Recipe: Chicken & Rice Wraps

 

Ingredients:  

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 medium onion, chopped

1 cup romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces

1/2 cup cooked brown rice

2 lowfat whole wheat flour tortillas (6-8 inches in diameter)

1-1/2 Tbsp. fat-free salad dressing

Directions:
Spray medium-sized pan with nonstick cooking spray and place over medium heat. When hot but not smoking, add onions and garlic and sauté until slightly browned. Add raw chicken and sauté until browned and cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes, or until no pink remains in center of each piece. Remove pan from heat. Place tortillas on plates. Put half the lettuce on each tortilla, followed by half the chicken, half the dressing, and half the rice. To assemble wraps, roll tortilla around contents, securing each with a toothpick if necessary. Makes 2 servings.

Cooking time: 20-25 minutes.

Nutrition Info:
Calories: 345
Protein: 32g
Fiber: 4g
Carbs: 36g
Fat: 4.5g
Saturated Fat: <0.5g

Recipe by Beachbody.

Insanity Fit Test: Day 14

So here are my results from after 2 weeks of Insanity so far. :)

Switch Kicks: 120 - 10 more
Power Jacks: 70 - 5 more
Power Knees: 115 - 9 more
Power Jumps: 51 - 14 more
Globe Jumps: 12 - 2 more
Suicide Jumps: 20 - 2 more
Push-up Jacks: 28 - 5 more
Low Plank Oblique: 85 - 3 more

Next to the number shows how many more I can do than 2 weeks ago. Happy to see how much I improved over 2 weeks! Can't wait to see after 60 days!

Insanity - Day 5

Hey all, it's me!

Today was the fifth day of Insanity. I had Pure Cardio. I just thought I would blog about what I think of this program so far.

I am actually loving it. I don't dread it, at least not right now. :P My soreness pretty much went away in my legs, but not around my rib area which I hope goes away soon. Today's Pure Cardio workout was easier than I expected--NOT saying it WAS easy because it isn't, but I just thought it would be harder. The other classes so far have probably been harder for me, but that's because in those ones, he has you do them faster and faster after each round which is pretty exhausting! This time, was just going straight through. The warm-up alone in this program is exhausting by itself. lol, but I do love the long stretch after the warm-up.

I think Shaun T is awesome! He is very motivating and he explains everything very well. I have a great memory when it comes to doing exercises and routines (from 10 years cheerleading experience), but I know others don't, so I wanted to add that he is good at explaining things. It's easy to catch on. I thought it might be weird going from doing Chalene's programs to Insanity, but it's really not! Sometimes I catch myself doing things she taught me as well which is actually a good thing!

The classes definitely go by pretty fast! Since I am not paying attention to the clock and instead, focusing on breathing and what I am doing, time just flies by! Before I know it, I'm done and drenched in sweat and barely breathing. ;) I do take very quick 5-10 second breaks. He encourages you to if you start having bad form. Most of the time I just need to catch my breath or my legs hurt so so bad, but I know the more I do it, the more I will get used to it. It's nice seeing the others in the video taking a quick rest as well because it makes you feel like you aren't being a wimp about it. ;)

I am only 5 days in so I don't have a progress update just yet. I must say that I haven't been this sore in a few months. I definitely do think Insanity will help me reach and hopefully finish my goals. I am pretty confident.

If anyone has any questions about Insanity or anything else, feel free to contact me here!

Ciao! :o)

Insanity Fit Test: Day 1

Ok, today I started Insanity. I needed to end the advanced months of TurboFire early for a few reasons. I want to do something more intense and raise my fitness level and Insanity will help me reach my current goals of getting more lean and building more muscle. I am no longer trying to lose weight. Just get rid of the last bit of body fat I have in a few areas. So pretty much, just tone up. I still may throw in some TF here and there! I love Chalene!

So I am posting my fit test results from today:
These are as many reps as I can do within a minute.

Switch Kicks: 110
Power Jacks: 65
Power Knees: 106
Power Jumps: 37
Globe Jumps: 10
Suicide Jumps: 18
Push-up Jacks: 23
Low Plank Oblique: 82

We'll see where I am in 14 days!

