enjoying this joke!

 I would have to say Tony, Ashley and Melissa are in the zone, look at the determination on their faces...or is that pain?

 I'm pretty sure there's suppose to be lunges with the ball overhead..."BEND YOUR BACK KNEE!"...I might have mentioned that once or twice last night!

 Now this was a killer station, 4 minutes of Plank with an alternating arm extension...or so the night class complained!

 Look at Leah and Diana, rock`n out their planks, easy peesy!  Alison and Shannon, given-ER on the Crab Kicks...they were complaining that this wasn`t hard enough...I think were gonna have to have an Am and Pm show down!

 Now if you look close, you will see everyone working so hard and then there`s Bev...sitting on the Bosu, I guess supervising!

 I added the Ab Matt station as a sort of rest stop, give the arms and legs a break...Kathleen thought maybe she would do some star gazing instead!

 At this point, Amanda and Jen are suppose to be doing 2 Frog hops forward and 1 back, instead they are standing there deciding who`s going to carry the weight!  Time is a ticking people!

 Last but not least was a pairs run up the hill to the 2nd pole, alternating the tire as you ran...for 4 minutes!

Look at those smiling faces!  You know you love to work hard!  Great job everyone!  Can`t wait til next month moo whooo ha ha!

February 4th...Lara Bar!

Hello Monday!  I would like to focus this week on snacks because we NEED them!  Are you a mid-morning, mid-afternoon or late night snacker?  Some days I'm all three, depending on how crazy my day is or how my mood is.  I find if I snack throughout the day on a variety of foods, I'm less likely to crave anything bad.  I think it's because I'm eating every 2-3 hours which keeps my sugar levels balanced and hunger at bay plus by eating small meals combined with a protein and a carb, keeps my energy level up.  This recipe below is a repeat post, one of my many favorites, called the LARA Bar.

The Lara Bar is a commercial bar like the Power Bar, I found the recipe and "cleaned" it up a bit! Here's what you'll need...
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups pitted dates / 3/4 Almonds / 3/4 Cashews / 3/4 dried berries / 2 pieces Dark Chocolate / 2 tbsp Coco powder / 2 tbsp. Flax seed & Wheat germ / 1/4 cup honey.

Use the food processor to chop up the nuts and seeds first, pour out into separate bowl...see above picture.  Then, chop up dates and dried berries.  Cut up dark chocolate into fine pieces and add altogether.  Slowly add the Coco powder and honey.(if you warm the honey up slightly in the microwave, it will mix better).  NOTE, if you find the dates rolling up into a ball, pour half the mix out, repeat chopping in food processor to get the dates better broken down.  You want the mix to come out sort of powdery and loose...

  

Line baking pan with parchment paper, pour in mixture and press into pan with backside of spoon.  Leave in fridge 1-2 hours, to harden.

Lift out of pan and cut into whatever size pieces you want...I did "bar" and "snack" sizes.  Put in an air tight container to keep fresh or put away in the freezer for later.  So I figured out the calorie count.  If you can get 20 bars out of the pan, it works out to be 130 cal. per bar...I have 18 above,( 143 calories) note they are about an inch thick at least.  The commercial Lara Bar I think was 210 cal. and thinner than mine!

February 2nd...Healthy snacks, roasted chickpeas!

Now that we are entering week three of the contest, I would like to focus this up coming week on healthy snack ideas...I've heard a couple people toss around the idea of roasted chickpeas.  At first I was feeling a little hesitant about my baking adventures with chickpeas.  Last year I did a post on chickpea cookies, the idea was great and so was the first one or two cookies...but somethings you just don't mess with, that was one of them.  So here we go!

 All you need is one can of chickpeas, and Olive oil...just having a thought right now, I wonder how the chickpeas would taste if I had used Coconut oil?...next batch!  Then choose some of your flavorite seasoning.  I used Barbque, Smoked Applewood and Garlicky Dill...

Drain liquid from can and then rinse chickpeas with water.   Lightly dry off with paper towel.  I used 1/2 tsp olive oil and about the same for seasoning for each different flavor.  Bake at 450 degree for about 35mins. total...at 25mins. toss them around so that the bottoms don't get burnt.  Below, is what the chickpeas look like roasted! 

