From the category archives:

Uncategorized

Eating Clean with Tone It Up

by agirlandhermutt on April 26, 2012

Hi friends! I’m sure you have noticed that posting has been a bit sporadic these past two weeks. No big reason other than I’ve been really busy. I’m not sure with what, but I’m sure it includes work. It might include laying on the couch for an hour or so catching up on 16 and Pregnant too.

Oh, and it might include strapping on these suckers on a daily basis and hitting the gym!

I’ve been working really hard to get activity in every.single.day. Most of it has been classes at the gym like Zumba, Piloxing and Total Body Shred, but I have also recently become obsessed with the Tone It Up girls. They have great YouTube videos that are easy to follow at home on the computer and printables that you can take to the gym too. Win-win!

As part of my obsession I’ve been trying out their nutrition plan too. They have some great recipes that utilize all the good foods out there in a really balanced way. How can you not love that?! This is particularly helpful for me during a pretty stressful and busy time. I know what to eat, but it is always nice to have reminders so I don’t fall into the pit of eating crap for dinner at 9pm because I didn’t plan for a long day out before I get home.

To help with those days when I knew I would be getting home late I did some prep work on Sunday night, including whipping up some of their black bean burgers.

*Note: These burgers taste 100% better than they look. On second look at this photo I realized that these kind of look like cow patties. Eww.*

All I had to do when I got home from work was unwrap the burger, add some veggies and dinner is done.

I’ve been making sure to pack my lunch bag each night and a few times this week it included a Kombucha. Oh how I <3 Kombucha. I wish it wasn’t so dang expensive though! My stomach is handling Kombucha so much better than when I first had it. Whoa. Just a tip for you newbie Kombucha drinkers…don’t drink the whole bottle on your first try unless you want to spend the entire afternoon on a date with your toliet.

The Tone It Up recipes aren’t earth shattering with unique techniques or ingredients, but they are extremely nutritious and delicious. I especially like that I can modify the recipes and use them to fit what I have on hand. I can never seem to get all the ingredients needed right for some reason. No fear though. One of the recipes they have that sounded like an amazing clean eat was Hawaiian Grilled Chicken with Pineapple Salsa. I didn’t have chicken, but I did have Mahi-Mahi. Easy substitute!

I was able to put together the salsa on Sunday night and then all I had to do was cook the fish up on my grill pan for 8-10 minutes.

I added a few leftover sliced vegetables from black bean burger night to the grill pan and dinner was served. How about this for a colorful plate?!

I promise there is fish somewhere in there. I think.

After I’ve tried out more recipes and workouts from the Tone It Up Nutrition Plan I will do a full review on it. So far I am really enjoying it, but I want to give it a few more weeks before I tell you all my final opinion. Have any of you tried their workouts or meals?

So in conclusion…life is busy, but good.

Good food. Good exercise. Good friends. Good family. Good life!

clip_image00161_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb[1]

Do you make a meal plan for each week or just go with the flow?

{ 7 comments }

Marathon Monday and All Things Weekend

by agirlandhermutt on April 17, 2012

Hello friends! One of the better parts about living in Boston is that we have holidays like Patriot’s Day, better known as Marathon Monday around these parts. I didn’t really know anything about the marathon before I moved to the area in 2005, but when I discovered that I lived right next door to Mile 24 I quickly got into the game. Now it is my favorite sporting event of the year! I love to cheer for the runners and I find them all totally inspiring. This year was no different! But first…how lets do a quick fun weekend recap.

clip_image00161_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb[1]

The Scientist and I had talked about getting some take-out for dinner on Friday but all of sudden we found ourselves picking up some Blue Ribbon BBQ and heading out to a spot with some of the best views of Boston, the JFK Library.

We ate our BBQ at a little picnic table and just looked at the amazing city that we are just a small part of.

No BBQ night is complete without some form of dessert. Our dessert came in the form of a S’more Sundae from Cabot Ice Cream. If that photo doesn’t make you want to lick the screen then there is just something seriously wrong with you. I’m serious.

Don’t worry friends…I got up early the next morning and attempted to work off that treat at a Combo Cycle class at the gym. The class is 30 minutes of spinning, 15 minutes of strength training and then 15 minutes of yoga. Phew. It hurts so good.

I spent the majority of Saturday just doing things around the house. Things I hate to do like cleaning my car and cleaning out the fridge. Ugh. Fortunately there was another night out with The Scientist on the agenda. We are trying to branch out when we go out for dinner and this time we headed to Beacon Hill to try 75 Chestnut.