Low-Cal Banana Muffins

Servings: 12

Ingredients:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 cup mashed bananas (approx. 2 bananas)
- 1/4 sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup applesauce

 

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease muffin pan or line with paper muffin liners.

2. In medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.

3. In separate bowl, combine banana, sugar, egg and vanilla extract. Blend until well mixed. Add applesauce. Slowly combine dry mixture to banana mixture. Blend well.

4. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool before serving.

Nutrition Info (per serving):
Calories: 80
Fat: 0g
Protein: 2g
Sodium: 245g
Iron: 2g
Carbs: 18g

Chicken Balsamico with Pears

Serves: 4

Ingredients: 
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
- salt
- ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 medium bosc pears, peeled, cored, and sliced
- 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch 


Directions:
1. Rinse the chicken in cold water. Then pat dry with paper towels. Place each chicken breast half between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound the chicken breasts to 1/2" thick. Remove the plastic and sprinkle both sides of each breast with salt and pepper to taste.

2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the chicken and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, turning once, until it's no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear. Remove the chicken from the heat and transfer it to a platter. Cover it to keep it warm.

3. Add the garlic and turn the heat down to medium for 2 minutes, or until the garlic is soft. Add the pears and continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pears are soft and golden brown.

4. In a small bowl, combine the chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, honey, and cornstarch. Pour over the pear mixture. Increase the heat to high until it comes to a boil, and then immediately lower the heat and simmer, stirring frequently for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the sauce thickens slightly. Return the chicken and any juices to the pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.

5. Place the chicken on individual serving plates or on a large platter. Use a slotted spoon to mound the fruit over the top. Spoon the sauce over the fruit and around the chicken. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Facts: (per serving)
Calories: 270.6
Fat: 5.9g
Saturatied Fat: 1.1g
Cholesteral: 65.8mg
Sodium: 139.3mg
Carbs: 27g
Sugar: 18.5g
Fiber: 3.3g
Protein: 28.1g

Why the Scale Lies

"I continue to warn everyone that the scale is a springy, beady-eyed, lying menace.

We've been told over and over again that daily weighing is unnecessary, yet many of us can't resist peeking at that number every morning. If you just can't bring yourself to toss the scale in the trash, you should definitely familiarize yourself with the factors that influence its readings. From water retention to glycogen storage and changes in lean body mass, daily weight fluctuations are normal. They are not indicators of your success or failure. Once you understand how these mechanisms work, you can free yourself from the daily battle with the bathroom scale.

Water makes up about 60% of total body mass. Normal fluctuations in the body's water content can send scale-watchers into a tailspin if they don't understand what's happening. Two factors influencing water retention are water consumption and salt intake. Strange as it sounds, the less water you drink, the more of it your body retains. If you are even slightly dehydrated your body will hang onto its water supplies with a vengeance, possibly causing the number on the scale to inch upward. The solution is to drink plenty of water.

Excess salt (sodium) can also play a big role in water retention. A single teaspoon of salt contains over 2,000 mg of sodium. Generally, we should only eat between 1,000 and 3,000 mg of sodium a day, so it's easy to go overboard. Sodium is a sneaky substance. You would expect it to be most highly concentrated in salty chips, nuts, and crackers. However, a food doesn't have to taste salty to be loaded with sodium. A half cup of instant pudding actually contains nearly four times as much sodium as an ounce of salted nuts, 460 mg in the pudding versus 123 mg in the nuts. The more highly processed a food is, the more likely it is to have a high sodium content. Thats why, when it comes to eating, it's wise to stick mainly to the basics: fruits, vegetables, lean meat, beans, and whole grains. Be sure to read the labels on canned foods, boxed mixes, and frozen dinners.

Women may also retain several pounds of water prior to menstruation. This is very common and the weight will likely disappear as quickly as it arrives. Pre-menstrual water-weight gain can be minimized by drinking plenty of water, maintaining an exercise program, and keeping high-sodium processed foods to a minimum.

