Friday Food Frenzy 24

Raised as a second generation American on one side of my family, I grew up around a lot of ethnic foods --- particularly Greek food given that my family's roots stem from Albania and Romania where the cultures are very similar (as I've been told --- I haven't had to opportunity to visit any of these countries yet sadly). I love to try some lightened up versions of these very hearty dishes that I grew up with.

Enter the "Skinnyfabulous Moussaka Casserole", compliments of Skinny Kitchen. Moussaka is traditionally made with ground beef and lamb, eggplant and potatoes, and is topped with a creamy sauce. Clearly not a heart (or waistline) healthy dish, though it's super yummy! I was skeptical trying this recipe since it only calls for ground beef (I love lamb). Could this possibly be delicious?

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I'll be honest... if you have a Moussaka recipe of your own that you adore, this won't be the same, but it's actually pretty good when you consider that it's lightened up quite a bit. The substitutions: extra lean ground beef (or turkey --- but I used beef), light alfredo sauce, and fat free feta cheese. Now I will be perfectly honest, the thought of fat free cheese of any kind grosses me out, so I opt for reduced fat cheese. Obviously it will slightly increase the calorie count per serving which is 218 for this recipe, but to cut back on the artificial stuff that it put into anything that's made fat free is well worth it in my eyes.

Tip number one when you attempt this recipe: you need a very large pan. Personally, I think it might best if you have one of those large electric frying pans to use it since it will help keep all of the ingredients in the pan while you stir it. This recipe is pretty easy once all the prep work is done. I love this casserole because it does make dinner easy to have prepped in one dish. It reheats great too!

Are you ready to try this yummy skinny Greek recipe? :)

~ Aly

21 Day Fix Extreme: Disc 2 Review

Moving onto Disc 2 of the 21 Day Fix Extreme...

Cardio Fix Extreme: I need to start off by saying I definitely enjoyed this more than the original Cardio Fix. For each round, you will do 2 different moves for a minute each (usually with weights) before doing 30 seconds of a cardio move, then you repeat the round before moving on. I sweat like I haven't sweat in a long time! 

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Dirty 30 Extreme: I have always loved Dirty 30. Since my 21DFX program arrived on a Friday night, I decided to give it a try on Saturday morning, starting with Dirty 30 Extreme since that's the Saturday workout. I immediately noticed a difference: Instead of splitting the moves that you need to do on each side for one minute total (30 seconds each side, as done in the 21DF), you will do each move for a full minute on each side. WOAH!! This is an awesome shoulder burner in particular. I wanted to start with a lighter set of weights for my first week (3lb and 5lb instead of 5lb and 7lb), and after only the first round of moves in this workout, I was so glad I did, or I wouldn't be able to lift my daughter. This is going to really give you some amazing summer arms... YAY!

Yoga Fix Extreme: I'm always up front with you... so I'm just going to say it like it is. This is only my opinion and this really isn't a "review" on this particular workout and I am sure there are plenty of you out there who will hate me for saying this: I don't like Yoga. I tried to get into it with the original 21 Day Fix. I've tried various Yoga DVDs. I am a girl that likes to be on the move (hence why I love PiYo), so I just don't like this workout. It seems like a great recovery workout, but I have trouble staying still... so I will be subbing in Pilates in place of Yoga as I did with the original program. This one definitely seems a lot more challenging than the original from what I can remember. It's just not my cup of tea. My apologies guys, but I don't want to BS you and tell you I love it... I'm sure most of you will enjoy it. I just don't like Yoga. Ok, I'm done.

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10 Minute Hardcore: This is a little different from the 10 Minute Ab Fix from the original since you do each move for a minute rather that just doing 20 of each move and then repeating the round. I personally prefer the original ab workout better for this reason but this will still make your abs burn, I promise!! 

21 Day Fix Extreme: Disc 1 Review

I love Autumn Calabrese. Have I said that before? I was so excited for the 21 Day Fix Extreme to come out since I loved the original. I personally think I get the best results when I mix cardio with weights, so this program is perfect for me. I wanted to share a bit about each workout with you so you can get a better idea as to what you can expect if you're interested in this program.

