Training Wk4

I know it's been a good week of running and other fitness activities when the doorway if filled with clothes on hangers to dry. Actually, that's more than a weeks worth but you get the point. I sweat so much when I run or bike. I can't use gym clothes more than  once.

Last week's training went well. Friday morning, I woke up early to knock out my 5miler.  It was still dark when I left. After a mile and a half I realized I was sweating not from exertion. The humidity was causing me to slow down which is annoying. Once the sun came out, it burned of some of the humidity making my running easier. So strange.

This weeks plan:

Sun	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat
07/04	07/05	07/06	07/07	07/08	07/09	07/10
30min run	lift upper body	30min run	easy walk lift upper body	bike	2.5mi	bike

   What's on tap for your week?Do you hang your gym clothes or stick them in the dryer?

Sunday Dinner - 07/04/2010 (July 4th Edition)

Happy Fourth of July ya'll!!! Hope you are enjoying the time with your family and the three day weekend.

Like everyone else in the US, we wanted to grill today to celebrate and enjoy the weather. But we are trying to loose weight so no ribs or brisket for us. I decided on kabobs. With kabobs you get  a lot of veg and just enough meat to satisfy.  And of course, baked beans and mayonnaisey potato salad are out of the question. But there are lots of great summer side to eat.  I hope you enjoy these tasty recipes.

Pork Kabobs
Ingredients
1lb pork, cubed
12oz favorite low cal marinade
2 lg red onions
2 green bell peppers
1 red bell peppers
1 zucchini
1pt cherry tomatoes

Directions
Poor marinated over pork. Allow to meat to marinate for at least an hour.

 

Chop the peppers, onions and zucchini into 1in pieces.

Thread vegetables and meat on to skewers. Place on a medium-high heat grill.

 Place kabobs on grill; Cook kabobs for 20-30mins or until the meat in cooked to medium rare.


Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients
1 spray olive oil cooking spray
1lbs button mushrooms, about 24 large mushrooms
1tsp olive oil
1/4cup onion, minced
1/4cup sweet red pepper, minced
1/4cup bell pepper, minced
2 slices whole-wheat bread
1 tsp Cajun seasoning

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a pan with cooking spray. Remove mushroom stems from caps and finely chop stems; reserve caps and set aside. Run the bread in a food processor to make bread crumbs.

Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Sauté mushroom stems, onion and pepper until tender, about 5 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat and stir in remaining ingredients until well-combined.

Stuff each mushroom cap with filling mixture. Place mushrooms, stuffed sides up, in pan. Bake, uncovered, 15 minutes; serve warm.

Sweet Potato and Onion Salad
Ingredients
3 sprays cooking spray
2 large sweet potatoes peeled, cubed
1 large red onions, 1in chunks
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Directions
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Coat a nonstick baking sheet with cooking spray.

Place potatoes and onion on prepared baking sheet and coat with cooking spray; toss to mix and coat. Roast until tender, about 45 to 55 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool slightly; spoon into a serving bowl. In a small bowl, mix chili powder, salt, pepper, and vinegar; spoon over vegetables and toss to coat.


Grilled Tropical Fruit Kabobs
Ingredients
1/4cup packed brown sugar, dark-variety
2Tbsp butter
1tsp ginger root, finely chopped or more to taste
1oz rum, dark-variety
1can pineapple, cut into large chunks
2 large mangoes, cut into large cubes
2 large bananas, cut into large pieces

Directions
Preheat grill to medium-high or heat a grill pan over high heat.

Combine sugar, butter, ginger and rum in a small saucepan.

Heat over low heat until well-combined, about 2 to 3 minutes; set aside.Thread fruit onto skewers; brush with sugar mixture.

Place kabobs on grill; cook until grill marks show on bottom side of fruit, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Turn kabobs; grill until marks appear on other side, about 1 to 2 minutes more. Serve hot, room temperature or chilled.


Tonight's dinner was very tasty and satisfying. We didn't miss the heavy, high calorie BBQ we  cooked last year.

I hope you enjoy this dinner as much as I did. What did y'all have for dinner?


If you have any question/comments about this recipe, pls leave me a comment or email at megmehell at yahoo.

