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Let’s Catch up, and Plan Some Meals!

First, here’s what happens when you’re not the greatest muti-tasker in the world. I get big ideas, and try to spin as many plates as I can at the same time. So, earlier, while I was preparing and putting our dinner into the crock pot to enjoy later, I had some leftover ground turkey that I didn’t want to freeze. I thought, “Hey, I’ll just patty these suckers up and throw them on the grill to enjoy later on this week”. I like to add them to salads, wraps, etc…so I’m thinking ahead, right? Well, thinking ahead is no good, unless you continue thinking until your project is complete. I slapped them on the grill, as planned, and got busy spinning at least four other plates and totally forgot about them until about 45 minutes later. And the only reason I remember them at that point, was because someone randomly used the word “turkey”. TURKEY!!! $#*T! And this was the finished product of that experiment.

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Luckily dinner was a success! That meatloaf recipe is SO good and SO easy! It turns out GREAT every time! And the only thing that I do differently is to add 1 C. ground oats (the old-fashioned, rolled kind), because I don’t know nothing bout no whole wheat panko – I haven’t located such a thing as of yet! My mom always uses oats in her loaves of meat, so I knew it would work out just fine!

I made it through my first week of Insanity…relatively unscathed! It’s become evident that I will be doing extra loads of laundry for the duration! I get sweatier during this workout than any I’ve done thus far. Even sweatier than when I run! I don’t mind it though. It’s a challenge for sure, but I love the feeling of doing something that has been a little out of my comfort zone and finding that I CAN do it! Yes it’s hard, but if it wasn’t, there’d be no point in doing it! I’m flirting with the idea of doing a hybrid with Chalean Extreme and only because I LOVE lifting so much. I really love the results that I get when I do it and I don’t want to lose ground on all of the hard work I’ve put in with Chalean Extreme AND Les Mills Pump. I want the benefits of both cardio AND weights! Also, I’m a little ADD…and it helps to mix it up a little during the week.

And now on to the meal plan…I sat outside on this glorious, sunny, summer-like spring day with some of my Beachbody cookbooks. I grabbed the Food Guides from Les Mills Pump and Chalean Extreme; there’s some good eats in there! Just trying a few different recipes this week…mixing it up…keeping it fresh…you know. Also, I had to include a couple of meals that STILL have not been cooked from like 2 weeks ago. This is the time of year when wrenches are thrown left and right! You gotta stay on your toes! I WILL cook those pizzas on the grill if it KILLS me!!! I’m going to be grilling up some flank steak this week, too. I’m a little nervous, because I don’t believe I’ve had beef more than once since about October! I hope it doesn’t wreak havoc on my already ‘iffy’ digestive system! Fingers crossed!

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Click here to print and link to recipes.

Have an over the top FAN-FREAKIN-TASTIC week! šŸ™‚

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Over-Achieving…Just Made My Breakfast!

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I just whipped up two more jars of these overnight oats and remembered that I didn’t share this recipe on the blog yet. And since my mom gets mad at me if I have new recipes that I don’t share here…it needed to be posted ASAP! Ā My husband LOVES these and so do I! It’s so easy, and in the morning he can just grab a jar and head into work. He eats them as is, right out of the jar. I, on the other had, prefer to put mine in a fancy bowl, microwave for a couple of minutes, add some extra ingredients: more berries, slivered almonds, protein powder, almond butter, various garnishes and the like. Either way, you can’t beat a 5 minute prep the night before and an easy grab-n-go breakfast in the morning!

Go make some! And sleep tight!

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OOPS! I FORGOT TO BUY A CARD!

0810121926aMy mom loves a good, mushy Mother’s Day card, and although her gift is in the mail (No REALLY, it is!!), I didn’t get a card out this year. So I’ll take this opportunity to ‘mush’ it up right here, in hopes that she’ll check my blog and feel all warm and fuzzy!

For starters…I’d like to thank my mom for a few things.

Dear Mom,

First, Thanks for giving birth to me! That was a big day in my life! (Sorry about the salad tongs.)

Thanks for taking good care of me: wiping tears, cleaning boo boos and such. (That pink stuff that burned like toxic FIRE POISON…I could have done without.)

Thanks for sticking up for me when neighbor Brian bit me repeatedly and also teaching me “Sticks and Stones” to shout at mean kids from behind our screen door!

