Outdoor Workout and Recipe You.Must.Try.

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Phewfsies. Another exhausting day for the books.

Bootcamp was awesome. I mean, anything involving these stairs is pretty great:

There’s 165 steps. I counted.

Our workout today consisted of supersets of a bunch of different exercises. We would do 2 back to back, each for a minute, then take a minute break. 4 sets in total. We did lunges, jump squats, burpees, plie squats, planks, russian twists, pushups and jacks.

Then, we had cones set up and divided the group in two. One group would do a cardio exercise down and back while the other would do a strength. They were:

Jump skips/tricep dips
grapevine/spiderman planks
shuffle/ squat pulse
shuffle/bench crunches

Then we did some ab progressions and jogged back down the stairs and back to the gym.

Pretty great workout. Especially outside. Except when you forget to put on sunscreen. Which of course, I forgot. I was planning on laying out in the sun tomorrow (unless it rains) to get rid of my god awful tan lines, but I was asked to attend an afternoon bootcamp (indoors. this calls for another phewfsies) and then a hi-lo/step workshop. So, it looks like it’ll be another active day tomorrow!

Lunch was a plateful of veggies. Gotta hit the daily requirement.

It was really too hot out to eat a bunch of hot veggies, but I’m so turned off by salads right now. Must be the last one I had had a nasty dressing. Who knows. Who cares, really.

Twyla and I took all our 4-legged beasts down to the river for a little walk. Which turned out to be a 2 hour walk. Which means my dogs are killing me. (Not the 4-legged ones, but the ones attached to my legs. Haha, I’m such a comedian) I forgot to take pictures because we were chit-chatting the whole time and Layla was a savage on the leash. I think my left arm is exempt from any bicep/tricep work for at least a month.

LET’S GET TO DINNER….SHALL WE?

That’s not even a question, because I AM going to show you dinner. In fact, Tyler’s still eating it. He just came in -from his video game, no less- and told me it was the best sauce he’s ever had. People, this is huge. Massive, even. Best part? He doesn’t know that it’s a healthified version. Bwahahahaha.

I found this recipe from Stephanie Cooks. I only changed one thing and added two others. Here it is:

Lighter Creamy Garlic Pasta

1 tsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup 1% milk
1/2 pound angel hair (I used rotini)
1 cup grated parmesan (I used 1/4 cup)
1 tsp dried parsley

I added

6 large mushrooms, sliced and sauteed
2 sausage links, removed from the casings, crumbled and cooked

Directions:

1. Heat the oil, garlic and butter in a large pot. Stir frequently. After 1-2 minutes, add the salt, pepper, chicken stock and milk.

2. Bring the broth to a boil. Add the pasta and allow it to cook according to packaging directions. Then add the cheese, mushrooms and sausage. Remove from heat, stir well. Top with parsley (I forgot!) Serve immediately.

The result:

The broth and all that creamy goodness soak into the pasta as it’s cooking, so there is no need to drain the pot. Oh man, it is good. I highly recommend this meal. I only used 1/4 of the cheese because it’s all I had left, and I think it was just the perfect amount. You be the judge though.

That’s all for now, because my eyelids…..are……slowly………..closing.

3 Workouts To Try

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

I’m going to give you a piece of free advice: If you see a hill, go up it. I don’t care how- run, walk, bike, crawl. Just do it. (Sorry, Nike). It is a fantastic glute workout and really gets your heart a-pumpin’. Added bonus if you’re at insane altitudes.

Take, for instance, this hill:

The photo really doesn’t do it justice. That hill is so steep, you have to crane your neck to see the top.

Anyhoo, as soon as I spotted that sucker, I decided Layla and I were going to get up that thing. As we started the climb, I saw a biker up ahead of us stop and sit down. He was seriously out of breath. I thought to myself ‘Ha! He is so out of shape! I am going to get all the way up this hill easy peasy!” Umm, right. Well, No sooner did we pass said wheezing dude that I, myself started to wheeze. Holy shnikeys, this hill was for serious. But, we made it with no stops. And the view, my God it was beautiful. Again, the pictures really don’t do it any justice whatsoever.

Layla celebrated our accomplishment with a massive victory poo. Don’t worry, there are no pictures of that joyous occasion.

So there’s advice for a simple little glute workout. On to the next!

Have no time or equipment? Are you tired, rundown, listless? Do you poop out at parties? Are you unpopular? The answers to all your problems are in this little bottle….

Whoops, started asking so many questions I dove right into some I Love Lucy dialogue. And sweet Jesus if you don’t know what I am talking about. The vitameatavegamin episode. Seriously, guys. Catch up on your black and white sitcoms.

Back to the no time or equipment thing. Here’s a quick 10-minute crossfit style workout I found on Fitsugar.