Another factor that can influence the scale is glycogen. Think of glycogen as a fuel tank full of stored carbohydrate. Some glycogen is stored in the liver and some is stored the muscles themselves. This energy reserve weighs more than a pound and its packaged with 3-4 pounds of water when it's stored. Your glycogen supply will shrink during the day if you fail to take in enough carbohydrates. As the glycogen supply shrinks you will experience a small imperceptible increase in appetite and your body will restore this fuel reserve along with its associated water. It's normal to experience glycogen and water weight shifts of up to 2 pounds per day even with no changes in your calorie intake or activity level. These fluctuations have nothing to do with fat loss, although they can make for some unnecessarily dramatic weigh-ins if youre prone to obsessing over the number on the scale.

Otherwise rational people also tend to forget about the actual weight of the food they eat. For this reason, it's wise to weigh yourself first thing in the morning before you've had anything to eat or drink. Swallowing a bunch of food before you step on the scale is no different than putting a bunch of rocks in your pocket. The 5 pounds that you gain right after a huge dinner is not fat. It's the actual weight of everything youve had to eat and drink. The added weight of the meal will be gone several hours later when you've finished digesting it.

Exercise physiologists tell us that in order to store one pound of fat, you need to eat 3,500 calories more than your body is able to burn. In other words, to actually store the above dinner as 5 pounds of fat, it would have to contain a whopping 17,500 calories. This is not likely, in fact it's not humanly possible. So when the scale goes up 3 or 4 pounds overnight, rest easy, its likely to be water, glycogen, and the weight of your dinner. Keep in mind that the 3,500 calorie rule works in reverse also. In order to lose one pound of fat you need to burn 3,500 calories more than you take in. Generally, it's only possible to lose 1-2 pounds of fat per week. When you follow a very low calorie diet that causes your weight to drop 10 pounds in 7 days, it's physically impossible for all of that to be fat. What you're really losing is water, glycogen, and muscle.

This brings us to the scale's sneakiest attribute. It doesn't just weigh fat. It weighs muscle, bone, water, internal organs and all. When you lose "weight," that doesnt necessarily mean that youve lost fat. In fact, the scale has no way of telling you what youve lost (or gained). Losing muscle is nothing to celebrate. Muscle is a metabolically active tissue. The more muscle you have the more calories your body burns, even when youre just sitting around. That's one reason why a fit, active person is able to eat considerably more food than the dieter who is unwittingly destroying muscle tissue.

Robin Landis, author of "Body Fueling," compares fat and muscles to feathers and gold. One pound of fat is like a big fluffy, lumpy bunch of feathers, and one pound of muscle is small and valuable like a piece of gold. Obviously, you want to lose the dumpy, bulky feathers and keep the sleek beautiful gold. The problem with the scale is that it doesn't differentiate between the two. It can't tell you how much of your total body weight is lean tissue and how much is fat. There are several other measuring techniques that can accomplish this, although they vary in convenience, accuracy, and cost. Skin-fold calipers pinch and measure fat folds at various locations on the body, hydrostatic (or underwater) weighing involves exhaling all of the air from your lungs before being lowered into a tank of water, and bioelectrical impedance measures the degree to which your body fat impedes a mild electrical current.

If the thought of being pinched, dunked, or gently zapped just doesn't appeal to you, don't worry. The best measurement tool of all turns out to be your very own eyes. How do you look? How do you feel? How do your clothes fit? Are your rings looser? Do your muscles feel firmer? These are the true measurements of success. If you are exercising and eating right, don't be discouraged by a small gain on the scale. Fluctuations are perfectly normal. Expect them to happen and take them in stride. Its a matter of mind over scale."

Credit * 

I used to weigh myself daily. I actually just chucked my scale in the closet a few weeks ago. I don't plan on weighing myself for another 2 weeks. My weight was staying around the same and it was frustrating. Know what I found out after a few days of not weighing myself? I was losing inches. I measured myself and lost inches everywhere. Scales aren't the only thing that can tell you your progress. Measuring yourself and just by taking before pictures and taking a new picture every month or two can show you your progress. Especially since you see yourself in the mirror a few times a day so it's hard to tell which is why pictures are great.


So don't get frustrated seeing the scale fluctuate assuming you gained 3 pounds overnight. That's not happening. Either toss the scale for a while or get used to seeing it go up and down every day.