Thanks for screaming at Mrs. Dennis on my behalf, where all of my classmates could see what a bad-a$$ you were!

Thanks for taking the time to teach me stuff and take me places.

You are responsible for:Ā 

  • my belief that anything is possible – even making an ice rink in the middle of our yard on the coldest day of winter! (Sorry about the pleurisy!)
  • my uncanny ability to be late for almost everything!
  • my lack of buttocks.
  • my LOVE of Swiss Chard!
  • my pursuit of health and fitness!
  • my bunions! šŸ˜‰
  • returning all of my friends’ clothes and retrieving mine from them.

And without you I wouldn’t have:

  • learned how to cook.
  • long legs.
  • 4 kids that turned out just like me! (Just as you’d hoped!)
  • learned the importance of recycling paper grocery bags by using them for my lunch sack.
  • all the memories! Like: fresh-baked bread with the first-picked tomato of the season, swinging on the saucer swing in the back yard, sledding, camping, fishing, bringing home dad’s puppy, egg-nog, scaring bats away, playing games, staying up late and laughing! Lots and lots of laughing! šŸ™‚

So…Happy Mother’s Day Mom! You are responsible for all the good (and a little of the bad) in me! šŸ˜€

Love, Angie

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Tie Myself to the Furniture

tied_chairDesperate time, desperate measures.

I just did a little 2 day stint in the hospital that has really let the air out of my tires. The long and short of it is that they think I may have gotten a virus, on top of a possible bacterial infection, mixed together with a pre-existing case of gastritis. Put it all together and you get me, laying in a heap on the bathroom floor, moaning, groaning, cold-sweating and scaring the people who live in my house. It wasn’t pretty. Hubby called 911, and much to my own shock, I didn’t protest. I needed to go.

So, after several iv pokes, all-day and all-night alarms sounding, 1 ugly pair of socks, multiple doses of hazy-fog pain medications, lots of vitals checked-many times and a gazillion tests, I’m home. And although I’m feeling MUCH better than I was when I went in, I’m still not quite 100% yet. I might not even be Ā 90%, but I’ll get there.

When I have a sniffly cold, or a sore throat, headache kinda thing going on…I almost always workout anyway. It doesn’t make me feel any better or any worse… usually. But since it’s part of my daily routine, it’s just what I do to stay on track. This however, is an entirely different story. I read somewhere that the rule of thumb is above the neck, and you’re probably fine to workout. Below the neck, maybe not. If you have a chest cold…maybe running 5 miles in the cold isn’t a great idea. Just saying. But, a bad tummy AND a trip to the hospital means I’m going to need to ease back into things. I think I’ll go for a walk tomorrow…but there’s a little voice in my head trying to talk me into getting back to Insanity! After all…I had only JUST done the Fit Test the day of the night I ended up in the hospital. I’d like to see what’s next. That voice is trying to get me in trouble. Because the voice of reason – that makes an occasional appearance in my head – begs to differ. If that little trouble-maker voice keeps it up, I’m going to have one of the kids tie me to a chair. I think they’ll enjoy that.

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For now, I’ll look for opportunities to rest. I’ll try to sit once or twice during the day. I’ll even try to get myself into bed at a respectableĀ hour. But look out, cause when I’m feeling better…I’ll be ready to hit the ground running, jumping, skipping, hopping and burpee-ing all over my basement! Fer real! Ā šŸ™‚

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And Now the Meal Plan

This is a crowd-pleasing meal plan this week! My kids will enjoy dinner every night! I’m going to keep telling myself that until I believe it! LOL! No really…actually…these are a lot of our favorite recipes. Tonight, in celebration of Cinco de Mayo, we’ll have shredded chicken tacos, and the kids really like them! I’ll have to blog about my Spanish quinoa soon. I make this instead of Spanish rice, and nobody even complained about it! I’m going to have a little more time on my hands this week than I did last week, thank goodness! I’ll be able to spend a little more time in the kitchen. Hopefully not TOO much time though. šŸ™‚

I’m starting Insanity this week, which I’ve built up in my head to be this super, crazy, impossible thing that is hard, intense and demoralizing. I am hoping that the more I convince myself of this, the more relieved I will be to learn that it is not the case. I will do the fit test tomorrow, so we’ll see how it goes. I’ll keep you posted!

Have a wonderful week!

