Week 6 Day 5 (Fun Friday)

Today, for Fun Friday, we started out by sleeping in just a tad! Everyone needs a little beauty rest every now and then, right? :)

We got up at 8 and started prepping everything we would need to make breakfast once our morning workout was over! Then, Sacha hopped on the treadmill and ran a mile, we grabbed our bathing suits and then we took off down to the river!

For Fun Friday, we decided to go swimming. Which is usually quite fun.. but, today... it was TORTURE! There's just something about exercising that ruins the whole idea of swimming! (I mean, for me anyway.. Sacha had a blast!)

Once we finished pretending to be fish, we went back up to the house and made "brunch".

We had Chocolate Banana Protein Pancakes!

These things were yummy!! (As long as you weren't expecting them to taste like a pancake!)

I stole this recipe from a girl named Susanna Backman whose Instagram name is @tastyhealth. She makes some of the best breakfasts EVER!!!

Pancakes:

1/2 cup oats
1/2 tbsp cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp granulated sweetener
2 egg whites
2/3 medium banana
2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk

Mix ingredients with hand blender until smooth. Fry in a pan using coconut oil for about 30-45 sec each side.

Frosting:

1/3 cup plain greek yogurt

1/3 cup cottage cheese

3 tbsp raw honey

Mix with a hand blender and add water until desired consistency.

Now, I have to get ready for work!!! I hope you guys have a wonderful day! 

-E

Fiesta Taco Salad

I keep meaning to post this recipe.
But, every time I think about it..
I get distracted! 

So, here it is: 

Fiesta Taco Salad!! 

This recipe was a hit with my family! 

They LOVED it (and that's very rare when I cook!) 

I'm still learning!

I started by making the black bean salad found in a blog called once upon a chef  

Then, I added lean ground beef, tortilla chips, and sharp cheddar cheese!

Black Bean Salad: (6-8 servings)

•2 15ounce cans of black beans(rinsed and drained)

•3 ears of corn, kernels cut off the cob. (I used a can, rinsed & drained)

•2 red bell peppers, diced

•2 cloves garlic, minced

•2 tbs minced shallots

•1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

•2 tbs sugar

•9 tbs extra virgin olive oil

•1 tsp lime zest (zest lime before juicing)

•6 tbs fresh lime juice

•1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

• 2 Hass Avocados

Mix everything except avocado in a large bowl. Chill for several hours. Add avocado right before serving. Serve at room temp!

I put tortilla chips in a bowl, added the ground beef on top, then the black bean salad, and topped it with a little bit of sharp cheddar. It was delicious. They absolutely loved it! :)

Eating Clean, One Meal at a Time!

Alyssa let me go wedding decoration shopping with her today!! We had a ton of fun :)

Then, we decided that since she is moving away in two months we need to spend as much time as possible together! So, we're having a sleepover at her house!

We started by making dinner for her family. Honestly, she did most of the work.. But, I helped! :)

We made black bean and corn turkey burgers with whole wheat buns and sweet potato fries! I swear, it was delicious! Her family loved it!

The burgers were made with lean ground turkey, black beans, corn, egg whites, chili powder, and salt and pepper. We added pepperjack cheese, mashed avocado, and sliced tomato. Alyssa did GREAT!

After dinner, we got to start working on some cute little wedding decorations.

These turned out so cute! I'm so excited to see how it turns out on her wedding day! :)

Oh, and then we all got a sweet tooth.. so, we made a healthier chocolate chip cookie. It was sooooo good. It called for old fashion oats, mashed banana, peanut butter, apple sauce, vanilla, cinnamon, and chocolate chips. Delicious!!!

Its been such a fun night with the Miller sisters!! :)

Sunday Funday (Father's Day)

I want to start tonight's blog post by saying Happy Father's Day! I know that I am truly blessed when I look at these two men. I could not have chosen better men to guide me through this crazy thing called life. I have two absolutely wonderful dads!

Daddy, Papa, Hero, First Love!

