Ups and Downs

A Monday lunch like this makes it so much easier to face work after the weekend :)  Since my husband didn't love the salmon recipe, I got all the yummy leftovers for myself. I don't generally think of myself as a carrot stick lover, but I needed a veggie and carrots were a quick and easy option. I actually really enjoyed them.

After I ate my lunch, I was working away at the office when I notice a super cute guy walking up to the door. It was my trainer.  Since he has been doing his program, every month he plans a treat (yes, usually pizza).  I had completed my first month and he wanted to carry on his little tradition for me. So, he stopped by with a special treat - ice cream from one of our favorite places. I think  he might have been trying to "butter pecan" me up for the next month of workouts. 

It seems my trainer is moving on, but I am refusing to let go of Double Light, at least in name.  The big change is that I have graduated to three circuits of the listed exercises. Monday was the first time I attempted three circuits and I survived. Actually, not only did I survive I got many compliments on how hard I was working. I believe I even heard "this was your best workout yet!" It made me happy because I truly believed it too.  I went into the workout with the mindset that I was going to give my trainer more than he expected. I had planned the next time push-ups came up on the schedule I would attempt a regular push-up (no modifications).  And I managed one on all three circuits!! They weren't pretty and I could have gotten down a bit lower, but I will absolutely take them. Then I continued with the modified push-ups and actually increased the number in each circuit - 12 on circuit three :)

I have some work to do on my planking. I believe the longest one I did was 15 seconds. Can't wait to look back at that and be amazed how far I have come :)

Nothing too exciting for dinner.  I grilled some corn to use throughout the week. Check out the top ear.

I think someone is eager for his workouts. I found this on the washer Tuesday morning.

Tuesday I had to work early, so I wanted something extra quick without getting off track of my goals. The peanut butter sandwich was delicious!  I knew it would be a long time until lunch so I added the egg for extra staying power. It still didn't seem substantial enough so when I saw the carrot sticks in the fridge I threw them on the plate too. Odd for breakfast, I know, but I liked them and got in an extra veggie for the win.

I had planned to be at the conference all day, but my boss ended up having me go back to the office mid-morning. I didn't mind not having to stay at the conference. However, my concern was lunch. Since I knew I'd be eating at the conference, there was no need for me to bring my lunch. I have been doing really well on packing my lunch and not eating out. I ended up with a bit of compromise. On the way back to the office I stopped at a grocery store that has a good salad bar. My plan we to make myself a nice healthy, filling salad.  And then I got sidetracked by the guy making sushi in the deli. I decided to try these.

I vaguely remember having sushi from this store before and I didn't love all the rice.  When I saw the crazy rolls, I noticed they didn't have rice in them, and decided to give them a try. You know I have been all about the salmon lately.  However, I couldn't make myself get the salmon or tuna crazy rolls because the fish is not cooked and that didn't sound okay to me.

In addition to the crazy rolls I picked a few items from the salad bar to give my meal a little more substance. I can never pass up beets on a salad bar. I love them, but very rarely make them because of the mess.

I will give my lunch about a 7/10.  I liked it fine, but won't be rushing back to have it again.  This morning, I made sure to pack a lunch in case I go back to the office again before lunch. 


One of our ladies posted this Fitness Blender video as a mini challenge to the group. It is a quick 6 minutes of stretches you can even do at your desk in your work clothes. This might make more sense for someone like me who works alone several days a week. However, technically it can be done in a cubicle. I tested it this afternoon in the small space around my desk. It worked out well.  It felt good to loosen things up in the middle of the day. Of course, you can also use if for cool down or warm up.

I don't really want to write this part, but in there interest of honesty - here it is. Tuesday's workout went horribly. By the time I got home from work, I was in a terrible mood due to some work and some family-ish stuff. I had a whole plan for the dinner based on getting home early. Well, I did get home a little bit earlier, but too late to do as I planned. I know it is stupid to let things get to you, but sometimes it happens before you even realize it and it can be difficult to dial it back. My solution was to just "get the workout over with" and then make figure out dinner. I am sure as a result of my attitude the difficulty of the workout pushed me to a bad place. I ended up only completing half of a modified version. I was very upset with myself because I knew I'd let down my trainer and of course, let down myself.  Even though exercise can help improve your mood, I think in this case I should have waited until I got over a bit of my "mad" before I attempted it. Something like a walk may have made me feel better, it was way too hot and humid for me to be outside. All I can do at this point is live and learn....moving on.

Later in the evening I came back around to making dinner - Turkey Enchilada Stuffed Poblanos Rellenos from Skinnytaste. Because it was still hot outside I decided to char my poblanos on the stove instead of the grill. It worked out okay. After they are charred they are sealed in a bag and the skins start to peel off.

While the pepper were cooling I made the filling - ground turkey, veggies and spices.

Peppers assembled and ready for the oven. The sauce is the enchilada sauce I made on Sunday. Of course, I could have used canned, but I am sure this was tastier. 

After 30 minutes in the oven dinner was finally ready for my tummy at 8 p.m. We normally eat between 5-6 p.m.

I was extremely pleased with how this recipe turned out. I don't really like the flavor of cooked green bell peppers, but the poblano was delicious. Sometimes they can have a kick, but it is a mild flavor. To me, green bell peppers overpower a dish. If I use bell peppers in a recipe 99% of the time it will be red, orange or yellow. I did add just a bit of corn because I had it on hand. I will definitely be making these again.

I was happy to end the day cooking something then turned out delicious and was healthy. As crabby as I was I didn't allow myself to make bad food decisions. Sometimes, you can't ask for better than to end well. 

