Workout Wednesday : Circuit Training

Another great workout is in the books!  I'm a bit under the weather this week with nasty cough, but was able to work up a good sweat with these exercises without putting a strain on my lungs. 

With the forward jump burpees, I intended for us to do the burpees down the length of the basketball court and then jog back.  In reality, we made it about halfway down the court, time ran out, and we walked back during the following rest period.

Meal Prep Monday : 3/26/18

Pork Roast, Mashed Potatoes, & Green Beans

The Pork Roast : Preheat the oven to 350.  Sprinkle the top of a 5.5 lb pork roast with garlic powder, basil, and a bit of salt.  Bake for 60-80 minutes (until internal temp reaches 140).  Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.  Slice into 23 slices, then cut them each in half for a total of 46 slices.  3 in each lunch, 1 lunch gets 4 of the smaller end pieces.  

The Potatoes : I bought a 5 lb bag of Yukon Gold potatoes.  I forget exactly how many I peeled, but I would guess it was 3.5-4 lbs.  Peel and boil the potatoes, then mash with a few tbsp of butter (I used Kerrygold this week), garlic powder, basil, and just enough milk to get the right consistency.  Each lunch gets a big spoonful. 

The Beans : Steam 64 oz of frozen beans with a bit of olive oil and some garlic powder.  Add 8 chopped mushrooms when the beans are almost done.  In a separate pan, saute 2 chopped yellow onions with olive oil and garlic powder.  When the onions are done, mix them with the beans.  Each lunch gets 2 large spoonfuls.  

I got 15 lunches made this week. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pork Roast : $11

Potatoes : $5

Beans : $2

Workout Wednesday : Circuit Training

We got to use the gym again this week!  It is so nice to be able to use all that space!  We used the perimeter for jogging and skipping, and went back and forth the long way for carioca/side shuffle.

I would have thought that the cardio exercises would be a piece of cake for me.  After all, I can go run 16 miles without too much trouble, how hard can a 1 minute jog be?  Well, I guess the jog part was pretty easy, but that minute of carioca or  jump roping? I find myself watching the timer hoping that time is almost up after 45 seconds because I am getting out of breath or fatigued.  I can place part of the blame on the fact that I don't use my inhaler for these workouts, but I feel like that can't be the only limiting factor.  I think I keep the tempo too slow to need the inhaler.  Whatever it is, I know I'm getting a good workout when I'm huffing and puffing and melting into a puddle of sweat on the gym floor! 

Meal Prep Monday : 3/19/18

Pesto Pasta with Chicken, Veggies, & Navy Beans

*makes 18 servings*

cost : <$23.92 

(see bottom of post for ingredient list with prices)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The pasta : Cook 2 lbs rotini, drain, and toss with olive oil and pesto.  I think I used 2-3 tbsp of olive oil and 4-5 tbsp of pesto. 

The chicken : Preheat oven to 450.  Coat 6 b/s chicken breasts with olive oil, then sprinkle on garlic powder, basil, and oregano.  Bake until internal temperature reaches 160.  I couldn't fit all 6 in one pan, the first 4 took 35-40 minutes and the last 2 took about 30 minutes.  Cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes, then shred/chop into bite-sized pieces.  

The veggies : In a large skillet, steam broccoli with some olive oil and 1/2 cup of water until tender.  Watch to make sure you remove it from the heat while the broccoli is still bright green.  If it turns dull green, it has been overcooked.  Once the broccoli has been removed from the skillet, add some more olive oil and about 2/3 c chopped onion.  When the onion begins to brown, add 1 lb chopped carrots.  When the carrots are almost done, add 1 package of frozen cauliflower.  Chop 9 mushrooms and add them when the cauliflower no longer looks frozen.  Cook til cauliflower and mushrooms are done.  Mix these vegetables with the broccoli.  Chop up any large pieces of broccoli or cauliflower so that all pieces are bite-sized. 

The beans : Pour one package of navy beans into a pot, cover with an inch or two of water.  Simmer on stove until soft.  

The meal : Each meal got 1/3 chicken breast, about 3/4 c each of pasta and veggies, and 1/8 c beans.  

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ingredient List 

6 b/s chicken breasts : $9.28

2 lbs rotini pasta : $2.00

2 lbs fresh broccoli florets : $3.99

12 oz frozen cauliflower : $1.19

1 lb carrots : $0.99

1 lb navy beans : $1.39

8 oz mushrooms : $1.29 (I used about 3/4 of the package)

8 oz pesto : $3.79 (I think I used 1-2 oz)

My total cost at the store was $23.92, but since I had some leftover ingredients, the cost of the meal is less. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wondering why I made 18 servings this week?  I've been making 10 servings a week for awhile now, to feed both my boyfriend and I.  Some of my coworkers have expressed interest in my meals on and off throughout the year.  2 weeks ago, I had some leftover food so I brought some meals for a coworker, and asked who else would be interested.  Since I was on spring break when I made this pasta meal, I had extra time, so it was easy enough to make all this extra food.  I imagine some of my coworkers will appreciate not having to worry about all their meals for the first week back from break!  

