Staying on Track

Staying on track is sometimes something I struggle with - as evidenced by my lack of posts lately. The important thing to remember when you fall off track, whether it be with exercise, diets, or any part of your life is: Just because you fall off track for a bit doesn't mean you should quit all together. No one is perfect, just remember your goal and continue to work towards it until you get there.

Anyways, in keeping with the track theme, here is a great track work out I've been doing lately. Loving the warm mornings!

I run to the track which is about 3/4 of a mile from my place.

At the track: 

-20 squats

-20 pushups

-20 lunges

-400 meter sprint/fast run

Repeat 4x.

It usually takes me about 40 mins to complete and is a great workout that targets all major muscle groups.

So lucky to live so close to a track/field!

This was a delicious and quick recipe I thought I'd share. (Obviously Riley approved).

Spicy veggie dip:

1/2 packet taco seasoning

2 cups greek yogurt

I love how much greek yogurt tastes like sour cream, but is so much better for you (MUCH higher in protein, lower in fat). CM and I didnt have a snack and were craving some apps recently and this couldn't have been easier. I cut up the leftover veggies in the fridge, added some pretzels, and it was the perfect app! Also, is there ever a bad time for champagne?

Finally, I thought I'd share one of my favorite fitspirations: MD! She loves yoga and practices frequently. Can you believe she's a mom of 2?!

MDW Detox

This weekend I had one of the BEST (and possibly unhealthiest) weekends of my life.

I spent the long weekend with some amazing girlfriends on Martha's Vineyard! We enjoyed lots of snacks, beers, and back-door (late night) donuts. If I could go back I wouldn't change a minute (especially our end-of-the-trip-mudslides) but now it's time to get back on the healthy track!

I like to mix in daily exercise while I'm on vacation - mostly so I don't feel guilty about splurging. We lucked out with amazing weather on the island this weekend, so I ran each day, and we did lots of walking. We also ran a 5K, and biked a beautiful 15 miles from Oak Bluffs to Edgartown.

Pit stop on the bike ride to Edgartown.

Getting pumped up for the 5K in our USA gear

 Check out JE's gold pants!

Last night I came home to this beautiful porch, a clean condo, and a homemade dinner! So happy the days are getting warmer so we can enjoy this.

It was back on the healthy train today. Breakfast was fresh fruit with greek yogurt drizzled with honey. lunch was veggies topped with avocado and goat cheese. Although I love indulging (and could certainly go for one more Shanty Bloody Mary) it felt good to have something healthy.

Finally - one of the mottos of the weekend:

Sometimes you just need a girl's weekend.

Green & Blonde

This has nothing to do with being healthy, but a new haircut always (with few exceptions) makes me very happy. I love the way a new haircut can change the way you feel about yourself. My job requires a lot of public speaking, so a new haircut definitely helps to give me that extra confidence boost that I often need. Coco Chanel once said, "A woman who changes her hair is about to change her life." This has definitely been true for me!

I really don't know how to take a selfie...

I decided to make myself a cinnamon banana smoothie for breakfast. Smoothies have been my go-to lately. I'm usually on a pretty serious time crunch in the morning, and I love that smoothies are easy to take on the go. They're also packed with protein and nutrients. This is one of my favorites.

Cinnamon Banana "Chia" Smoothie

• One banana 
• 4-5 ice cubes 
• Cinnamon
• 2 cups almond milk (more or less depending on how thick you like it)
• Scoop of greek yogurt (about 1/4 cup)
• Handful of spinach
• Honey

In a blender add your banana, ice, almond milk, yogurt, and spinach. Blend until almost completely smooth. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon and honey, and blend until smooth. The green color used to throw me off a bit, but you cannot taste the spinach at all, and it's a great way to get some extra veggies and iron in your most important meal of the day.

Good Morning Sunshine

I used to think I'm a morning person.

I am not a morning person.

I have a girlfriend who wakes up every day before work at 5:30am for a workout. I am always inspired by her diligence and ability to stick to that routine and get a sweat session in with the sunrise. Some mornings I can motivate myself to roll out of bed and lace up my sneaks, and some mornings my comfy bed is too tempting.

This morning my snooze button beckoned, but I resisted. It turns out, I was rewarded with a beautiful morning run and a peaceful cup of coffee before a busy day.

I ended up running about 3.5 and finished on a large hill for some glute work and a good sweat.

My dinner tonight was simple, but delicious! I decided to roast some zucchini, summer squash and red onion as a side. I lined a baking sheet with tin foil and sliced the zucchini and summer squash thin. I drizzled the veggies with olive oil (we have chipotle olive oil from Boston Olive Oil Co. - So good), sliced garlic and added it to the mix, and seasoned with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. I roasted them at 425 for 15 minutes. They were tasty and had a nice kick!