Plyo Fix Extreme: I'm not going to lie... when I opened the DVD set when this program first arrived in the mail and I saw the title of this workout had replaced "Total Body Cardio Fix", I was freaking out and totally intimidated. The original 21DF came with a bonus workout called "Plyo Fix", and it was a total butt kicker. I only did it a handful of times because it left me so winded that I felt like I was going to die. (Ok, maybe that's a bit extreme, but it really whipped my butt). That being said, I don't want to discount this Plyo Fix Extreme because it is also a serious butt kicker, but I actually really enjoyed this one. Each move is only 30 seconds and then you get a 30 second break to recover, so it didn't leave me feeling quite as winded, though it definitely made my legs feel like jello. You will use 2 sets of weights for this one and it's primarily a leg workout (obviously, given the title "plyo")... lots of jumping! The modifications for most of the moves in this workout are mainly just jumping less (or not at all). There were plenty of times that I had to slow down because I didn't think my legs would make it, but I survived! :)

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Upper Fix Extreme: For this workout, you need your light and heavier set of weights, as well as your resistance band (*note that the program doesn't come with this resistance band so if you have one at home, you're good, otherwise, you will want to get one*). This is different from the original Upper Fix because for the first 30 seconds of each move where you're using weights, you will use your heavy weights, then you will switch out to the lighter weights for the remainder of the minute. Drop sets at their finest! Autumn makes sure that your legs get a good workout too... She loves legs!!

Pilates Fix Extreme: The original Pilates Fix was my favorite workout in the program. Pilates Fix Extreme is still focused on Pilates but unlike the original, this one uses a resistance band throughout the entire workout... 32 minutes of no-joke pilates. There were a few moves where I initially thought "oh my gosh, is she trying to break my band, or me?" She's not messing around!!

Lower Fix Extreme: This follows a similar concept as Upper Fix Extreme except instead of doing 30 seconds with the heavy weight then 30 with the light weight, it was 30 seconds heavy followed by 30 seconds without a weight doing a Plyo move. My legs felt like mush after just the first round!! I felt the burn which means it's definitely working already!

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Stay tuned for info about the second set of workouts, as well as the "ultimate" workouts and eating for the 21DFX.

~ Aly 

Friday Food Frenzy 23

As a parent, I've learned to embrace that sometimes life will throw me a curve ball and to expect the unexpected... like a toddler who had started to calm down a bit of course will start to act up again just when you think you've got your routine down pat. Pass me more wine, please!!

Anyway, I would love to share with you a fabulous recipe I tried from Gina at SkinnyTaste: Chicken and Mushrooms in a Garlic White Wine Sauce. I typically prefer recipes that I can prep ahead of time and toss in the oven because of the aforementioned toddler... it just makes life easier! I had the hubby home earlier one day though so I was ready to tackle this recipe head on (plus I love cooking with wine!!)

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This recipe was absolutely delicious, and only 169 calories per serving! I'm not a mushroom fan, but my husband loves them, so this gave him plenty of extra mushrooms and I just added a veggie as a side dish for me since I wasn't getting the mushrooms from this recipe into me. This was actually a pretty quick and easy recipe to follow. My biggest problem with recipes like this is I tend to let the sauce dry up because I get distracted... there wasn't as much left as I'd like, so I need to be more careful of that next time. If you prefer to cook without wine, I'm sure you could sub the wine with more chicken broth. I served this dish with a side of brown rice.

Enjoy!

~ Aly

Friday Food Frenzy 22

I know what you're thinking... where have you been with the Friday Food Frenzy posts?! To anyone who has ever been a SAHM with a toddler, you can (hopefully) to relate to your days spinning somewhat out of control if you don't have a clear cut plan... and even with a plan, your toddler will try to sway you in his or her direction anyway. So I'm bringing back my beloved Friday Food Frenzy and hopefully am beyond the bulk of my chaotic days with my daughter, plus I seem to have a better handle on our routine now. Which means she will change her routine now, right? HAH

In bringing back my recipes posts, I weeded out some older stuff I'd pinned on Pinterest and found some newer recipes to create a new board to go to for recipes. It's my goal to try something new every week. This will be a challenge so feel free to hold me accountable any time if I start to slack off! In the winter time, I tend to rely on my slow cooker a little more. I love being able to throw everything in one pot and just let it do its own thing. Lazy? Maybe. But it does help make my life easier.