We started out with mussels (plump and fantastic!), side Caesar salad (eh.), and my main dish was blackened salmon with lentils and polenta triangles (sooo good and fillling!). Unfortunately the service left a little bit to be desired. Final verdict: I might stop in to sit at the bar if I was in the area but I won’t be making another trip just for the restaurant.

Since we were in the area we hopped to a few bars to check out the area. Nothing special. However, I did receive the saddest orange slice for my beer ever. EVER. What is that?!

Sunday was dedicated to all things domestic. Zumba, grocery shopping and grillin’. We grilled up some pizza, made some stuffed mushrooms, and tried out grilled Caesar salad. This was a bit more successful than the one from Saturday night!

Then it was Monday…and I didn’t have to work! Thank you Marathon Monday! The Scientist and I had a few friends running this year so we headed down to Kenmore Sq to cheer them on for the final mile of the run. I loved seeing all the supporting signs on the local businesses.

We staked out a spot to cheer and waited for the runners to arrive.

It was HOT in Boston today and the runners were warned to not run if they weren’t in the best condition. Staying hydrated and not overheating was the key. Every single person was so inspiring when they ran by. There were so many cramps and walkers around our mile marker, but to think that they had already gone 25 miles was incredible!

By far one of the incredible sights was when the military men walked by in full uniform WITH packs. I can’t even imagine how hot and beat up these guys were near the end of the race. I yelled and screamed to show my support!

All of my friends finished with very respectable times. WOOT! I even saw a blogger that I read pass by (SkinnyRunner).

Here are a few things that I have heard/read about the marathon this year:

-Wesley Korir was the men’s winner with a time of 2 hours 12 minutes and 40 seconds. Sharon Cherop was the woman’s winner with a time of 2 hours 31 minutes and 50 seconds.

-This was the 40th anniversary of women running in the Boston Marathon.

-The reigning men’s champ, Geoffrey Mutai, had to drop out at Mile 18 due to cramps. He broked records last year with a time of 2 hours 3 minutes 2 seconds.

-The highest temp recorded was 89 in Framingham at the 10K mark around 12:30pm.

-By 3:30p around 50 people had been taken to the hospital.

-3,863 people did not pick up their numbers, which is about 14%. A typical year usually has about 9% not pick up their numbers.

A marathon to remember for sure!

clip_image00161_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb[1]

I hope you all had a great weekend! See ya tomorrow!

What is your favorite sporting event to watch?

{ 7 comments }

Fancy Jello Shots

by agirlandhermutt on April 9, 2012

Sometimes you just have to state the obvious. Here is how my weekend went down…

Silly pictures of the moon.

Fancy schmancy jello shots.

Deviled eggs. The Scientist’s favorite and something I didn’t know about him.

The world’s cutest dog. Seriously. Korky melts my heart every.time.

Another adorable face for me to look at.

clip_image00161_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb1_thumb[1]

See those fancy jello shots? I was doing a little browsing around Pinterest for some fun things to make over the weekend (32W32 is gettin’ done!) and caught of a glimpse of fantastic looking jello shots in fruit. What a genius idea. I knew we would be going to a birthday party over the weekend so this was the perfect time to make them. What would I have done with no party? Would it be weird to just make them for yourself? Heh.

“What are we having for dinner tonight Erin?”
“Oh, just a few jello shots. Do you want some roasted brussels too?”

Anywho…

I tried making them with oranges and lemons. They both tasted great, but the lemons held up so much better.

There are TONS of directions out there on how to make these, but I do have a few tips.

*Cut stem to stem. This is especially true for the orange. When you start to remove the flesh of the fruit there is a tendency for it to rip where the stem was.

*To keep the shells upright while the jello set I used a muffin tin. You could use a clean one. I decided to use this gross one and then photograph it for you all to see.

*When pouring into the fruit shells use a container with a pour spout.

*Fill it all the way to the top of the shell. As the jello sets, it will shrink a little.

*Use mini (nips) of alcohol for your flavored shooters. Most of the recipes call for 1 cup which is just a little more than 4 minis. I used the 4 and it worked perfectly. I also didn’t have to buy a big ol’ bottle of flavored vodka that I would NEVER work all the way through.

*When slicing the jello after it has set, use a sharp knife that has been run under warm water and then dried off. The knife doesn’t tear the jello as much that way.