Tag Archives: workout

Thursday Things

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1. Check out this little craft I did yesterday that cost only $5 and took about 5 minutes to complete:

Each of those 81/2×11″ frames were 25 cents and the scrapbook paper was 99cents a sheet!

I have two other christmas craft projects that I might wait to complete over the weekend (it includes paint and candles and glitter and glue and all that jazz)

2. Last night’s dinner was FANTASTIC. I took the recipe from SkinnyTaste, and only tweaked it a bit. <—because I am terrible at converting ounces to grams and then usually halving the recipe for just the two of us. Yes, pretty much everything here is in grams which drives me freaking batty.

Chicken and Broccoli Noodle Casserole

Here’s what you need:

  • 2 large boneless chicken breasts
  • 3 cups no yolk noodles
  • 1 3/4 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large crown of broccoli
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1/8 cup minced onion
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar
  • 3 tbsp parmesan cheese
  • 2 tbsp bread crumbs

Here’s what you do:

1. Put the chicken in the crock pot on high for roughly 4 hours and shred with two forks when it’s done. (submerge the chicken in chicken broth, enough to cover the meat- this is not included in the list of ingredients0

2. Cook the noodles until they are almost al dente. Strain and set aside.

3. Preheat oven to 375, spray 8×8 with cooking spray.

4. Put the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and allow it to simmer for about a minute. Then add the broccoli florets. Turn the heat to low and cover the skillet to allow the broccoli to steam.

5. In a large pot, add the butter. Once it’s melted, throw in the onion and allow the onion to soften for a few minutes. Add the flour until incorporated. Then add the chicken broth and whisk thoroughly. Add the milk and bring the mixture to a boil (stirring occasionally). Once brought to a boil, turn it back down to medium heat and allow 6-7 minutes for mixture to thicken. Remove from heat, and add the cheddar cheese and 1 tbsp parmesan. Mix well.

6. Add shredded chicken, noodles, and broccoli to the cream mixture in pot.

7. Pour the mixture into the 8×8 dish. Top with remaining 2 tbsp parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.

8. Bake for 20 minutes, then allow it to sit under the broil for a couple minutes to allow the top to brown.

9. Eat! (We added some sriracha to our portions. yum!)

 

(I always use the smaller plates for my meals, and leave the big plates for Tyler. Perception of having the plate full can really deceive your eating habits!)

3. I worked out at home yesterday and did the strength workout B from Best Body Bootcamp. It was an interesting workout, and I adjusted a few moves to accommodate the equipment I have. The toughest one was what I substituted for hamstring curls- I actually used my gliding discs for these. Yikes, my hammies were screaming after that set. There were cardio intervals within the supersets and I finished it off with some kickboxing. Check out this super flattering picture.

(Notice that my HEAD is wider than my entire body. Oy)

4. It was during my workout (in ‘my’ room) that I noticed it’s been a while since I updated my calendar.

Just a few months off. No biggie. But July is my favorite. 4th of July, my birthday, summer= all happy things.

5. A lot of people do throwback thursday pics. Since I am now 3000 miles from home, I couldn’t really bring any of my stuff with me, so I don’t really have any of my childhood pictures. But I do have this gem that my mom somehow brought this summer.

It was my understanding that in 5th grade, prescription sunglasses were HOT. Looking at it now: NO THEY’RE NOT.

6. I got shout outs on both Leigh AND Alison’s blogs today (ladies, I am totally stealing that post soon!) Woo hoo!

7. It’s not a new song, but it’s been a huge player this week in my workouts. Love me some hip hop/electro mixes (mostly the hip hop part though). The best part:

Ugly girls be quiet, quiet, pretty girls clap, clap like this
Ugly girls be quiet, quiet, pretty girls clap, clap like this

(I obviously clap)

Pretty Girls (Benny Benassi remix)

What song (new or old) do you have on heavy rotation lately?

Yummy Chili

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Recipe you MUST try: Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili from SkinnyTaste

 

 

Holy Moly, was it tasty (and there’s a bit left, so I get some more today!) I actually made half of what the recipe calls for since the two of us are pretty sucky at using up all the leftovers. I topped mine with a dallop of greek yogurt and a pinch of cheese.

Yesterday’s workout felt GOOD. I did the strengh “ladders” from this phase of Best Body Bootcamp at home, then went to the gym to bust out a 30 minute interval run and 20 minutes on the spin bike. Here’s what my run looked like:

 

Hey, so I am going to be boring and do another survey. Mostly because the coffee hasn’t kicked in yet and I am brain dead. Yay!

1. Last thing you ate:

Multigrain Cheerios (my weekday breakfast of choice)

2. Last beverage you drank:

Coffee. Coffee. Coffee.

 

3. Last workout:

See above

4. Last thing you pinned:

 

Lace wrapped mason jars

(I totally forgot about pinning this, by the way, but I ironically took a bunch of used glass candle jars- put them in the freezer for a couple hours, popped out the leftover wax, and now they’re ready to get some similar decorating!)