I read several recipes and one mentioned to dry roast the chickpeas and add oil and seasoning after, have to try that for the next batch...

And here they are!...the Barbque and Smoked Applewood had the most flavor.   If I could stomach spicy or hot food, these would be perfect with chili powder or even Thai.  You can Google them and several great combinations will come up.  I also thought these would be great salad toppers or anything that needed a little crunch added to it!  Keep in an air tight container and should last several days.  Great snack idea, 1/2 cup of these with an apple!

Nutritional info: 1/2 cup of roasted chickpeas is 105 cal. 1.5g fat. 17 carbs. 3.5g fiber. 0.5g sugar. 5.5g protein.

January 31...Accountability...what's your number?

What is accountability?  An obligation or willingness to accept responsibility for one's actions.  The other part of your goal for this week was to choose a realistic number for your weight-loss over the next 7 weeks.  I also asked you to then post that number somewhere in your house.  Somewhere that you will see it everyday...somewhere in your face!  Why you ask...to keep you accountable!  If you see that number everyday, it's a reminder of your goal and how important it is to you.  Below, is Christina's number, nice and big!

 

Rebecca, got creative with her effort and made her number stand out!

At the end of the day you have to be accountable with your actions, did you get your workout in, did you pack healthy meals for work, etc...your result at the end of this 9 weeks will be a direct link to the effort you put forward.  If you start using excuses to derail your efforts then your not being accountable and your "passing the buck".  

I don't buy it, so don't come to me if that number on the scale is not dropping.  You know exactly why it's not moving.  We have 7 weeks left, put your tunnel vision glasses on and get focused people!  Organize yourself and your scheduled ahead of time so nothing can get in the way of your success.

You can have results or excuses, BUT not both.

January 29th...Class assignment...meal "re-do!"

Alright were over 2 weeks into the contest and your goal for this week was to do a "meal re-do" meaning, take one of your not so healthy recipes and clean it up!  I also wanted some "proof in the pudding" so I asked you to take a picture of your re-do and give me the nutritional values per serving.  Below is Christina's veggie stuffed peppers!  Her re-do was to swap out the traditional white rice and use Quinoa instead, as well as using a low-fat cheese.  And each of these giant stuffed peppers is only 163 calories!

Ingredients	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Fiber	Sugar
Vegetable - Red Bell Pepper, 1 pepper	30	8	0	1	2	0
Peppers, Raw - Orange/Yellow/Red Bell Pepper , 92 g (3.25oz)	29	0	0	0	2	0
Peppers, Raw - Orange/Yellow/Red Bell Pepper , 92 g (3.25oz)	29	0	0	0	2	0
Bell Peppers - Fresh, Red, Orange, Green, 1 pepper	30	8	0	2	6	8
Generic - Quinoa Cooked (Cooked), 1 cup	222	39	4	9	5	0
Generic - Zucchini, Grated, 1 cup (grated)	18	4	0	1	1	2
Tomato - Veggie , 1 Whole Medium	22	4	0	1	1	3
Mushrooms - Brown, Italian, or Crimini, raw, 4 piece	12	2	0	1	0	1
Western Family - Lite Feta Cheese, 0.5 cup	140	0	9	14	0	0
Mrs. Dash - Original Blend Seasoning Blend, 1/4 tsp	0	0	0	0	0	0
Oil - Olive, 1 tablespoon	119	0	14	0	0	0
Add Ingredient

Total:	651	65	27	29	19	14
Per Serving:	163	16	7	7	5	4

Here's is Alison's re-do, instead of potato chips on toast with peanut-butter, she substituted homemade Kale chips!...must be a English/Wales thing!

Then we have Amanda's chicken wrap re-do with Greek yogurt, "ranch" chicken salad lettuce wrap!

And for Melissa's lasagna re-do, she made a Zucchini layered vegetable lasagna.  This whole dish came in under 665 calories!  So you CAN have your cheese and eat it too!

This was awesome effort, really well done everyone!  My point was to teach you that with a little effort you can clean your favorite meals up and still really enjoy them and not feel deprived.  I hope you continue to get a little creative and see what you can come up with.  You may have hits and misses but the point is, you're on your way to creating new habits and a healthier you!