My recipe of the week: Skinny Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie --- compliments of the ever fabulous Skinny Mom. If you are just catching one of my Friday Food Frenzy posts for the first time here, my favorite "skinny" websites for recipes are hands down Skinnytaste and Skinny Mom. They have such a variety and it's easy to sort so if you want chicken, or a slow cooker recipe, you can easily find what you're looking for.

Chicken Pot Pie is a comfort food in my mind, and it's great for the winter. This was super easy to prepare, and you can choose to serve biscuits on the side if you'd like. I opted for the smaller biscuits as they suggest on this recipe rather than the Grands --- helped me cut back on some calories! This dinner was super yummy.

I do want to make a few notes on modifications I made.
- I despise celery (sorry!!) so I omitted that from my pot pie when I made it.
- I'm not a huge fan of thyme, so I did modify the seasonings slightly. Rather than 1 teaspoon of parsley and 1/2 teaspoon of thyme as the recipes suggests, I used 1/2 teaspoon each of parsley, oregano, and basil. I think when I make this next time, I will add a little more oregano to it for a little more flavor.
- I felt like this might have been a little potato heavy, but lacking in the veggies. I realize "6 small red potatoes" may be hard to quantify so I think I will only use 4 or 5 next time. In addition, I would use more veggies. I haven't really decided what would be best --- more mixed veggies or maybe just making my own batch of mixed veggies and adding however much I feel is appropriate as I go along. The 10.8oz bag just didn't seem like enough to me.

On a side note, I felt that this recipe reheated very well so I will also probably double the recipe next time. If you don't mind leftovers (sometimes I'm not a fan, but it depends on the food), you may want to consider this too. 

... Until next week!

~ Aly

Insanity Max: 30 --- Continuing Month 1

Happy New Year!! Excuse my delay in sharing more with you about Insanity Max: 30. I took a short hiatus from working out after my first post about the first three workouts --- the holidays totally wore me down! I officially started this program this week with my challenge group on Facebook and am absolutely in LOVE with it. I'm a competitive person by nature so I enjoy trying to compete with myself. 

This will cover Sweat Intervals and Fright Fight: Round 1, as well as Pulse. Tabata Strength won't be covered for a couple more weeks since it isn't in the schedule until Week 3... why? Because there's NO REST! So we will have to be kept in suspense for a bit longer with that workout... but without further ado...

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Sweat Intervals. This workout rocks my world. It's the same general concept at Cardio Challenge, just with different moves (so you 4.5 minutes of cardio then get a 30 second break). What I love about this entire program is that you really do feel that sense of presence from Shaun T, almost as if he's right there with you. He senses when you need that extra encouragement and really helps to ensure you've got the right form and are pushing to your max so you can get the max results. He makes sure you know that he believes that you can do this, even if you need to modify at first. I don't know about you, but I need that encouragement because it does make me push harder... I don't want to let Shaun T down! :)

 

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I understand the title of this now. Shaun T (as usual) means business!!! Instead of going 5 minutes without a water break, this one pushes you for 15 minutes for a 30 second break. Then you go another 10 minutes before getting another break... Then it pushes you to your final max out. It actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be when I saw the timer bar at the bottom of the screen. He will alternate between some less and more strenuous moves so it's not like you're doing burpee lunges and power jumps for 15 minutes straight.

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Pulse will give you a different take on this program. It's a 20 minute low-impact workout to help you recover over the weekend. Shaun T takes you through a lot of the same moves that you've done in the other Max: 30 workouts, just at a lower intensity (no jumping). You do "pulse" a lot of moves in between stretching. You will still sweat with this workout, but it's a nice change of pace after 5 days of pushing as hard and fast as you possibly can.

Stay tuned for a wrap up on month 1 in the coming weeks! What questions do you have so far about Max: 30? Are you ready to #maxout?

~ Aly

... In with the New!