 

5. Last text message you sent:

Well, it’s not the last one, but I thought this rant I sent Tyler yesterday was pretty funny

 

6. Last blog you visited:

Meh, I sort of skimmed over a ton and Marked as Read when I woke up- haven’t clicked back over yet to check more out. Actually, I lied. I clicked on Its Linz post on pumpkin muffins (through twitter)

7. Last tweet you sent:

 

8. Last place you visited:

Yesterday I went to Safeway, Pet Planet, and the Y. Super exciting stuff.

9. Last time you did ab work:

Sunday night. I did side crunches on the bender ball.

10. Last show you watched:

We have been recording this season of Revenge because I was obsessed with it. But I watched the first episode of this season this morning, and I am so over it.

 

(Source)

11. Last thing you baked:

Pumpkin Bread!

 

12. Last thing you Instagrammed:

 

Some pre-workout powder I got in one of my Bulu Boxes

13. Last Item on your to-do list today:

Well, ummmmm…..

 

And I leave you with my thoughts about school right now:

 

Ok, your turn- answer one or some or all of these!

Recipes, Purchases, and a Workout

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Hey, I’m back. I told you I would be, so it shouldn’t be such a huge surprise.

 

1. So these:

 

Holy hell are they sweet or what. They’re so sweet, I gotta say it again: holy hell. But if you’d like the recipe, you can find it here.

2. Apple Leather

 

Here’s what I did: 6 apples peeled and halved. Put into boiling water for a few minutes to get them nice and tender. Drain and throw them in the blender with just under 1/4 c water and cinnamon to taste. Then spread out on a cookie pan lined with saran wrap (sprayed with cooking oil helps). Then put oven on the lowest setting (mine was 170 degrees) and let it sit in the oven overnight (8-10 hours. Check it now and then to make sure it doesn’t crisp up, you want it to be a bit pliable).

There ya go!

3. I went to Lululemon (because Tyler TOLD me to) and I got 2 precious gems to add to my collection. This is totally going to help me with that issue I mentioned yesterday.

 

It’s the Virtue Energy Pant in dense purple and the Run: Swiftly Tech long sleeve

4. Then I got carried away and found an amazeballs steal on some more winter clothes. I got two pairs of cords and 2 sweaters and they were each $20! Not bad, Jen. Not bad.

 

5. Yesterday’s workout.

It was somewhat adjusted because I only had one girl attend the class, but here’s the gist: (some of the moves were taken from Best Body Bootcamp. Green= strength; Blue= cardio)

  • 5 minute warmup
  • Elevated push press (using the step) 1 min each side
  • Up/down plank- 1 min
  • Run laps around the studio for 3 minutes
  • 15 seconds jacks/15 seconds mountain climbers x3
  • Lunge stance with row- 1 min/Opposite leg forward lunge stance with reverse fly- 1 min
  • Tricep dips- 30 seconds at the 4-count and 30 seconds at single count
  • Repeat lunge moves and tricep dips
  • Run laps opposite directions for 3 minutes
  • 1 min torso twist hops
  • 1 minute wall sit with bicep curls
  • 1 minute weighted laying hip abduction/1 minute weighted hip adduction
  • 1 minute wall sit with overhead press
  • 30 seconds jump rope/30 seconds quick feet x3
  • 15 squats with front raise
  • 15 chest flys
  • 30 second decline plank
  • 15 single leg tricep kickback Left/15 right
  • 10 plank with single arm row Right/10 left
  • 8 surrender squat right/8 left

BURPEES

  • we did 5 burpess with a 15 second rest 10x through

ABS

  • Crunch progressions: 10 reg crunches, 10 with legs at tabletop position, 10 with legs straight in the air, 10 with scissor legs left, 10 scissor legs right, 10 tabletop, 10 regular

Tell me something random. How about: what’s the last thing you bought online? Where’s the last place you went out to eat? Favorite TV show this fall? Favorite cold-weather meal to make?

Lots of Dog Pics

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Yesterday, I bundled up and took Layla for a walk.

 

I haven’t taken her for about a week because it’s just been too crappy out. It was still pretty bad yesterday- even the pup was slipping on the ice- but she needed to stretch her legs…

and roll.

Beware this post is heavy on the dog pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

I was kind of having a down-in-the-dumps day. The weather was yuck, I didn’t feel like doing school work, I ate too much candy, AND I was stressed about gym stuff (more in a sec). I told Tyler, and this was his response:

 

Yup. He basically TOLD me to go buy Lulu! I originally planned to swing by the mall after teaching my class, but I was sweaty and it was cold, so I am going as soon as I finish this post! :):):):):)

Ok, so the gym thing.

UGH.

Le sigh.

So, if you’re new to this here blog, lemme give you a quickie recap.

  • I taught 4 classes/week  at the Boston YMCAs when I was living in Boston (Core, Muscle, Cardio Ball)
  • I was certified to teach Cardio Kix/Cutz from Corpbasics
  • First Aid/CPR certified
  • ACSM cPT (certified personal trainer)

When I got to Calgary, I found that I could not get a paying job until I had my PR card. (Which is still not going to be until May/June/July 2013). Also, the positions at the Calgary YMCA’s are unpaid. So, the fitness director who I befriended allowed me to teach outdoor bootcamps downtown throughout the summer. She just recently gave me my regular indoor circuit class on Wednesdays, and the personal training department ‘hired’ me to teach a registered TRX class.