Weight Loss Challenge Wk 1

The first week of our family weight loss challenge is complete. We had some bumps but the week went well over all. Like any change its taking some times for us to get used to it.

The Big Man didn't realize the honey-mustard dressing he was using on his salad had 13g of fat/2 tbsp. But he watched his portion size and made better choices during meals. It's hard for him to control what he goes into the food he eat during the week. He lives in a bunk house in a port town on the Gulf during the week where someone else cooks. The opportunities to workout are limited. No gyms with in a hour's drive and only a busy highway to run run on. But he has his own room do lift weights and do P90. Like anyone else, there are always challenges.

I decided to join weight watchers online. There's no time for a meeting but I need a way to keep track of my food intake. I guess I haven't been being honest to myself about what I eating. Hence, the 3lb weight gain. I tried WW a few years ago but I wasn't ready to face my food issues. I didn't keep up with it and I didn't loose any weight. This week has been tough but I'm learning. My morning coffee with honey and cream was killing me on points. So I adjusted the amount I'm using. My favorite lunch burrito place, well, that was obvious. I mean, I go into a food coma after eating the over-sized nachos. But I've been walking a 15mins here and there when I get a break at work. And I've I'm in love with the stationary bike. Not to mention my half marathon training. So far I've earned 35 activity points. But I burned thru them with dinner last night and a margarita. But I'm trying not to beat myself up about it.

The Big Man wanted to go for a family walk this morning. So we loaded the girls in the double jogger and headed out before the heat set in. The girls got out and walked a bit but MM was cranky from being woken up.  Li did a great job. Twice as far as she normally goes. We had a good time walked for a little over an hour.

We weighed in this morning to check our progress:

	Big Man	Δ (%)	Meg	Δ (%)
Starting wt (lbs)	258	0	182	0
Wk 1 wt (lbs)	255	.99	177	.97

He's winning so far but not by much. We've got 7 more wks for me to catch him.

Training Wk3

Last weeks training went well. Nothing super exciting to report really. My 4 miles on Friday was done on the treadmill. The bee lady was at our house. (We had a hive in our ceiling.) I should have run outside. By the time she was finished, it was 10AM and 92deg.  But four on the mill while watching an episode of Season 2 True Blood wasn't a bad way to spend time. In fact, I'm thinking of doing it this week. But I really should get outside. Part of my training is training in the heat/humidity.

This weeks plan:

Sun	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat
06/20	06/21	06/22	06/23	06/24	06/25	06/26
30min run	lift upper body	30min run	easy walk lift upper body	bike	5mi	bike

I realized last week I realized I hadn't added any cross training on my schedule. I was doing it. Just forgot to post it. We didn't have any thing plan for Saturday morning. I got to spend an hour by myself on the bike just riding. I had the best time.

What's on tap for your week? What's your favorite activity you have planned for this week?

Sunday Dinner - 06/27/2010

A few weeks ago, I bought a new healthy New Orleans food cookbook for inspiration. The following recipe is from Andrea's Light Cookbook. This is the first time I've made this dish. But it will be in our regular rotation. It was fast approx 35mins. And my house smells amazing after cooking with all the spices and the white wine.

Shrimp Caprese
Ingredients
2tbs olive oil
1/2onion, chopped
1tsp garlic, minced
1/2tsp red pepper flakes
1lb shrimp, peeled
1tsp brandy
1/2cup dry white wine
1cup fish stock
1tsp parsley
1tsp basil
1tsp oregano
1tsp rosemary leaves
2tbs lemon juice
dash of hot sauce
1tsp worcestershire
salt, to tast
pepper, to taste
1/2lb pasta, al dente

Directions
Heat oil on high in a pan until very hot.

Saute onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper until lightly browned.

 Add shrimp to pan until pink. Add brandy and cook for a min or two. Remove shrimp from pan and keep warm.

 

 Add white wine and shrimp stock. Bring to a boil.

Add parsley, basil, oregano, rosemary, lemon juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Return shrimp to pan. Simmer in sauce for a min.  Serve shrimp and sauce over pasta.

I hope you enjoy this dinner as much as I did. What did y'all have for dinner?


If you have any question/comments about this recipe, pls leave me a comment or email at megmehell at yahoo.