Happy New Year’s Eve!
In lieu of our regularly scheduled Weekly Wednesday Workout I am bringing back 5 of the top fat burning gym workouts of 2014! These workouts are super popular on Pinterest! Since I created a few of them a very long time ago I decided to bring them back to life today. 🙂 I have personally done all of these workouts and they all can be done in under one hour. Enjoy!
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Today we continue with my favorite flashback posts! I loved sharing this story a couple years ago so it was a no brainer to share again today. Enjoy!
Ever sit down and a memory arises that fills you up and warms you up like your favorite blanket?
I am an only child, my mom has many “children” that gravitate towards my mother as a figure to look up to and well…because she is so awesome.
The older I grow, the more I appreciate everything she has done for me. It’s truly a blessing when you can think of so many moments and begin realize in your adult life, how much those moments actually meant.
The particular memory that came to me today involved my husband, then boyfriend.
My mom knew I had started “seeing” him when I was 15 years old, she did not approve. Not because he was a bad boy or that she didn’t like him, she just didn’t want her only daughter dating, much less seriously dating anyone at 15 years old. (Something that I totally understand now, but back then, I surely did not see the big deal!)
Fast forward to when I was 16 and he was 18. It was 1999, and cell phones became a really hot commodity around Brooklyn. With our minimum paying jobs we could only afford a prepaid and even those were super expensive!
One night I was talking to him on this prepaid phone when he was on his way home from work. All of a sudden I heard a lot of yelling and shuffling and the phone went dead. Knowing where he was waiting for the bus, I knew it wasn’t a very good area. I called back over and over until someone with a strange voice answered, laughing, and telling me to stop calling his phone. That is when I knew he had been mugged.
I was so concerned and worried for him, that I went and knocked on my mother’s door @ 9:30pm, and told her what happened. She immediately put her clothes on and we drove to the spot that I knew he was.
Unfortunately he was nowhere to be found because we later found out that he had waved down a police car and they were driving around looking for the suspects. They never found them, but later on, he came by and explained that they took his superman chain and his phone. He was so sad.
The next day my mom took my cousin and I bowling like we did most Saturday nights. There was a vendor there, and he was selling the EXACT superman chain that my husband had stolen from him. I knew I was going on a limb but I asked my mom for the $15.00 to buy the replacement chain. She didn’t even hesitate.
My mom could have said absolutely not, and I would have been okay with that. She also could have said “that’s too bad” instead of putting on her clothes and driving to see if he was okay. She didn’t want me in a serious relationship but she assisted me anyway–with no hesitation.
On this thankful Tuesday, I am thankful for my amazing mom. Her resume is endless with the wonderful things she has done for me, and I appreciate every single thing.
Merry Chistmas Eve guys!! You know that not even Christmas can get between us and our workouts! Let’s work on those legs!
My girl is back for the third straight week! I really love this one but I had to make this one a bit safer by putting the chair up against the wall so I don’t accidentally lean over and hurt myself! Clearly with all these chair moves it is becoming more evident that I need to get a lower chair because BABY I was wiped after just a few of these! I think I will save this whole series for a snow day coming soon! I would really only try these if you have a great deal of balance or take the same precautions I did :).
When you decide to share your life with the world on a social media you tend to get a ton of pitches daily. When I received a pitch from Kevin from FitMenCook.com I was excited because although he didn’t know me, I have been a huge long time fan.
Kevin has built a social media empire with his incredible healthy recipe videos. He crafts the most amazing food preparation videos in a matter of 15 seconds. I am not the best on Instagram (sometimes I forget it’s there!) but when I get on I always check out Kevin’s latest healthy food creations. They are incredible! Imagine little cooking shows in 15 seconds flat?! Absolutely brilliant!
So when he reached out to see if I would review his book, I tried to hide my thirst excitement and told him I would be honored. I already knew the No Cheats Needed would be fire because his Social Media game is quite impressive. I am happy to say the book did not disappoint in the least, in fact, it surprised me in a very pleasant way and here’s how:
I was expecting a book full of great recipes and fantastic photos, after all that is what he is known for. The cookbook includes a week by week program to follow, it gently guides you into healthier food preparation while giving you new ideas on how to keep food flavorful and not routine.
Sometimes when we read weight loss books the overall message is LOSE 20 POUNDS IN 3 DAYS, or EAT THIS AND YOU WILL LOSE FAT INSTANTLY. This is the exact opposite. I felt calm reading No Cheats Needed, like I can do this with little anxiety. The cookbook takes the mind, Body AND Soul into account encouraging readers to take 10 minutes as a devotional for themselves, to make sure they are right mentally everyday too.
The first few pages of the book talks about Kevin’s journey. He talked about being overweight, losing the weight and gaining it back again. He decided to play in the kitchen and create really tasty food that was good for him. He is in tip top shape (as you can see!) and now he is sharing his flavors and recipes with the world! When you read his story there is a strong feeling of authenticity and that connected with me because there is such a lack of that in the Health and Wellness industry.
What? A healthy living cookbook that helps me work through goals and objectives in my life?! YES! Throughout the book there are conversations that end with questions and a blank lined space for you to write your answers. Questions like : “what are you doing today to take care of your body” and “What ‘talk’ are you hearing that you need to disregard?”. Fantastic questions that you can honestly answer to get closer to your goals.
So let’s talk about the actual food shall we? Some of the recipes you can expect to enjoy includes:
Zucchini Basil Bites
Avocado Fries
Crispy Asparagus Fries
Green Muscle Smoothie
Turkey & Zucchini Lasagna
Egg and Turkey Stuffed Avocado Bake
Infused water recipes (loved this!)
… And so much more
Healthy Orange Sesame Chicken
Ingredients for at least 5 servings:
- 2 lb chicken breast (measured raw)
- 1/4 cup Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (or coconut aminos, or low sodium soy sauce)
- 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp red pepper garlic sauce
- Â 1/4 cup organic, raw honey
- 2 tbsp sugar free orange marmalade
- juice from 3Â clementines
- 1 tbsp tapioca starch (or arrowroot starch)
- sesame seeds, green onions
Steps:
- In a bowl, mix Bragg’s, rice vinegar, orange juice, orange marmalade, honey, red pepper sauce and tapioca starch. Set aside.
- Chop chicken into small pieces.
- Set a nonstick skillet on medium high heat and spray with coconut oil. Â Add the chicken and cook until it is about 90% finished.
- Pour in the orange sauce and stir quickly. Â Reduce the heat, allow the sauce to thicken and continue stirring.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.
- Serve with brown rice or quinoa.
Approximate macros for 1 of 5 servings:
259 calories, 42g protein, 17g carbs, 2g fat, <1g fiber, 13g sugar
The book takes you through 6 weeks of clean eating all while keeping you mentally fit as well. The book comes with bonus recipes, sample grocery lists, superfoods and so much more. I can’t recommend this book enough! It really is for the most fit athlete to the non athlete that doesn’t have a clue how to start eating clean. The book is so relatable that it crosses over all genders and levels of expertise.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoLIXbh3s0E
The book retails digitally for $9.99 & Paperback copy $16.99. You can purchase them here.
I also have two copies to giveaway!! Enter Below!