I had also been on the list for certification courses that were the equivalent to my American certs. Unfortunately, the courses have been barely offered, so I have been able to complete only ONE CERT since living here (I still need a Fundamentals certification to teach group fitness, and I need to CHALLENGE the cPT exam which is so stupid because I have my cert through the ACSM which is a program that the YMCAs here REFERENCE. doh)

WELL.

My fitness director friend accepted a job elsewhere, so I no longer have a buddy working at the Y. AND she informed me that since my certs are still not up to date, I have to have a moderator present at each of my classes.

Basically, a babysitter.

It’s liability issues.

And don’t even get me started on the music that we can/cannot use in classes.

I basically got fed up. Not only was I now leaving my house 90 minutes prior to class time so that I could drive the 4 miles downtown and park 1 mile away from the gym (for free parking) then trek ELEVEN FLIGHTS of outdoor stairs to get there, but I couldn’t get the certifications in a timely manner due to THEIR scheduling, and I have to have a babysitter? AND not get paid? No. Not good.

So, unfortunately, I had to go to the director yesterday and tell her that I could no longer teach classes.

Do you have any idea how hard that is? It was my 2 hours a week of being able to be around other people and teach them what I love. And get in a great workout.

But I don’t want to be on thin ice with liability issues until they can offer me the proper certifications. Then, as soon as I get my PR card, I am going to a private gym for a full-time PAID position.

It didn’t help that I was having approx. ONE PERSON attend my Wednesday classes each week,

 

On a happier note, this was my little monster when I got home last night:

 

I may or may not be back later to share a couple recipes, potential purchases at the mall, and the workout from last night’s class! 🙂

 

Throwback Thursday (not that kind)

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Happy Throwback Thursday (usually people refer to throwback in the sense that they post old pictures or play old songs. But me, I ‘throw back’ a few brewskis. Umm it’s Thursday, so there’s football. And when there’s football, and a football loving dude that I just so happen to live with…..there’s beer)

Oh funny story: I have been saving all the booze bottles (and milk cartons and kombucha bottles) for the last couple of months and I returned them today for $23! Hells yeah I can buy practically nothing in Canada for that.

1. My Avon order arrived today! Woo hoo

 

(More than $23)

 

 

2. So did my new coat!

 

(Way more than $23)

 

(That’s my crazy i-look-like-crap-silly-face) Gimme a break, I didn’t put makeup on today because I am about to go to the gym, and I wanted ‘naked’ skin when I went to my Avon lady’s house just in case I was going to put a lot of samples on. But I didn’t) Layla doesn’t judge.

3. We also got some dimmer switches that Tyler ordered, but I didn’t open the box because those aren’t as exciting to play with…..until they’re installed.

*Have we noticed that I am useful being stuck at home? I answer the door for all the deliveries!

Yesterday’s HEAT class had a whopping ONE person in attendance. PEOPLE, DON’T SLACK OFF ON GOING TO THE GYM JUST BECAUSE THERE’S SNOW ON THE GROUND. I hate snow and I still trekked through that shi*

I did a 10 minute progression cardio set on the elliptical before heading to the studio for class, where I did:

(The first few rounds were taken directly from one of Athena’s workouts that she posted the other day. I used to hate being in her class when she did count downs only because I seemed to be the only grunter by the time we got down to 4’s. Oh wait, I think I liked it because I was the only grunter. Ahh, potayyy-toes, potahhh-toes.)

Countdowns (10 of each move, then 9, down to one…Athena explains it. Then one minute of the cardio, and about one minute of the core move)

Round 1

  • Bicep Curls/Overhead Presses
  • Jumping Jacks
  • Alternating crunch/toe touch

Round 2

  • Pushups/bent over rows
  • Jump rope
  • Side plank w/hip raise

Round 3

  • Tricep Kickbacks/Upright Rows
  • High Knees
  • Heel Taps

Then, I had to get a bit creative because my one participant was a little limited in her movement due to an injury.

Round 4

  • Donkey Kicks (each leg countdown)
  • Weighted left squat to left side lunge (45 seconds) to right squat and right side lunge (45 seconds)
  • One minute wall sit with a front raise

Round 5

  • Crunches/Supermans
  • Mountain Climbers
  • Leg lifts
  • One minute wall sit with lateral raise

Round 6

  • Weighted reverse lunge with 3-count pulse and 3-count hold (90 seconds each leg)
  • Weighted Squat to overhead press
  • Laying weighted hip abductions with 3-count hold

It doesn’t look like a whole ton of cardio, but since we were doing those countdowns like quickfire, we were both breathing hard and sweating lots.

Today’s workout will consist of 40 minutes steady state cardio, and a few moves that were in my workout from Best Body Bootcamp that I was supposed to do yesterday (but didn’t squeeze them in my class)

Peace out.