Maybe it's just me, but I'm not quite sure where the year went. I feel like summer just ended a month ago. Like always, it's been a whirlwind of a year. After having such a crazy 2013, I was delighted to welcome 2014, but I honestly can't say that anything really earth shattering happened this year. It wasn't a terrible year, but it was a year that made my planning skills a bit challenging since it seemed like nothing went the way we planned. I suppose this is particularly common for families with young children.

Toddlerhood is a challenge. The newborn/infant stages of dealing with spit up and reflux seems like a breeze compared to toddlerhood. I can recall some days (particularly over this past summer as my daughter was approaching those dreaded "Terrible Two's") that I literally would just feel like I was going to have a total meltdown. She was starting to understand more every day but that didn't stop her from trying to push me a little further than I wanted to allow her. Fortunately, she started nursery school twice a week this fall as well as dance, and she seems to be making wonderful progress. She still has her moments (hey, don't we all?!) but I feel like some of those really frustrating days when I wanted to crack open a bottle of wine at naptime are already a distant memory... let's NOT venture down that road again for awhile, okay? :)

Amidst this chaos of toddlerhood, I started to do a little less in caring for myself and I went into more of a survival mode. My early morning workouts became less frequent and my meal planning ahead of time became non-existent. Need I tell you any more? That being said... I come to my goals for 2015. I don't want to call them resolutions because we know resolutions were made to be broken, kind of like rules. 

- I've got some weight to drop that I put on the second half of 2014. My goal is to shed that weight and then some. Ideally, I would love to fit comfortably back into my shorts by our vacation this spring. I've got 15 weeks and the goal is 15lbs. I'm confident I can do that with my new workout plus meal planning (the first 5 usually fall off easy... it's the rest that I usually really have to work for).
- I want to wake up early for my workouts at least 3 days a week (preferably 5 days if I can push myself but if I need a little extra sleep, I won't go batty over that... the weekend workouts can be more flexible with my husband home).
- Booze on weekends only. I think we've all had days where we just want to kick back and unwind (and that will probably happen on a few occasions moving forward, I'm sure), but my goal is to primarily keep my adult beverages on the weekends. If I drink on a weeknight, I need to double up on my workout the next day. It seems only fair.
- I want to do more "crafty" things with my daughter. I have plenty of ideas I've pinned on Pinterest, so now I want to do one project with her a week. This will be especially helpful this winter if we get snowed in. :)
- I want to have one date night with my husband a month. We don't have family nearby to easily babysit our daughter, but I think it's so important to get those date nights in for us. Especially before we even think about growing our family. If we can't get a date night out, we need to plan something when our daughter goes to bed aside from just having a few drinks and watching a movie. I've pinned date night ideas at home too... I need to utilize these ideas!!
- Try AT LEAST one new recipe a month. When I started cooking more post-baby, I was trying new recipes all the time. Then that baby became very active and didn't want me in the kitchen which meant I needed easier dinner ideas that required less prep work. Time to figure this out... I'm open to all tips (and healthy recipe ideas too)
- I want to grow my business. I became a Beachbody Coach in February 2014. I set high goals for myself and then toddlerhood set in. I want to really get my business rolling in 2015. I want to help others live a healthier lifestyle and welcome them to the Beachbody family too, because I've heard so many amazing success stories, and I'm ready for us to join the ranks together.
- Read. I use to love to read but with that constant feeling of having 10 balls in the air at once and not being able to catch them all, this usually takes the back burner. I want to read for fun. I think I started to do that less in high school and college because there was always so much I "had" to read for school. I got into the habit of reading more in recent years but with how tired I was feeling at night this year with the aforementioned crazy toddler, I started to read less. So I want to read again. :)
- Most importantly, I want to love more. I feel like I can get so bogged down by the news and drama going on around me. To be honest, I think having something hit so close to home for me (12/14), it made me open my eyes to how fragile our lives are and not to take a single moment for granted. I try not to get caught up in other people's drama and hopefully help them see the good in the world since we are always being shown all the bad. I want to live as positive a life as possible so I can be a good role model for my family. Always tell people you love them. You never know if you'll get another chance.

I think those cover the key points. I'm sure I will add to this as time goes on, but I wanted YOU to know what my goals are for the year so you can help hold me accountable. I would love to do the same for you. What are YOUR goals for 2015? How can I help? :)

Happy New Year!

~ Aly