Lotsa New Stuff!

I have lotsa new stuff to share with you today!  I’m super stoked.  Let’s start with a couple new workouts.  I found this workout that is very similar to the style of BodyPump classes.  I miss BodyPump classes so much from when I worked at the gym, so I decided to do my own workout very similar to it.  (If your gym offers BodyPump, and you’ve never tried it before, I highly recommend it!)  BodyPump is a class that focuses primarily on strength endurance.  Whenever I took the class, I was sore for at least a couple days.  I took what I knew from BodyPump, used the workout I saw on CNC, adapted it a bit, and came up with this:

BodyPump Style Weights Workout

Do each exercise below for three minutes straight.  Move directly from exercise to exercise without resting.  Use 5-15 lb. dumbbells, depending on your fitness level and the exercise.  Make sure you use a weight that is heavy enough to fatigue your muscles by the end of the three minutes, but also a weight that is light enough to allow you to get through the entire three minutes. 

Lower Body: DB (dumbbell) squats

Chest: DB chest press (90 seconds)/DB chest fly (90 seconds)

Back: DB single arm row (90 seconds each arm)

Lower Body: Deadlifts

Triceps: DB tricep kickbacks/extensions (90 seconds each arm)

Biceps: DB bicep curl

Lower Body: DB alternating lunge

Shoulders: DB lateral raise (90 seconds)/DB shoulder press (90 seconds)

Abs: Any ab moves you enjoy

I wanted to get in a little cardio with this workout as well, so I came up with this simple, quick circuit-style workout. 

Quick Cardio Circuit Workout

Perform each exercise for one minute and move immediately to the next exercise.  Rest for 30 seconds at the end of the circuit.  Go through the circuit three times.  (Takes about 20 minutes)

Jumping jacks

High knees

Kickbox Punches

Butt kicks

Clock jumps (jump in a circle as if you were jumping around a clock at 12, 3, 6, and 9)

Jump rope (if you don’t have a jump rope, use an imaginary one! 🙂 )

Let’s just say I was sweatin’ like a crazy maniac by the time I was finished with both of these workouts.  Sometimes I like combining small mini workouts into one big one to mix things up.  I was definitely needing some lunch after this workout, and threw together this yummy little concoction. 

Choco-Banana Green Machine Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 cold/frozen ripe banana

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 scoop vanilla (or chocolate) protein powder

1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cup vanilla soymilk

1 large handful spinach

Ice cubes

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients in a blender.  Blend until smooth.  Drink up!  Makes one serving.

I also went out today on a quest for some cute new dishes.  We have a great set of dishes we got for our wedding, but I wanted some colorful ones for photos, serving, etc.  I had a gift card to Bed, Bath, and Beyond, so I headed right over.  I am so excited about what I found!  I got a couple bowls, plates, and my absolute favorite, THIS MUG!

Ok, I’ll be honest, we have way too many mugs in our cupboard, but I just couldn’t resist this one.  For one, I absolutely love coffee (I can never have too many mugs, right?).  For two, it’s the color combo for my blog that I’m loving these days!  And for three, of course it has an “A” on it.  It was calling my name, obviously. 

I used one of my new little bowls to eat my snack in this afternoon right when I got home.  I couldn’t wait!  This one is just plain white, but white brightens up any photo and can be paired with lots of colorful food, placemats, etc.  It’s just one of those practical colors that is perfect.  I put some vanilla protein pudding with sliced kiwi and strawberries in it.  Absolutely delicious! 

Oh, and one more treasure I found with my giftcard… this beautiful sham!  It’s a little redder in the photo than in real life, but it fits perfectly in our living room.  I’ve been looking for one for quite some time, so I was excited when I saw this.  Extra bonus: it was on sale! 

Stay tuned in the coming days to see more of my pretty little bowls and plates I got!

What [Was] For Dinner: (Cauliflower Crusted) Veggie Pizza and Salad

Good morning sunshine!  I definitely have to make up for yesterday’s lack of posting, so here I am.  I have lots to do today, so  thought I’d get right to it! 

I have to fill you in on our scrumptious dinner last night… veggie pizza with crust made out of cauliflower!  Yes, it’s really true!  When I first saw this recipe, I almost couldn’t believe it.  Pizza crust made out of a vegetable?!  I love pizza, but I don’t like the extra fat and calories that come along with the (yummy) crust, so I definitely had to try out this recipe!  I found it here, but I will copy it down here too so you don’t have to be clicking all over the place.  I also revised it a little bit, so take your pick on which one you’d like to use. 

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked, rice cauliflower*

1 egg

3/4 cup mozzarella cheese

1 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. parsley

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Spray cookie sheet or pizza pan with cooking spray.  In a medium bowl, combine riced cauliflower, cheese, egg, and spices. 

 

Press evenly on pan.  Bake for 12-15 minutes (15-20 minutes if you double the recipe).  Remove pan from oven, and add sauce and any toppings you wish!  (I topped mine with sliced tomatoes, spinach, and basil.  Yum!)  Place under broiler on high until cheese is melted.  

*I bought frozen cauliflower and cooked it according to the directions.  I put the cauliflower in my food processor, blended it for a couple seconds, and there I had riced cauliflower! 

Makes 2 servings.  (Unless you have a man that eats for 5!  Hence why I made two pizzas.)

It was mighty tasty!  I even have a few pieces left over for lunch today. 🙂   I made another pizza for Cody that included pepperoni, black olives, and mushrooms (his favorite toppings).  He even gave the *thumbs up* on the cauliflower pizza crust!  It’s a winner folks!  You have to try it!

Now I need to get going so I can check some things off of the “to do list”!  On the list: clean the house, fold laundry, workout, run a few errands, and possibly bake a healthy snack or two.  Catch ya later!

Questions for the Morning:

• What are your favorite pizza toppings?
• Do you usually make “to do lists”? 
• What is your agenda for the day?