There are so many words to describe this man. And, I could not be luckier to be his little girl. Some days I catch myself being so sad that I live half way around the world from him. And other days I remember how, in a way, that makes me very lucky. I may very well be the ONLY girl that has NEVER been mad at her dad. He never yells at me, gets disappointed in me, or sends me to my room. I have had nothing but GOOD moments with my daddy! We always have fun together, he always makes me laugh. But, I only see him once a year! Regardless of the time and distance separating us though, I love this man as big as the moon! He is my Papa! :)

My Daddio, My Rock, My Hero, My Dad.

So, again.. I am probably the luckiest girl on the face of the planet! I couldn't be more thankful for this man! He has loved me, cared for me, and guided me through some of the most important years of my life. Without him, I don't know where I'd be. I will forever be grateful for his love and support. He has been a wonderful example of a husband and I can only hope that one day my husband will love me as much as this man loves my mother! I am blessed beyond measure!

Now... On to Sunday Funday!!

We had a crazy fun day!

I woke up early to cook breakfast for Dad. Mom was my assistant (Which really means really she did most of the complicated work, and I took all the credit!) Aren't I sweet?

After Sunday Morning Breakfast, Reesie helped me get ready!

Them mom and I went to Church! :)

After church, JACKSON came over and we all went down to the river for some family time!

After a long day on the river, we finally went back up to the house and had dinner. Dad grilled some steaks and made some delicious potato salad and of course some baked beans. It was all wonderful.

Oh, and don't forget the cheesecake. WHY?! Why would you even have cheesecake in this house... who can resist cheesecake????

Now, after a long day filled with family and friends I am finally relaxing and getting ready for bed! Its already very late and we are getting up at 6:30 to start week 6 of Bootcamp. This week we are going HARD! I'm excited to get started! Goodnight. I'll see you bright and early!

-E

Homemade Granola

So, ever since Alyssa gave me a sample of her AMAZING homemade granola.. I have wanted to try to make some myself! I just kept forgetting to have her give me her recipe. But, I finally found one that I thought I could try! I altered the recipe just a tad! It turned out better than I thought it would!

• 7 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 1/2 cups of slivered almonds 
• 3 Tablespoons of cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3 tablespoons pure vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups of no sugar added applesauce
• 1/4 cup honey

This recipe makes a giant batch. But, its so yummy!

You can definitely alter the recipe to better suit you.

Check out the link above to see the original recipe.

Enjoy!

-E

Strawberry Smoothies

At our house, we LOVE having smoothies for lunch. Especially during the summer. Lately, Sacha and I have been trying to make healthier smoothies(that don't taste healthy!). One that we like particularly well is our special strawberry smoothies. Here is our recipe:

• 2 cups of ice
• 1/2 cup of orange juice (or any other fruit juice)
• 1/2 cup of kefir probiotic (or a plain greek yogurt)
• 1/2 cup of lowfat strawberry yogurt (I prefer greek yogurt)
• 4 large strawberries (or any other fruit)
• 1 tsp of flax seed oil (can be omitted)
• 4 tbs of honey

Mix all ingredients in a blender and serve.

Makes about 3 servings.

Feel free to add anything you like to the recipe. 

I hope you enjoy!!

-E

"Pamper"ation

I am such a girly girl. 

I love to be pampered and fixed up. 

So, growing up with a mother and sister that 

are cosmetologists has been such a dream come true for me!

Yesterday was one of those "pamper"ation days for me.

After bootcamp, I took mom to the doctor to get some lab work done.

(When she sees this, she will probably kill me..BUT...)

Mom, decided to repay me by giving me a pedicure and manicure

(which I was soooo thankful for.)

After working out for weeks, my poor little feet

were WAY overdue for some attention.

And my sweet momma knows how to give a pedicure.

Plus, those massaging chairs at Kitas Kurlz are to die for.

It was so relaxing and wonderful.

AND.. you cannot get a pedi without also getting

a manicure too, right? NOWAY!

Momma did such a good job!

I just love my hands and feet now 

and it was so nice after all these workouts we've been doing.

Remember that quote I told you a few weeks ago?

"When you look good, you feel good!"

Yup, that applies in this situation.

