February 28th...Creating an Outdoor Workout...might have just a few stairs in there somewhere!

Well it couldn't have gotten any wetter today!  I was torn when making up the workout for tonight's Boot Camp class, what to do...I thought it would be worse to bounce back and forth from a warm gym into the pouring...cold...windy rain.  So I decided why fight it, let's just get wet and get on with it!

So we did our warm up and continued up to Look Out Lake, a little hidden gem in my neck of the woods...perfect location for an outdoor workout...well at least that's what I thought!

Amongst the calm lake and tall tress, is a wondrous site, 78 glorious stairs  and that's where our journey begins!

Tonight's workout was a pyramid of reps...we started with running the stairs, then at the top 1 Burpee and right into 5 walking lunges, then run to the picnic table and do 5 step ups, over to the cement pad and down to do 5 push ups, and then run back to the stairs and repeat.  The reps increase each round, but once you've completed the 3rd round, then they start to decrease...

The stairs didn't seem so bad going down!  By the last two rounds I was yelling at them as I chased them up the stairs, "I'm gonna get you!" 

OK...by the last round, I came up the stairs, went into the last Burpee and then started our last 5 walking lunges, I said, "this feels like Christmas" because it felt like a gift, that there was only 5 walking lunges left! 

That dream, was short lived because as soon as I was done the lunges, the picnic table step ups awaited us...I have to say, those were some pretty high steps...note to self when making up next workout!

By the last step up, I looked as if I were drunk as my legs wobbled me over to the cement pad where our push ups still had to be done!

We had so much fun getting out of the gym and going up to the lake that no one seemed to noticed or care how hard the workout was.  We were just glad to be outside with rain on our face, washing the sweat away and the fresh air refueling our labored breathes!  Ahhh we will all sleep soundly tonight!  Great job everyone!

February 26th...Healthy Black Bean-Chocolate Brownies!

Oh chocolate brownies, who doesn't love the owe y-gooey goodness that melts in your mouth on the first and second bite...then it's all gone!  Well I'm excited to share this recipe with you because it actually tastes really good...OK I will admit that I have posted some recipes a bit way out there but hey, if you don't try it at least once, our taste buds will never know.  Who knew that Black beans and Chocolate would taste so good together and create a satisfying and moist brownie...here' what ya need...

Black beans, Cocoa Powder, Natural Peanut butter, ground Flax Seeds, baking soda, Vainille, Stevia, and dark chocolate.  I will post complete recipe below to follow steps...

Place all ingredients in food processor EXCEPT peanut butter and chocolate chips, will add that at the end.  Don't over do it in the food processor, once the mixture is all blended in about 1-2 minutes, scoope out into bowl...

I ended up adding about 1/4 water slowly just to loosen the mixture up a bit...

In a separate bowl add the peanut butter and chocolate chips, warm mixture up in microwave for about 20-30 seconds, just enough to soften up so you can mix it with the bean mixture.  Hint...place chocolate chips in sealed baggie and pounds to break up into little pieces so that you will have more chocolate throughout your mixture.

 I have learned now to pretty much line all pans with a sheet of parchment paper as it just makes life easier, and less messy.  Once peanut butter mixture is softened, add to the bean mixture by stirring in with a spatula to create a marble effect...

 Bake in oven for about 25-30 mins at 350 degrees...be careful not to make your edges to thin as they will be the first to dry out.  I baked mine for 30 mins...and as you can see the edges are a bit brittle, but still moist, I suggest you bake for only 25 mins...

Do these not look so awesome!  I handed them out last night to my Boot Camp class and they were a hit!  These are made with dark chocolate so don't expect them to be super sweet, BUT they are sweet enough with a hint of peanut butter.  And the best thing is, as I ate one this morning with my cup of coffee, the dark chocolate takes care of your sugar cravings and satisfies it so your not left wanting more!  I cut the recipe up into 20 piece servings so that is what the nutritional values are based on, enjoy!

NUTRITIONAL VALUES: 128 calories, 5.2g protein, 12.6g carbs, 2.5g fiber, 7g fat, 3g sugar

RECIPE: 3 cups drained and rinsed Black Beans, 1 tsp Baking Soda, 8 tbsp Cocoa Powder, 2 tsp Ground Flax seeds, 6 packets Stevia, 1 tbsp Vanilla, 1/2 cup Dark Chocolate chips, 1 cup Natural Peanut Butter ( or Almond Butter).   

February 25th...Whats in your lunch?

