Dish of the Day 4/25/2012

Happy Wednesday! The week is half way over! Today's dish is a simple chicken recipe that can be thrown together in minutes. It's great for just one or a dinner party!

ZESTY ITALIAN GRILLED CHICKEN

*chicken creasts (however many you need)

*1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

*2 tablespoons garlic salt

*2 tablespoons grill seasoning (any brand is fine)

*2 tablespoons McCormick Perfect Pinch Salt-Free All Purpose seasoning

* 2 tablespoons McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Chicken seasoning

*2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

*2 tablespoons Herbs de' Provence

* "A few sprinkles" of red pepper flakes (more or less depending on how spicy you like it)

*1 gallon size Ziplock bag

Clean and dry chicken breasts. Heat a grill pan on medium heat. Place all ingredients into Ziplock bag and shake it up. You can marinade the chicken for a few hours in the fridge or use right away. Using tongs, place each breast in heated grill pan and grill on each side for about 5 minutes. If the breasts are extra thick, you may need to use a knife and score the breasts to help speed up the cooking process. I like to serve this with a grain and a vegtable (quinoa seasoned with salt/ pepper and mixed veggies seasoned with salt/pepper and fresh lemon juice is one of my favorite combos)

Enjoy!

Plyo, plyo...PLYOMETRICS!

Ahhh....I love me some Plyometrics exercises! Some of you may not be familiar with this word; if not, I have added a few links to this post to help you get more acquainted with this type of exercise.

Here is the Wikipedia definition of Plyometrics:

"Plyometrics (also known as "plyos" and "jumping") is a type of exercise training designed to produce fast, powerful movements, and improve the functions of the nervous system, generally for the purpose of improving performance in sports. Plyometric exercises may also be referred to as explosive exercises. Plyometric movements, in which a muscle is loaded and then contracted in rapid sequence, use the strength, elasticity and innervation of muscle and surrounding tissues to jump higher, run faster, throw farther, or hit harder, depending on the desired training goal. Plyometrics is used to increase the speed or force of muscular contractions, providing explosiveness for a variety of sport-specific activities. Plyometrics has been shown across the literature to be beneficial to a variety of athletes. Benefits range from injury prevention, power development and sprint performance amongst others.". 

You can read more about Plyometrics here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plyometrics

Some of my favorite Plyo moves are: Jump Squats, Plyo Push-Ups, Alternating One-Leg Jumps and Burpees! I incorporate Plyometric exercises into each of my workouts, every day. Plyo work really pushes me to my max and really gets my heart rate going!

Here is some additional information: http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/plyometrics-exercise-workouts

Happy Plyo-ing! :)

Dish of the Day 4/24/2012

Happy Tuesday! Today I am going to share with you one of my favorite breakfasts. It's easy, yummy and super healthy. I've never really been much of a breakfast fan until recently. With the mixture of strength training and the intensity of my my workouts, I feel that it's very important my body is nourished properly. 

I hope you all enjoy this quick and easy breakfast and have a fabulous day!

BREAKFAST QUINOA

1/2 cup to 1 cup cooked quinoa (I usually make a decent size batch prior and keep in the fridge)

1/2 large banana, sliced

2 teaspoons cinnamon

"A couple dashes" of unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 "light" yogurt, any flavor (AKA, fat free under 100 calories) 

Place cooked quinoa in bowl with cinnamon and almond milk. Stir and heat in microwave for 1 minute. Remove and stir once again. Slice the banana and mix into the quinoa. Serve/eat with the yogurt.

Dish of the Day 4/23/2012

With the the HOT weather the past few days (in the 90's in APRIL!), I decided to keep things simple and light today. Here is one of the easiest fruit salads I make. It's yummy, nutritious and a great thing to have in the fridge during those hot Summer days!

2 large bananas, sliced

2 large apples, sliced

2 large oranges, sliced and chopped into small-medium sized pieces

1 package fresh blueberries

1-2 packages fresh strawberries, sliced

1/2 lemon (needed for the juice)

Combine all of the fruit into a bowl and squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the fruit. Mix everything together to the lemon juice is evenly spread about the fruit (especially important the apples and bananas are covered, as they brown rather quickly).

Arms, arms...ARMS!

Good morning and Happy Monday! Here is a link to a great 10 minute arm circuit you can do just about anywhere, as long as you have a pair of dumb bells!It focuses on triceps and biceps. As this circuit gets easier for you, you can up you're weight amounts. Call me crazy, but when I travel, I always pack a pair of 5 pound dumb bells in my bag! This ensures that I won't have an excuse to skip my arm workout :)

http://www.fitsugar.com/10-Minute-Workout-Sexy-Sculpted-Arms-21620326?utm_source

Dish of the Day 4/22/2012

Happy Sunday! I'm sorry I haven't posted in two days....we got a new baby puppy! Needless to say, I have been just a "little" preoccupied with puppy duty!

Today's dish is a big hit in my house and my husband loves it! It's great year round and super easy to make. 


CROCK POT SANTA FE CHICKEN
Recipe From: skinnytaste.com

    * 24 oz (1 1/2) lbs chicken breast
    * 14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
    * 15 oz can black beans
    * 8 oz frozen or canned corn
    * 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
    * 14.4 oz can fat free chicken broth
    * 3 scallions, chopped
    * 1 tsp garlic powder
    * 1 tsp onion powder
    * 1 tsp cumin
    * 1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
    * 1 tablespoon red pepper flake (more or less depending on how spicy you like things)
    * salt to taste

Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in the crock pot.
Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top.
Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours.
Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred.
Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Adjust salt and seasoning.
Serve over quinoa, or you can mix cooked quinoa into the crock pot

Abs, abs, ABS!

Summer is practically here! It's time to get those abs swimsuit ready! Here is a link to an article in Shape magazine. This is Audrina Patridges ab workout (she was one of the gals on the MTV shows "Laguna Beach" and "The Hills"). I love this ab workout and incorporate it into my daily ab routine.

Happy Ab-in! :)

 http://www.shape.com/celebrities/interviews/audrina-patridge-workout-4-moves-sexy-6-pack