The workout is a combination of cardio and strength straining that can be done in only 10 minutes.

See? I liked it so much I did it for an extra .2 seconds. Overachiever is my middle name.

If you don’t want to click on the link above which provides a video demonstration of this workout, I’ll write it here:

1 minute of shuffle squats
1 minute of alternating front lunges
1 minute of bicycle crunches
1 minute of mountain climbers
1 minute stretch
REPEAT

It’s only 10 minutes. That’s it. Go do it.

3rd workout I will tell you about is The Fitnessista’s Schweaty May Workout. I also did this one yesterday and I love love love it.

She goes into detail for the moves, but I’ll summarize below:

5 minute warm up

3 sets of 12-15 reps for the following (3 sets on each side, if applicable)

squat to overhead press
reverse fly and leg lift
curtsy lunge with bicep curl and lateral raise
stability ball pushup
stability ball back extension
stability ball leg lifts

optional: 20 Minutes of HIIT with 1:30 minutes easy and 30 seconds HARD.

I love this workout!

There ya have it. 3 different workouts you can do today.

See ya later.

Bust Your Booty Workout

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Here’s my morning workout for today:

10 minute HIIT warmup (any cardio you choose, I did the elliptical)

180 degree jump squats (12)
Lunge progressors (12 reverse lunge, 12 reverse lunge w/high knee, 12 reverse lunge w/high knee and calf raise, 12 reverse lunge w/high knee, calf raise and hop)
10 lateral raise, 10 front raise
x2

60 second jump rope

kettlebell swings (10)
single leg squats (10)
10 overhead press, 10 raise combo
x2

60 seconds of jacks

bridge crunch (12)
side plank w/dips (12)
leg lifts (12)
x2

60 seconds of plank jacks

Head to toes (12)

Thread the Needle (12)

(got these from the latest issue of Fitness magazine)

Cardio Series:

10 jacks, 10 mountain climbers (4x)
10 double hips, 10 side kicks (4x)
10 skiers, 10 sec plank hold (4x)

10 min HIIT cardio

That should do the trick! As for me, I have an afternoon hike scheduled with the doggie-poo, then another 30 minutes of kix at home. I HAVE SO MUCH ENERGY!!!!!!!!

Love my Mondays!

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Scary, but I’m really starting to love my Mondays. I’ll wait for you to finish gasping before I explain why.

Done yet?

K good.

Actually, I’ll let you wait a but before I explain. Just need to recap Sunday first.

Breakfast started with an English muffin topped with leftover guac and scrambled eggs. Pretty dang delish and tons of protein. Helps with the hangover, too. Ok, I’m not sure if that’s proven, but it is in my case.

After breakfast and oodles of coffee was consumed, Tyler suggested we head to Bowmont park for a walk. (Note: It was really my idea, but using the power of suggestion and persuasion, I made Tyler think it was his idea..this is how successful relationships work, people.)

And of course, the youngin’ found her way into the water. I’m pretty sure Tyler almost took a dunk. She was not behaving on the leash AT ALL. There were tons of people out with their dogs and she was just overwhelmed. Lots of whining and half-woofs and scampering.

I managed to take a shot of the river while we crossed one of the bridges. I just thought it was so pretty that you can see the mountains in the background. Look harder, they’re there. (Ooooh correct grammar on their, there and they’re. Jen for the win)

Of course, since it was Sunday, I had to make some sweet treat once we got home. BUT, I decided to make it a healthy sweet treat. For the sake of my thighs. And hips. (Oh god, my hips. Cringe)

Here’s what I suggest: If you want something sweet and indulgent, go ahead and make the full fat version. Honestly, it’ll satisfy the craving. But, if you just want something to satisfy your sweet tooth without overdoing it, try this recipe (I came up with it myself!!!)

Protein Brownies

3/4 c unbleached flour
1/4 c cocoa
1/4 chocolate protein powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter
2/3 c sugar
1 egg
1/4 c applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c nonfat plain greek yogurt
1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 baking dish with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In one bowl, combine flour, cocoa, protein powder, salt and baking powder.

3. In another bowl combine softened butter and sugar. Once completely mixed, add in egg, applesauce and vanilla.

4. Add flour mixture to egg mixture. Then add the yogurt until fully incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips

5. With a spatula, spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool completely before removing from dish and serving.

If you try this recipe out, let me know what you think! (I didn’t tell Tyler they were healthified and I caught him going to the kitchen a few time for a brownie!

The sun was still out after I finished baking, so I decided to take advantage. I mean, who knows- it might snow again.

And I got started on another book

I forgot about the whole sun thing, and now sport a terrible sock and capri tan line. G-ross.

Once dinner rolled around…I was craving veggies. And veggies we did eat.