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Click here to print and link to recipes.
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I Got Your BARS Right Here!

This past week was a week that we were on the go a LOT! I needed a variety of quick and easy snacks and meals and drinks, that were pack-able and family friendly. It was a week that screamed GRANOLA BARS! I tried a couple different recipes, changed them up to our tastes, and they were both a hit! The first one is a baked ‘power bar’ recipe. They were fruity, nutty and tasty. We stored them in the fridge and they were an easy-peasyĀ grab and go snack. Based on my calculations, these come in around 140 calories per bar.

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The second batch is my favorite, and the kids’ favorite as well. It is a no-bake crispy granola bar. I made mine chocolate-y, but as with the above recipe, there is a lot of room for variation. You could make them with just about anything you like. Here is how I made mine.

This will make a LARGE batch or 48 bars. I have 4 kids and I need to make it worth my while. If I want them to last more than a day, I have to make a TON! So, if you want less…well…I think you understand. šŸ™‚

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Ingredients:

5 C. of Crispy Rice cereal (I used Mom’s Best-no artificial flavors or preservatives…also gluten free!)

3 C. oats (quick cooking OR old-fashioned work fine) Ā Ā granolabar2

1 C. raisins (or Craisins, whatever you like)

1 C. honey

3/4 C. Almond butter (any nut butter)

1/4 C. coconut oil (as you can see I used mine all up!)

2 t. vanilla extract

Directions:

1.In a large bowl, stir together the rice cereal, oats and raisins. Set aside. Spray a large jelly roll pan, or 2- 9×13″ pans with cooking spray.

2. Combine honey and coconut oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Heat until JUST bubbling, then remove from heat and stir in the almond butter and vanilla until smooth. Pour over cereal and oat mixture and toss until evenly coated.

3. Pour mixture into pan and press firmly using the back of a spoon, spatula OR even better – use your hands! (I rub mine with a little coconut oil first). It will seem like a hopeless mess at this point, but if you keep pressing until it comes together…everything will be ok. Trust me! Allow to cool and then cut into squares.

4. Definitely keep these in the fridge OR even the freezer until you’re ready to eat. The coconut oil really helps to keep these together nicely.

5. Enjoy! Made this way, each bar is about 95 calories! šŸ™‚

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Who Loves FREE Stuff?! GIVE-AWAY!

IT’S A GIVE-AWAY! FREE STUFF…I LOVE FREE STUFF!
Enter to WIN HIP HOP ABS and DANCE YOUR WAY TO HOT, SEXY ABS.

If you love to dance and you want to lose weight and tighten your midsection without doing sit-ups or crunches, Shaun T can show you how. Shaun uses a technique called ā€œTilt, Tuck & Tightenā€ to help you burn fat as you dance your way to six-pack abs.

In Hip Hop AbsĀ®, Shaun breaks the dance moves down into steps, so almost anyone can do them. And the workouts are set to hot dance music, so they’re high energy and fun.

BUT WAIT….THERE’S MORE!!! Ā šŸ™‚ Get the FREE DVD BONUS Workout ā€“ Hip Hop Abs EXTREME (a $19.95 Value)

hip-hop-abs-contest

Click the link below to enter! Hurry, contest ends Wednesday at midnight!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Youā€™ll getĀ 4 routinesĀ (plusĀ bonus routines) to learn Shaun Tā€™s training techniques, burn calories, sculpt your abs, and lose fat all over. And youā€™ll have fun dancing to the hottest hip hop music.

Hip Hop Abs also includes theĀ Step-by-Step Nutrition GuideĀ to help you lose weight, theĀ Results on the Run Diet GuideĀ that shows you how to eat at your favorite fast food restaurants, theĀ 6-Day SlimDown plan,Ā aĀ 30-Day workout calendar,Ā 24/7Ā Online Support, andĀ measurement toolsĀ to keep track of inches you lose.

