Tasty Tuesday : Twice-Baked "Potatoes" and Banana Peanut Butter "Ice-Cream"

The trainer I met with wanted me to eat less carbs/sugar and more protein in my diet. Instead of trying to "be on a diet" , I am working on incoprating healthier alternatives into my meals.


Two recipes I tried:

Twice-Baked "Potatoes" by Have Your Cake and Love It Too!
 Banana Peanut Butter "Ice-Cream"  by Recipe By Photo

Believe it or not , both of these yummy recipes are vegan and gluten-free ! I will definetly be making both of these recipes again soon.

Motivation Monday.. A Strange Thing Has Happened..

A strange thing has happened. Yesterday night I whipped out a sculpting DVD and my weights before dinner. I had been itching to exercise all day. Instead of trying to find an excuse NOT to work out I was finding a way TO work out. I am getting hooked to how good I feel afterwards Now, off to Zumba!

Workout Wednesday: Zumba (with a twist!)

Maria and I shook it up last night at Zumba Toning! Latin and hip hop music filled the room as we twisted, popped, locked, kicked , dipped, and swayed through each song.

Our teacher Penny had us laughing and smiling the whole time.  Well, maybe except during the song we spent doing squats- there was a lot of cringing going on then....

Getting Back to the Gym

I recently joined Club 24 gym. With my membership came a free personal training session that I used today. The trainer , Toney, measured my body fat and told me I have about 20 pounds to lose, which I think is fair.

He gave me tips for making time spent exercising most effective: staying in my fat burning zone during cardio workouts and isolating different muscle groups on different days for strength training . He finished by giving me an upper body and core workout which included tricep dips, one armed pull ups, and mountain climbers .

 I feel exhaused but good that I completed the workout. I have a lot of work ahead of me to get back in shape but am positive I can get there.

Tasty Tuesday: Blizzard Edition

We have survived Blizzard Nemo/Charlotte! We were lucky enough to be able to go across the street for some vegetable quinoa soap, sweet potatoes with almond butter , salad , and other healthy goodies.  How did we get exercise? Shoveling 35 inches of snow of course!

This Week's "Tasty Tuesday" Recipe Picks:

Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites  from www.skinnytaste.com

You can substitute gluten free flour in this recipe if needed. To make it vegan , use Earth Balance Spread instead of butter. To make it a little less spicy, I added almond milk to the hot sauce mixture.

Fake Out Mac-N-Cheese from www.fitsugar.com

You can use any kind of pasta with this recipe. I used brown rice spirals. I didn't have any garlic powder left so I used some Bragg's seasoning mix.  If you enjoy sweet potato you will enjoy this mac- n -cheese!

Detox Flow Yoga

I never really understood yoga - sitting and breathing and stretching for a whole hour? That all changed when I bought Seane Corn's Detox Flow DVD on a whim at Whole Foods . Not only do I feel relaxed  after completing it, I also feel  energized.

One of the staple yoga poses, downward facing dog , is more than simply a stretch. It improves core strength, upper body strength ,and since it is a pose where the heart is above the head, it improves circulation.

How do the exercises in this DVD detox? The twisting motions squeezes the abdominal organs improving digestion.

Thank you Seane Corn for making me love yoga!