Grilled carrots, mushies and onions and Frank’s RedHot Chicken. To grill the veggies, I slathered them in olive oil, s&p, wrapped them in foil and tossed ’em on the grill. The carrots look burnt, but that’s actually where they carmelized and were really sweet! All in all, good dinner.

Sunday night’s workout was a quick 20 minutes of cardio/strength intervals. It consisted of:

Jump squats
Leg lifts
Pushups
Jump rope
Sit ups
Squats
Mountain Climbers
Stability Ball hip raises
Jacks

Ok, now I can tell you why I love Mondays. Well, for starters- it’s the first workout post-weekend. For some reason, I always have tons of energy. And I can really just get a fresh start.

Pre-workout, I tried out some of this stuff

Razor Blast Powder 8 in Triple Berry. I was nervous to take it because I haven’t yet tried it, and I didn’t know how my body would react to it.

WELL.

Holy balls, did it work. I walked to the gym at 7:30 this morning and absolutely killed my workout. What workout did I do? Glad you asked:

10 minute warmup (I did HIIT on the spin bike)

Round 1 (Do 2x before moving to next round)

Reverse lunge with fly (12 reps w/8lb weights)

Jump Squats (10)

Plank Hold (60 sec)

Round 2 (Do 2x before moving to next round)

Plie squat w/lateral raise (12 reps w/8lb weights)

Mountain Climbers (10)

Plank Hold (60 sec)

Round 3 (Do 2x before moving to next round)

Bicep curl w/overhead press (12 reps w/12lb weights)

Weighted side lunges (10 each side)

Round 4 (Do 2x before moving to next round)

Stablilty ball lower back extensions (12)

Stability ball roll out (10)

Round 5 (Do 2x before moving to next round)

10 double hop jumps

4 pushups

Round 6 (Do 2x before moving to next round)

Weighted Russian twist (10 each side)

V-ups (4 with hold at the top)

50 jacks

Round 7

Fire Hydrant (10 each leg)

Crossover mountain climbers (10)

Fire Hydrant with toe kick (10 each leg)

Crossover Mountain Climbers (10)

10 min Cardio (I did HIIT on the elliptical)

Fuel (otherwise known as breakfast) after this workout was a bowl of eggwhite oats. Delish

I combined oats, an egg white, almond milk and water with a scoop of pumpkin and 1 tbsp of chia seeds. 2 minutes in the microwave and topped it with almond butter.

YES. ALMOND BUTTER. Finally, after three weeks sans any nut butter, I finally have to jars of this nutty goodness!

Happy happy happy Jen. 🙂

Off to take advantage of this lovely day and take my terror of a dog on the trails!

Fiesta recap

Posted on May 6, 2012 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Dudeskiguykidman- yesterday afternoon/evening was fun!

I started with an insanely sweaty at-home workout that left me weak and shaky and just the way I love to feel after I workout.

Sweat= 💗

While I was in the back room getting my groove on (40 minutes of kix followed by a quick n dirty 10 min of strength/cardio intervals and finishing with 10 min of abs), Tyler and Layla were chillin’ like villains. Seriously, the two are like BFFs. I think it’s because he gives her tons of treats, never mind the fact that I’m with her all day and walk her and pet her and feed her and love love love her. But, her affection does come with a price- she now sleeps on top of Tyler at night! Bwahahaha.

(oh, and he bought her this super plush bed at Costco yesterday)

Look at my little family! How adorbs 🙂

After I cooled down and showered, we got to work. ‘work’ meaning eating and drinking. (Insert fist pump here)

Round 1 was mango margaritas.

Accompanied by some grub we prepped earlier

Tyler put together a sour cream/salsa dip while I got to work on some homemade guac. And yes, I can now say I make the best guac ever!!!

Just look at that yummy ooey-gooeyness!!!!

And Tyler’s: super delish!

Round one of margaritas tragically finished super fast, so I shimmied on into the kitchen for round 2: strawberry!

Do I look super disappointed or what.

Round 3 was pineapple ( not the best, but Tyler and I managed to get through them)

It was at that point that we noticed how nice it was outside. Hold the phone…..what?!!! didn’t I wake up in a blizzard? What the hell, Calgary? Ah well, we’ll take it!

(that’s 9am vs. 9pm)

We had stuffed our bellies with way too much dip that we didn’t have our tacos until 10pm! I hear indigestion bells ringing!

They were still good, nonetheless. Best part was, when we both finished, we sat hunched over our plates with one messy hand (we didn’t have napkins and were a little too buzzed to do anything about it for about 10 minutes) I definitely snorted.

So there you have it… Our little tiny at home fiesta. I totally loved it.

And now, it’s a bright and sunny Sunday here in Calgary and I am planning in dragging Tyler out with me for a lovely walk/hike. I have a hunch that many calories need to be burned 😉