Grandview 3/18/2018

We spent the weekend in Lewisburg to run the Celtic Knot 5k and celebrate St. Patrick's Day at the Irish Pub (after 9 years of St Patrick's days at that pub, how could I spend the 10th anywhere else?!)  The weather was really nasty (freezing rain) for the 5k, but Coby finished in 21:00 and I was about 1 second behind...I just can't outsprint him! 

The weather was gorgeous and warmish today so on our way out of town we stopped to say hi to Pony, and then we decided to stop at Grandview on the New River Gorge to check out the view.  It has been on my list of places to check out since I drive by it every time I go back and forth between Abingdon and Lewisburg, but I hadn't ever gotten around to it!  The trees are all still pretty dead looking, but the view was still pretty awesome and we enjoyed a short hike along the canyon rim before getting back in the car to finish the drive home.  I didn't have my cameras with me, but my phone camera is pretty decent.

Sugar Hollow 3/15/2018

I feel like there has not been nearly enough downtime during my spring break, but the weather hasn't been too great for hiking anyway, so I guess I'll just be glad I got outside at all!  Two mornings ago I was snowed in out in Wise County visiting friends, but yesterday afternoon the temperature climbed into the low 50s, so a friend and I walked a few miles around Sugar Hollow park to get some exercise and enjoy the sunshine. 

There's not a whole lot of green in the park yet.  Daffodils and various trees have started blooming around town since February was so warm, but the trees in the park were still dead-looking.  Some of the grass was green though! 

Meal Prep Monday : 3/12/18

Turkey Meatballs, Corn Bread, & Broccoli

The Meatballs : Combine 2 lb ground turkey, 2 eggs, bread crumbs, and seasonings to taste. (I used garlic powder, mustard powder, ginger powder, and basil.)  I only had a scant 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs left, but the mixture ended up pretty wet, so I'd recommend using 1/2 cup or more--add 1/4 cup at a time until the mixture doesn't seem too wet anymore. Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes, until 160 internal temperature is reached. 

*If you have a wire rack that you can put under your meatballs inside your baking pan, I would recommend it!  I do not have a wire rack that fits, and my meatballs were swimming in some kind of fatty gravy when they came out of the oven.  I'm glad I lined the pan with foil for easier clean-up! I removed the meatballs promptly and set them on paper towels to soak up the extra liquid. 

The Corn Bread : Melt 2 tbsp butter and combine with 1 c milk and 1 egg.  Add 2.5 tsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1 tbsp sugar.  Mix in 3/4 c flour, then mix in 1.25 c corn meal.  You don't need to over-stir.  Portion out into a 12-muffin pan, and bake at 425 for 25 minutes. I used my silicone muffin cups so that I can put the corn bread in the same container as the rest of the meal and not worry about it getting soggy. 

I bought these silicone baking cups years ago and only just today actually used them for the first time!  I'll definitely try to start using them more now that they have finally made 

their way out of the box!  

The Broccoli : Chop 3 carrots and steam them in a large skillet with 2 lbs fresh broccoli crowns.  I put a bit of olive oil in the bottom of the pan, and then added 1/2 c water since the broccoli was fresh instead of frozen. 

Workout Wednesday : Circuit Training

After one class in the gym...we lost it again this week.  This time we lost it because the weather was nasty and the Girls On The Run group needed it.  I had already designed the workout to include several cardio exercises, so we decided to have class in the middle school hallway!

the workout essentials

3 sets, with 15 seconds rest between each exercise and 2:00 rest between each set.

Carioca : I knew this one as "grapevine" when I was in middle school, and it was one of my favorite things.  There's something about it that is just so fun!  You do have to be careful with this one though, it's pretty easy to trip yourself if you don't get the coordination just right.  

Meal Prep Monday : 3/5/18

Tuna Risotto, Beans & Beans

The Risotto : 

2.5 c arborio rice

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp bacon grease

3 small cloves garlic

garlic powder( (to taste)

1/2 sweet onion

1/3 bottle of chardonnay

1.5 qt chicken broth (approx.)

2 carrots

3/4 small head of cabbage

1 pacakge mushrooms

2, 12z cans of tuna

Chop the onion and saute in butter and bacon grease.  Add wine and chopped garlic when almost translucent and cook til the wine is gone.  Add rice, stir well, add enough chicken broth to cover.  Cook on low, adding more broth each time it is absorbed.  Grate the carrots and add them when the rice is creamy and fully cooked.  Add some garlic powder if desired. Chop the cabbage and mushrooms, cook them in olive oil, then add to the risotto. Remove from heat and stir well.  Drain the tuna and add it to the risotto.  

The black beans : Put 6 oz black beans into a pot, fill with water to about an inch above the beans, add some salt, cook on low with a lid til soft.  

The green beans : 32 oz green beans, chopped and steamed/sauteed in olive oil with some garlic powder. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Makes approximately 12 lunches. 

10 lunches

leftovers, 2-3 lunches worth