Get Pampered Ladies.

You'll feel wonderful.

This is just a mini collage of my life with my cosmetologists.

I have different nails almost weekly and my hair... 

well, I've had a few different looks.

It's been fun! I enjoy it.

Yesterday, after Momma got me all fixed up,

Alyssa asked me to come to Youth Group with her.

So, I threw on some make up, changed shirts,

added a scarf, and headed out.

It was nice to finally get dressed up.

Usually I just stay in my workout clothes all day.

After church, Alyssa and I went to the house and found some 

yummy food! Matthew cooked dinner and it was 

AMAZING!

He made Stuffed Chicken Marsala with green beans, 

mashed red potatoes with mushroom gravy, and a wheat roll.

Oh, and tomato and garlic herb toast for appetizers. 

It was sooooo good!

And that was my day of "pamper"ation!

It was nice.

Everyone deserves to be pampered every once in a while!

Week 4 Day 4 (Legs)

LEG DAY

I thought this picture fit perfectly for Ilona's Intense Bootcamp because we never want to do leg day. We would rather do arms or abs. BUT.. Friends don't let friends skip leg day. So, you're welcome Sacha and Alyssa.

Anyway, we woke up at 6:30 and nobody wanted to work out(except maybe the dogs). We were all dragging around trying to get started. But, once we got going it wasn't quite so bad.

Exercise 1: Lunges

We did 3 sets of 10 walking lunges.

Exercise 2: Squat Kicks

Stand with legs farther than shoulder width apart, squat, and alternate kicking legs up.

We did 3 sets of 5 kicks per leg.

Exercise 3: Burpees

We did 3 sets of 5 Burpees.

Exercise 4: Donkey Kicks

On all fours kick one leg up multiple times, then switch legs.

We did 3 sets of 20 kicks per leg

Exercise 5: Push Ups

We did 3 sets of 10 push ups

Exercise 6: Squats

We did 3 sets of 10 regular squats.

Exercise 7: Tricep Dips

We did 3 sets of 20 tricep dips.

And that's it for leg day!!

After our workout I decided to try something new for breakfast.

Its called Banana Mugcake.

Its seriously super easy and super fast.

I loved it. It was soooo yummy!

Yall, have a good day! Eat Clean and Drink Lots of Water!!!

See ya tomorrow!

-E

Week 4 Day 3 (Abs)

We finally woke up to a pretty day again!

It almost looked like our trees were on fire. But, it was beautiful.

Today was definitely intense for us because we only had 45 minutes to do our workout. So, once we finished our run we jumped right into Ab Day!!

Exercise 1: Burpees

We did 3 sets of 5 Burpees

Exercise 2: Bicycle Crunches

Bring one elbow to opposite knee.

We did 3 sets of 20 crunches to each side.

Exercise 3: Flutter Kicks

Alternate bringing legs up and down. As you bring one up, bring the other down. We did 3 sets of 20 on each side.

Exercise 4: V-Ups

Lay flat on back, arms over head, then crunch up bringing your arms and legs up together. We did 3 sets of 10.

Exercise 5: Planks

You can choose to do them on your elbows or on your hands. Whichever way you are more comfortable with.

We did 3 sets of 1 minute planks.

Exercise 6: Partner Leg Lifts

Lay in floor, hold on to partners legs(or something sturdy) kick legs up and have them push your legs back down. Try to stop your legs from hitting the floor. We did 3 sets of 45 second leg lifts.

Exercise 7: Push Ups

We did 3 sets of 10 push ups!

Exercise 8: Russian Twists

Today we used a 10lbs weight. But, you can do it without the weight if you want to. We did 3 sets of 20 twists to each side.

And that's it! Good luck. I hope you have fun. Remember to drink lots of water throughout the day!

Oh, and check out the breakfast I had this morning:

Yummmm!! Alyssa made this homemade brown sugar cinnamon granola. I added the milk and strawberries and it was sooooo good! This is seriously the BEST cereal I've ever had. I'll have to get her to give me the recipe so I can post it on here.

Anyway, y'all have a good day! :)