It Gets Better

So, after all my whining at the beginning of last week, I finished strong in the workout department Thursday and Friday.

Thursday evening I came home from work and knocked out my strength training workout. The highlight of the workout was...drum roll, please...I managed 6 push ups (girl/modified)!!! That is twice what I did the previous time push ups were on the list last week. It was exciting. I actually got several compliments from my trainer on my form and even on my attitude :)

Friday, I was off work so I could do a morning workout. My trainer talked me into going to the gym with him at 4:30 a.m. (on my day off!!)  He had a challenge to complete for his workout program. He had to complete 20 circuits of the following: 10 push ups, 10 squats, 10 jumping jacks and 5 inverted rows. He had 1 minute to complete each circuit - if he finished early he could have the remainder of that minute to rest. Most circuits he had 12-16 seconds to rest.

We made a little video of one circuit....now imagine doing this 20 times!!

After he finished his challenge, we got busy on my workout. It was a little after 5a when we got started, so I was almost awake. We made this "ladder" out of tape a couple months ago. He has used it many times, but this was my first attempt. It is about 10 yards long. Each exercise was to go up and down the ladder doing different foot work.

First up, the NFL shuffle down and back.

Then the Ickey Shuffle down and back. You might remember this recent Geico commercial. Ickey Woods was a Cincinnati Bengals running back in the late 80s-early 90s (before my football fan time). Apparently, his touchdown "dance" became quite a sensation. Click here for more on the Ickey Shuffle  (#9 on the Top Ten End Zone Celebrations).

After each circuit, gasp for air, get a little drink of water...and repeat four more times. During the third circuit I didn't think I was going to make it. But somehow I got a second wind I guess. My trainer later told me that he had planned to stop me after the fourth, but didn't because he thought I had rallied. A huge challenge for me was getting my feet to go the right way. It wasn't really complicated steps, but when so much of your brain is focused on breathing, the feet just go every which way.

I admit I was relieved to have the workout finished for the day (and actually the weekend, since Saturday/Sunday are rest days).  I had planned to work in a least one walk, but that didn't happen.

Friday evening I had a relative I'd never met before coming over. I spent most of Friday baking yummy treats. For dessert I made ice cream sandwiches...one of my favorite summertime desserts. I used my signature chocolate chips cookie recipe...it also happens to be Pillsbury's recipe. I've been using this recipe for about 25 years. It is actually the only baking recipe I know my heart. One tweak - I add about a teaspoon of cinnamon.

You can pretty much mix and match any cookie with what ever ice cream flavor you like and end up looking like a culinary rock star. I prepared my ingredients for quick assembly - ice cream melts fast in the summer. Cookies, ice cream, caramel and sprinkles (my husband loves sprinkles!) - easy peasy!

The caramel was a gift from Meg at Running Just As Fast As She Can. Sanders has quite a history going back to the 1800s!  I'd never added anything to to the ice cream before, but the caramel was a tasty addition to this batch.

 Who wants one??

I was in the mood to make sweets and felt pretty safe doing so knowing I could be sharing and would only have a couple for myself. I also made Buckeye Brownie Cookies.  A ball of peanut butter and powdered sugar mixture is placed on top of the warm brownie cookie bases. This picture is prior to the chocolate coating they got after they cooled completely. I must have gotten sidetracked.

And because I just couldn't stop, I made Salted Caramel Nut Brittle. I discovered this recipe last Christmas. The salty sweetness is incredible.

And yes, I did give away the leftovers. I didn't want to, but I did. (Pat on the back for me.)

Saturday we did a whole lot of nothing except binge watch an entire season of Bloodlines on Netflix...a day we will never get back.

Sunday was another fun cooking day. With the baking out of my system I focused on more healthy recipes. My husband wants to eat more fish, so I bought some salmon and tried a new recipe for lunch. Skillet Seared Salmon with Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce. It was delicious - I currently want to eat it every day!!  I served it with grilled asparagus and corn.  My husband had his beloved sweet potato instead of corn.

Sunday morning, I had gotten sucked into watching Food Network (not an uncommon occurrence). Bobby Flay's BBQ Addiction was on and he made me want to make Greek Orzo Salad with Mustard Dill Vinaigrette.  I wasn't sure if my in-laws who were coming over for dinner liked feta, so I served it on the side to add if desired. I used fresh dill from my garden...tasted like summer. I would definitely make it again with a little tweak...less olive oil. I like my vinaigrette more on the vinegary side to stand up to the pasta and veggies. My husband thought it was a bit slimy from the olive oil.

On the same episode Bobby made Grilled Zucchini Skewers with Jalapeno Yogurt Dipping Sauce. That caught my attention because we were grilling kebabs with tons of veggies for dinner and we do like some spicy. My pesto was a bit thicker than Bobby's, so I mixed it thoroughly into the yogurt instead of the pretty swirled effect he demonstrated. I actually hate Greek yogurt so I put mine in a little light sour cream (which by the way was delicious on pita chips...I had to taste test.)

Bring on the kebab fest. I had several skewers of just veggies on another plate. I am not a big fan of cooked tomatoes (other than sauces), but grilled cherry tomatoes are so pretty.

My husband learned how to make a garlic/rosemary marinade for his steak kebabs. I simply did a spice rub on the chicken kebabs.

 My father-in-law is a charred hotdog kinda guy so we sprinkled his hotdogs between our kebabs.

We got a little carried away...so guess what we are having today?? Leftovers :)

Nothing too much on the agenda for today. I am starting Week 3 of Double-Light. Reading the schedule makes me question the "double-light" part of my training.

I see some scary things...burpees, box jumps, figure eights.

I sure hope my trainer is ready for this!!!