Your lunch box...what do you put in it OR...do you even pack a lunch!  I know many of you don't and think that you can grab something healthy along the way, and sometimes you can...if your lucky.  But we can't leave your weigh-loss goals to luck.  You can't make healthy food choices when you're running around doing last minute errands on your lunch break.  By then, it's too late, your're already tired and your cravings have gotten the best of you.  I'm sure you've had the discussion with yourself about how you'll just have this today and start eating better tomorrow.  But tomorrow turns into next week, into next month and a year later here we are!  The biggest excuse out there, that I hear way too often is, I just don't have the time...well until you make the time and make your meal planning a priority, you will not reach your goals.  One of my clients Diana sent me a quote last week...failing to plan=planning to fail !  So to help you get organised and to show you just how easy it is, here are some ideas to help inspire your lunches for this week. 

 So open your fridge and see what you got kicking around and what hasn't expired!

 I decided to make wraps! The first one is fat-free turkey and ham with a 1/2 tsp of Dijon honey mustard, couple slivers of avocado, cheese and apple to give it some crunch.  The second one, has fat-free turkey with 1 tsp of light hummus, red peppers, avocados  and cheese.  Then I wrapped them up in lettuce...get creative, add 1/2 tsp sliced almonds for crunch, or blueberries or mango's for something a little sweeter.  Think of it as a giant salad all rolled up!

Below are some more ideas to pack as snacks...1 tbsp low-fat hummus 20 cal. and 10 Kashi crackers 80 cal.  Half an apple 40 cal. and 1 tbsp Almond butter 100 cal.  Half cup plain 0% Greek yogurt 35 cal. with 1/4 cup blue berries 25 cal.  And each wrap has about 135 cal. and I had one hard boiled egg 74 cal. and some veggies 25 cal....

 Above is a lot of food and I eat a lot but there is no way I could eat all of that.  This whole meal or meals is only 675 calories.  This could be your lunch and two snacks for the day.  Notice each container has a protein and a carb in it, this helps balance your blood sugar, balance your energy levels and keep cravings away.  Share you lunch ideas with us, loved to see what you come up with!

February 24...More Tires! = More Box Jumps!

Well here I am AGAIN at Kal-Tire!  My favorite "tire store".  I have to say how awesome their staff is, because every time I come in and tell them my ideas, they are eager to help me.  So we did some "dumpster style" tire diving and came up with the perfect pair of tires...so I thought...

OK sooooo the tires were bigger than I thought.  When they were in the tire yard up against the BIG tires, these ones seemed small...not so much.  I originally wanted to make steps out of them for under my pull up bars but once I got them home and realized they were just too big...I thought what am I gonna do...Warren's gonna freak out if he sees I brought more tires home...I have to disguise them!

So I thought, hey we could use these big suckers for box jumps!  I got my BIG brother and his BIG truck and I got some wood, and off I went! 

Here's your "box-jump" tire lesson 101...First, find some awesome motivational quotes.  Second use black spray paint to write out your quote to make sure it fits around tire or mark it with chalk.  Third use painter's tape and cover your quote...

Fourth, find some really bright color spray paint so than no one can miss it!

I was banished to the very back corner of our yard for my spray painting tire shenanigans, because last time I did this, I did it in our front yard and killed the grass.  So now we have a permanent discolored grass circle in the front yard that I am reminded of on a regular basis when Warren sees me with a can of spray paint! 

Well at least I use the wooden crate this time!

Might have a colorful rock garden thou!

Now once the tires are good to go, get your husband who loves to spend his spare time making toys for the gym, and cut out circular tops with a 3/4 inch plywood for the tops of the tires...make sure the edges are flush with the tire as you will catch your toe on it.  Chase is the official edge inspector!

Then you want to paint the edges of the exposed wood to help seal it from water damage.  Cut out rubber matting for the tops of the tires...make sure you use a textured rubber, something your shoes will grip to.  If you were to use a smooth rubber sheet on top the tire and the bottom of your shoes got wet from the ground or spilt water and you jumped on the tire, you could slip right off!  Then find some cute kid in the neighborhood to help you nail the rubber sheets to the wood.  

Well there you have it, my new "tire" box jumps!  Awesom-ER!...P.S. thanks to the worlds best husband who is understanding and patient, and who loves his  wife and her tires!

February 20th...Need some extra energy!