If you win…you’ll LOSE (get it?!) šŸ˜‰

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Another Sunday, Another Meal Plan

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I have a little bit of ADD. Seriously…don’t we all? I sat down to do my meal plan, got about 20 minutes into it, and found myself making turkey meatloaf muffins and cleaning the kitchen. I like to start a project, and then start 3 more projects in the meantime. I’m not sure why that is, but it is. I will go to do a load of laundry. On the way to the laundry room, I’ll get sidetracked by a library book that should have been returned weeks ago! I’ll pick that up and go to put it in my bag, so that I won’t forget, and notice my checkbook. Oops, forgot to write that check for gymnastics class. Looking for a pen, I see the phone. First I’ll call my mom back and see what she wanted. While I’m talking, I’ll walk around and put the kids’ toys away that they left out all over the house. I’ll walk up to their bedrooms and notice my laptop that they swiped from me. I’ll carry that downstairs and remember I was looking for a pen. I’ll go get a pen and see the dogs bowl is empty…better feed him. Go get the dog food and see the laundry basket that I set in front of the washer 2 hours ago. And that’s how it goes most days. It’s a wonder I get anything done at all!

But I DID get my meal plan done for the week! So at least there’s that!

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Click here to print and link to recipes.
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Charlie Sheen is Doing It…You Should Too!

winningWhat on earth is Charlie Sheen doing that YOU should be doing, too? WINNING! We should all be winning every day! Because winning feels good! Just ask Charlie!

Don’t you remember when you were a kid how winning made you feel? Getting a blue ribbon, celebrating a big victory at a little league game, hoisting the team trophy, winning a game of checkers, even just racing a friend across the playground…you wanted to WIN! Now compare that with our adult lives…what do we win? Cleaning the dirtiest toilet best? Cooking dinner that most of your family will eat? Maybe…

In 2004 I ran my first marathon and quickly re-discovered what it feels like to ‘win’ again. Of course…I didn’t win the marathon, not even close. I think I finished in the top half though…so around 15,000th place! LOL! But you couldn’t have convinced me that I hadn’t won! As I turned the corner toward the finish line, and reflected on the last 4 months of training, and the 26 miles I had just run….I remembered all the early morning runs, the heat, the blisters, and leg cramps. In the last two tenths of the race I might as well have been all alone, running toward the tape. I was sobbing, in disbelief of what I had just accomplished. When my foot crossed the line, I WON! That’s how it felt. Even writing about it makes me well-up. It was an emotional as well as a physical achievement. And that feeling is most definitely the reason that so many people repeat the whole process again and again. I have run 4 marathons since then and ‘won’ them all! It feels good to win!

Of course the only person I won against, was me. The me that never thought I could do such a thing. The me that would rather sleep in on a Saturday than lace up, fuel up, gear up and go run for 3 hours. I beat the crap outta that me. She never even saw it coming!

I haven’t run a marathon since 2010, but I win all the time. Every time I start a new 90 day program, and see it through to the final day…I win! Heck, every day I choose my workout over an extra hour of sleep, or a t.v. show…I win! Every time (like this morning) that I take an extra 10 minutes to pack up my lunch and snacks for the day instead of feeling the temptation to stop for fast, convenient, junk food…I win! And I celebrate every little victory. It’s usually a quiet celebration: a smile, a sigh of relief, a skip in my step…but it still feels pretty damn good. In my head I’m spiking the football, doing a victory lap, pumping my fist and screaming at the top of my lungs…I DID IT! šŸ˜€ “In your face Old Me!” I’m a much more gracious winner now, than I was when I was a kid. I guess then I was a little more like Charlie Sheen.

*A side note: I wouldn’t necessarily recommendĀ winningĀ in the sense that Charlie was winning. Cause on the outside it looked a lot more like losing. But at least he felt good about being the best loser he could be! So in a sense…he WAS winning!

In short…find victory in the little contests of life. We face multiple battles every day, often with ourselves. Show YouĀ who’s boss. Put your game face on and be a winner! And celebrate your victories…it feels good! šŸ™‚

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Another Meal Plan! Is it Sunday Already?!

This weekend, in a nutshell, was AWESOME! Super Saturday was 10 tons of fun! I got in killer workout with my childhood BFF Jenelle Summers. And after that workout, we all got to do a preview of Shaun T’s new program, coming out this summer, Focus T-25! It was simple yet intense! Basic moves are combined to create a heart-pumping cardio workout for the full 25 minutes…no breaks! The craziest move was 1-armed burpees! Not a surprise from the creator of Insanity, I guess! šŸ™‚ I give it 2 thumbs up! If you’d like to be notified when it comes out and is available to purchase, provide your email below and I’ll let you know!

So without further ado…here is this weeks meal plan.

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Click here to print and link to recipes.