Core Challenge!

So I did something very similar to this over the weekend and 5 days later my abs are STILL recovering. It reminded me of two things.

#1 - I need to workout more.
#2 - I'm a wuss.

You all should definitely try this! The moves are pretty self-explanatory, but alphabet abs can best be explained here.

How do you feel after this craziness?

Lightened Corn Casserole

For anyone who enjoys corn casseroles, you know what they entail, the fattening C's: cream, carbs, calories. I love corn casserole, but I don't love the C's. Or the dairy. Sour cream and milk are both HUGE no-no's for me, since I'm lactose intolerant. So, I decided to lighten it up and make it dairy-free.

Let me tell you, this worked marvelously. I was a little nervous because I know the cream adds a much needed fluff, however, it was still very good without it.

 

The Cast of Characters

3 eggs (1 whole, 2 whites)

Whole kernel corn

Cream corn

1/3 cup of soy milk (or other dairy-free milk)

Jiffy corn muffin mix

Instructions

1. Separate two egg whites from yolks. Add to whole egg. Mix.

2. In a medium-sized bowl mix all ingredients together. For me, it look like this.

3. Place in either 9x13 pan or 9x9 pan. If you prefer a thinner casserole, use 9x13. If you prefer a thicker casserole, use the 9x9.

4. Cook at 425 degrees until edges begin to brown. For 9x13 pan this will take about 20-30 minutes. For 9x9 pan this will take longer.

 

Look at that delicious cornbread. With hunks of corn inside. Tastes ah-mazing when topped with a smidge of honey. Corn is probably my favorite vegetable, and when baked into bread form, even better. Try it this weekend, you'll love it! I promise!

Beach Body Blast

New workout for tonight! We talked about going to California for a vacation last night and it made me think of the beach!

Bangin' Broccoli

So, I've seen a variety of these going around Pinterest recently, so I decided to try a simpler version. This was SO STINKIN' EASY! And, more importantly, SO STINKIN' DELICIOUS!

Seriously, I mean, I like broccoli, but this makes it taste so so good. Salty, sweet, and oh so good.

Let's start with the ingredients:

Cooking spray
Broccoli (frozen or fresh)
Salt
Pepper

The squirrrels are my salt and pepper shakers. I love them! My sister got them for me for Christmas. It's a long story, but, my friends and I send each other squirrel things every year. My family caught on to this and have now added to my squirrel collection. You should be jealous. They're pretty cool.

Instructions are also so stinkin' easy.

1. Spray cookie tray and spread broccoli out on tray.
2. Spray broccoli with a little extra spray and then coat in salt and pepper to taste. It should look similar to below.

3. Put in oven at 450 degrees for 15-30 minutes. Broccoli are done with ends start to blacken.
4. Pull out, allow to cool slightly, and add more salt and pepper to taste.

I found that it also reheats fairly well. My husband will not eat broccoli at all, so I couldn't finish it all at once. I popped some in the microwave later, and, voila! Utterly delicious and even easier to make.

Believe me when I say these are bangin'! I cannot wait to share them with my family. They'd be a perfect way to get kids to start eating their veggies, a great party tray to pass, delicious appetizer, and, even better, great with dinner!

So, go ahead, try them! You know you want to!

Treadmill Intervals

Recently I stepped on the scale and freaked out. I looked at the number and realized it was a solid 10 pounds higher than the day I got married. I thought to myself "What happened?!?" It hasn't even been a year!!

So, I panicked.

And I downloaded MyFitnessPal on my phone.

And I promised myself that I'd become friends with working out again.

And I started running again.

I have a love/hate relationship with running. I always feel really good after a run, but I never want to start one. And after months of ignoring the treadmill, I wasn't nearly in as good of shape as I thought. I tried my hardest to finish a 5k on it and nearly died making it in 43 minutes.

Needless to say, a plan needed to be developed. So, I put on my thinking cap and have been working on creating a series of Treadmill Interval plans. Intervals are easier for me because they give me a moment to catch my breath before picking up the pace. The one posted below definitely helped me start back up again. I'll be posting more of these throughout the week.

I hope you love this one as much as I do. This has kicked my butt, in a good way!

What do you do when you fall off the workout bandwagon and need to kick in in gear again?

Start with some soup!

I've been telling myself for a long time now that I need to start a blog so I can remember what delicious dinners my husband and I make so that we can refer back to them on the days when we can't decide what to have. I finally worked up the courage and the time to start putting this together. And, what better way to start a blog than with a soup!

I love soup. Probably more than I should. But, being lactose intolerant, my soup choices are typically fairly limited. Any time we go out to eat if I see the words "creamy" next to a soup, I know what it means. There are so few good, non-dairy soups at restaurants, so I like to create my own. This one is similar to one I found on Budget Bytes. I've adapted it a little just because we didn't have everything required.

 

Simple Spinach Tortellini Soup 

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1-1.5 cups chopped onion

2 tsps. garlic salt and/or garlic powder

1 can pasta sauce (at least 16 oz, preferably in the 20s)

1 can diced tomatoes (I prefer the no-salt added)

1-1.5 cans water (use pasta sauce after it's emptied)

1 heaping tsp. basil

1 heaping tsp. oregano

2 tsps. pepper

1 package tortellini

1 package frozen spinach  or 4 cups fresh spinach

Step-by-step instructions

1. Cut the onion into smallish pieces.

2. Put onion, olive oil, and garlic salt/powder in large pot and cook until onion lightly browns.

3. Add in pasta sauce, diced tomatoes, water, basil, oregano, and pepper. Stir together and turn heat to medium-medium/high until soup simmers (just below a full boil).

4. Add in tortellini and spinach (if frozen, no need to thaw). If using fresh spinach, you will want to cut it up into smallish pieces.

5. Cook until tortellini is tender. Add salt, if desired.

I like to top this with a bit of cheese, just enough to flavor, not enough to make my lactose-intolerance kick in. We also had a homemade whole-wheat focaccia bread with this. I'll be posting that recipe later.

Hope you all enjoy this as much as I do!