Thursday Recap:
Workout: Tone it up Kettlebell workout
So, after checking out my old blog posts, I can officially say that my good ole kettlebell has been left in the workout dust since March 2011. Yep. Besides a stand-alone arm workout here and there, they've mostly just lounged around, gazing longingly at my much-used dumbbells J. Even Katie's shown them more love of late...
Well, it made its grand reemergence yesterday morning for this quick, 18 minute workout that I absolutly ADORED. So much so that I think after their 3 year hiatus, the kettlebell might be used again THIS morning for the same workoutJ By 8pm last night, I could sloowwwlly feel everything starting to 'tense up' which meant SOMETHING must have workedJ Give this one a try! 18 MINUTES! ...but be warned for those 'Turkish getups.' Holy hell!
I was planning on tossing in another round of 'cardio dance' in the early evening, but around mid-afternoon yesterday I realized I needed to stop kidding myself and just get a shower because there was going to be NO MORE working out for the rest of the dayJ I'll explain more in a bitJ
9:00am: Breakfast- Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes
OK...now this recipe is A LITTLE intense for a 'normal' weekday morning, but given that the weekend is right in sight, I URGE you to make this recipe for a lazy weekend breakfast because you will NOT be disappointed!
The amount of ingredients is the most 'difficult' part, but SOOOOOOO worth it when you taste these sweet, slightly crispy cakes and definitely one you can feel good about since all of those million ingredients are GOOD FOR YOU!
Now you KNOW I am NOT the 'world's best pancake maker,' but I DID manage to get these in 'pancake shape' AND flipped in one piece thanks to my little trick of flattening the thick batter into thin cakes. Make sure to wet the spatula first so the batter doesn't stick...cause it will.
Just trust me on that oneJ
These even made the 'oat storm' from yesterday morning ALL worth it. And I LOVE the addition of coconut oil, since it gave the edges a nice crispness (same as the banana oatmeal cookies that we LOVED). Give these a try for a fabulously healthy breakfast treat...complete with chocolate chipsJ
Yep, no piece of fruit was going to sustain me as I wanted something WARM & COMFORTING ASAP by 11am yesterday morning and this fit the bill perfectly. Especially since, by this point of the day, I had already cleaned up "Oat New Years" AND withstood a meltdown of EPIC proportions while just TRYING TO WASH KATIE'S HAIR. Yes. It was THAT exhausting.
And after a few more hours of play & trying to translate VERY determined '2 year old language,' by the time nap time rolled around (not a moment too soon), Momma need a snack of liquid energy! (after that aforementioned 'no more workouts' showerJ)
2:30pm: Snack- Coffee & 2 Key lime bites
Thankfully, this gave me just enough of a boost to check some items off my 'to do' list and get me motivated for the rest of the day. You're just always there for me when I need you, coffee.
I digress.
6:00pm: Dinner- "Zucchini Manicotti" & side salad
Fun, right? And they actually came together REALLY quickly AND they held their shape FAIRLY wellJ
You simply:
- zip zucchini up into 'noodle shapes' with a cheese slicer and let it sit with a drizzle of olive oil, and a shake of salt & pepper
- mixed ricotta with chopped basil, some Parmesan and salt & pepper
- grabbed a jar of your favorite sauce (Bove's is the only 'jarred sauce' allowed to party with usJ)
...and if you're feeling extra motivated, brown and crumble some chicken sausage. But you can totally skip that part to make this dinner even easier OR vegetarian.
Lay out 3 'noodles' slightly overlapping, fill with a little scoop of sausage, cheese & sauce and line seam-side down in a sauce covered pan.
Cover with MORE sauce and some shredded mozzarella and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until everything is warmed through...
REALLY, REALLY good. They had ALL the TASTES of manicotti/lasagna, so you really didn't miss the noodles at all. You know I LOVE me some noodles, but ya can't really beat a ZERO guilt swap...especially on a weeknight. Try these out as another fun zucchini/pasta swap!
Scott & I were out and about last night and decided a trip to Dairy Queen for their MINI Blizzards didn't sound like the worst idea. They are JUST enough to enjoy without overindulging. (even 1/2 of a mini would be enough...but I'd be lying if I said I stopped at 1/2 last nightJ)
And in "Week 3" of "more mindful" eating/post-slimdown, the scale is still on a steady decline. NOT FAST, but steady and DEFINITELY in the right directionJ I'll take it...especially when the last thing I ate RIGHT before a weigh-in involved peanut butter cupsJ
Alrighty...well, we have a FUN day with a REALLY fun 'linner' planned for today and I'm sure we'll have some more good eats over the weekend that I'll be excited to share with you on Monday. Hope you guys have a GREATTTTTT weekend!
Enjoy!J
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