 Greens Plus...why do I love it so... definitely not for it's taste, but for how awesome it makes me feel.  Don't get me wrong I love my coffee, but I find that coffee can sometimes take awhile to kick in and some days I could drink coffee and go have a nap.  I find with the Greens Plus, I add it to my chocolate protein shake and add 1/2 a frozen banana to hide the taste and I get immediate energy that lasts throughout the day.  We chatted about this in class last week and Ashley mentioned that she has it for her mid-afternoon snack and provides her with energy for the rest of her day, including coming to  the evening boot camp class.  The container is about $59 and it rarely goes on sale unfortunately...

 So I purchased the Greens Plus with "extra energy" meaning, it's suppose to improve overall well-being , to promote alertness, wakefulness, enhance cognitive performance, relieve fatigue, increase endurance and enhance motor performance.  

Unfortunately I don't have all day to Google every ingredient listed on this container, but it has the scientific name and something we can understand in English like...'Malus domestica' which is Apple fruit, of course or "Triticum aestivum" a.k.a. Organic wheat grass, exactly what I guessed too!

Note to self, the Greens come in all sorts, like multi-vitamin, vegan friendly and many more...

I found this one at Costco last week, which is like half the price...I could not read the entire back side of the label as it was pre-packed with the shaker cup and covering the rest of the info...might have to go in "under-cover" and open a package to get the info...shhhhh.  It claims the same improvement in energy as the Greens Plus...so I guess I will be our "ginny-pig" and go test it out!  Remember ALWAYS read your labels for side effects and in case any of the ingredients may interfere with any medication you might be taking.

February 18th...Week 6...let`s get organised people!

Alright it's Monday and this was pretty much how I was feeling as we ran out of coffee in the house this morning...and tea doesn't really cut it!  So we are in our 6th week of the Mel`s Resolution Contest, that means weigh-in this week and time to pull up our socks and get to work...for some of you OR like Lori, who mentioned in class this morning, she will start eating better, SOON!  Lover her sense of humor.

I mentioned a few weeks back about getting organised with your workouts and meal plans.  Below is an example of a calender, with what I want.  So, your GOAL THIS WEEK IS, to print up a calender, write your schedule on it...when you`ll go shopping for meals and when you`ll do your meal preps for the week.  Then you`re going to stick it on your fridge, where you can see it everyday as a reminder!  If you`re organised with your meals and work outs, you`re more likely to stay on track and succeed...if you try to `wing-it` chances are you`ll make poor food choices and let your workouts slip away!

I know it seems like one more thing to do in your day, but the 5 mins that it takes to fill this out, is well worth your time...you have to think about `how bad`you want this goal and how hard are you willing to work for it...

IF YOU DON`T CHANGE YOUR HABITS, HOW DO YOU EXCEPT CHANGE TO HAPPEN!

February 16th...weekend wrap up!

Wow what an intense week, we had some pretty hard workouts this week and it was great to see everyone pushing themselves!  The goal for this last week was to get out of your "cooking comfort zone" and to try something new...which was to go check out your local super market and choose an Ethnic food that you've never had before and prepare it.  I have to say, some of you really out did yourself! Kathleen who took these awesome photos below and prepared "egg foo young" and " rice wraps with prawns". 

...look at that presentation!

...and all the fresh ingredients!  Awesome job Kathleen, thanks for your effort!

Below is Crystal's yummy creation, which I'm pretty sure could be eaten for breakfast with some yogurt or for desert with a tea!...I would just probably eat the whole pan for any meal!

Apple Crisp. Lovely for a cold evening in when you just need something sweet. 

Chop apples add cinnamon, sprinkle of cornstarch or chia seeds. Topping mix granola and almond butter together and spread on top sprinkle with dried cranberries and flax seeds. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until apples are soft!

Crystal was also a bit of a "baking machine" last week and sent me this as well...how come nobody else in my house cooks like this!...her recipe below... 

Banana pancakes. One banana, Two eggs. Mash together add 1/4 tsp baking powder. Add blueberries or chocolate chips whatever your in to. gluten free dairy free! Need to make them on the smaller side, big ones are messy to flip over!

So because Kathleen and Crystal are BOTH just so darn awesome and BOTH put a lot of effort into their weekly goal, they will BOTH win a prize!  

February 14th...Happy stuff your face with chocolate Valentine's Day!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!  I love, love, love Valentine's...why, because today I will stuff my face with as much chocolate covered anything as  humanly possible OR til I get a stomach ache.  Today I will enjoy a mountain of coca and white sugar poison, guilt free and then most likely have to have a nap after the sugar crash.  I'm a caramel and nut kinda girl, I don't mess around with the cream fillings as this was the general consensus in yesterdays  Boot Camp class.  So what do we know about chocolate and the history of Valentine's Day? 

Chocolate is made from the seeds of the tropical tree, Theobroma cacao. Theobroma is the Greek term for 'food of the gods.' In Aztec society chocolate was a food of the gods, reserved for priests, warriors and nobility. The Aztecs used cacao beans to make a hot, frothy and bitter beverage called chocolatl. Chocolatl was a sacred concoction that was associated with fertility and wisdom. It was also thought to have stimulating and restorative properties. The bitter drink was first introduced to Europe in 1528. However, it was not until 1876 that milk, cocoa powder and cocoa butter were combined to form what we now know as chocolate.  Substances found in chocolate, such as phenylethylamine, theobromine, anandamide and tryptophan trigger mood enhancing chemicals and neurotransmitters to be released in the brain. Phenylethylamine is a chemical found in the body that is similar to amphetamine. It helps mediate feelings of giddiness, attraction, euphoria and excitement.

The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. 

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first "valentine" greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl--possibly his jailor's daughter--who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed "From your Valentine," an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and--most importantly--romantic figure.  http://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day

So in the spirit of Valentine's, Chase had a chocolate covered donut for breakfast bought home by Daddy!  Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

February 13th...Getting out of our "cooking" comfort zones!

OK so were into week 4 and our goal for this week is to try an Ethnic food.  Head to your local grocery store and check out the aisle's and rows of produce dedicated to Ethnic products.  I want you to expand our horizons and get out of your "comfort zone" cooking and try something new!  I was at the store last week, checking out the Ethnic produce and taking pictures. Their was a couple there choosing an assortment of vegetables and they looked like they knew what they were doing, so I started to ask them questions.  Like, how it tasted and how they liked to prepare it.  They gave me a lot of great information so don't be afraid to talk to someone as people love to talk about food and they love to share their recipes!  So this is what I'm starting with, the JICAMA...I can pronounce it 4 different ways and none of them are right!  But first a brief history on this tasty treat...

 Jicama is a round, fleshy taproot vegetable of bean family plant. Its underground starchy root is one of the popular edible root vegetable grown in many parts of Central American, South Asian, Caribbean, and some Andean South American regions. Its refreshing, crispy, ice-white fruit-like pulp is eaten raw or cooked in a variety of sweet and savory dishes worldwide.  Jicama is a perennial vine plant growing vigorously under semitropical and tropical climates. It has similar growth characteristics as that of lima bean or any other bean species plant. The most distinguishing feature, however, is that it bears round, fleshy, turnip-like starchy edible root underneath the ground surface. Unlike other starch roots like potato, sweet potato wherein the peel may be eaten, jicama features thick dust-brown color inedible skin. Inside, its white starchy flesh has crisp texture and fruit like succulent, sweet-starchy taste. 

 Health benefits of the Jicama...

• Jicama is very low calorie root vegetable, itcontains only 35 calories per 100 g. However, its high quality phyto-nutrition profile comprises of dietary fiber, and anti-oxidants, in addition to small proportions of minerals, and vitamins.
• It is one of the finest source dietary fiber and excellent source of oligofructose inulin, a soluble dietary fiber. The root pulp provides 4.9 mg or 13% of fiber. Inulin is a zero calorie, sweet inert carbohydrate and does not metabolize in the human body, which make the root an ideal sweet snack for diabetics and dieters.
• As in turnips, fresh yam bean tubers are rich in vitamin C; provide about 20.2 mg or 34% of DRA of vitamin C per 100 g. Vitamin-C is a powerful water-soluble anti-oxidant that helps body scavenge harmful free radicals, thereby offers protection from cancers, inflammation and viral cough and cold.
• It also contains small levels of some of valuable B-complex group of vitamins such as folates, riboflavin, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid and thiamin.
• Further, it provides healthy amounts of some important minerals like magnesium, copper, iron and manganese.

 I decided to just prepare the Jicama with a light citrus dressing and add both to my spinach salad.  I used the juice of one freshly squeezed orange, 1 tbsp chopped Cilantro, 1 tbsp Walnut Oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

The Jicama, taste so good on it's own you really don't need anything else.  And what I really like about it, is that you can pack it as a snack, you don't have to worry about keeping it cold and the kids actually like it!