I also made veggie burger paninis with avocado, cheese, and spinach. I like the Gardenburger black bean chipotle kind the best. The flavor of these really complimented the veggies. They also have 5gs of protein and only 3gs of sugar. I prepared the burgers in the microwave and in a lavash I spread dijon mustard, spinach, half of an avocado, and three small slices/chunks of sharp cheddar cheese. (I love Joseph's flax, oat bran & whole wheat square lavash. It has only 80 calories in a whole lavash, 5gs protein and no sugar, and they have a great texture). Finally, I put the wrap in a panini press for 3 minutes. So easy!

Rest Day & Arugula Pesto & Ricotta 'Za

When I was younger I didn't believe in rest days, and I actually used to go to great lengths not to take them. In fact, I got so anxious about rest days, that when my family and I were on vacation, or we would have a holiday, I would need to make sure to work time into my day to workout. Even if that meant taking time away from them. If I didn't work out, I would fixate on that fact and inevitably be in a bad mood until the next time I could work out.

Now THAT is unhealthy.

Taking rest days are essential to being fit and healthy. After a hard workout your body needs time to recuperate and re-build muscles. Even olympic athletes build rest days into their training routines so they don't run their bodies and immune systems down to the point where they can't train effectively. Rest days mean something different to everyone - For me, a rest day is a day off completely. For some, a rest day may mean doing yoga, or cardio instead of weights. The important thing is to listen to your body and not to fixate on NEEDING to exercise, but being balanced and healthy.

That being said, Monday was my rest day. I had an extremely long day at work and had to do even more work when I got home. Instead of trying to squeeze in some sprints at 8pm, I gave myself the night off and decided to cook some comfort food, too. This is another dinner inspired by Giada's Weeknight's with Giada.

Argula Pesto & Ricotta Pizza

• Store bought pizza dough
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese (she suggests smoked mozz, I went with regular part-skim mozzz)
• 2 cups arugula 
• Olive oil
• Cherry tomatoes 
• 2 cloves garlic smashed
• 1 tsp salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Pre-heat oven to 475. In a food processor combine the ricotta, garlic, and salt until smooth. Add the mozzarella and arugula mix until combined, but still chunky. Roll out the dough and drizzle with olive oil. Cook dough for 7-10mins. Remove the dough from the oven and cover it with the cheese mixture. The cheese mixture is a little difficult to spread, but the hot pizza dough helps. Top with sliced cherrie tomatoes. Cook for another 15 minutes until crust is browned and top is golden.

Pizza is one of my favorite comfort foods, and there's so many delicious combinations that are easy to make! It might not be the healthiest meal I make, but I like knowing exactly where my ingredients come from (and which I choose to use) and there's plenty of ways to incorporate veggies and healthy components that taste good (like the arugula in this recipe!)  

Broiled Tilapia with a Mustard-Chive Sauce

The post-Ireland detox continued on this beautiful Sunday night in Southie. We returned from the Emerald-Isle last Thursday night, but it's going to take me a couple weeks to clean my system of all the rich Guinness, potatoes, and creamy fish stew.

Tonights dinner was inspired by Giada's Weeknight's with Giada. I really love her as a chef - Not only is she adorable, but I appreciate the delicious Italian recipes with simple ingredients. The broiled tilapia is an easy main with lots of protein (plus the Greek-yogurt in the sauce adds even more protein!) We paired the fish with blanched asparagus with a lemon mustard sauce, and an arugula salad with pesto-gouda cheese. This was a perfect dinner for a warm Sunday night that's starting to feel like summer! We loved the zesty lemon flavors with the spice of arugula and zing of Dijon mustard.

Broiled Tilapia with Mustard-Chive Sauce

• 4 5oz tilapia filets
• Olive oil
• 1/2 cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt
• 2 tspns honey
• 1 tspn Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
• 2 tblspns chopped fresh chives

Prehear broiler. Spray baking sheet or glass baking dish. Drizzle olive oil on both sides of filets and salt and pepper. Broil for 6-8 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly. In a small bowl mix yogurt, honey, and mustard until smooth. Whisk in lemon juice and chives. Season with salt and pepper. (From Weeknight's with Giada, Giada De Laurentiis, 2012)

Blanched Asparagus with Lemon Mustard Sauce

• 1 bunch of asparagus with the ends chopped off
• Dijon mustard
• Olive oil
• 1/2 lemon
• salt and pepper

Boil a large pot of water, and add salt to raise boiling temperature. When the water comes to a boil, add asparagus and allow to boil for 2-4 minutes depending on size. You will know the asparagus are done when they are bright green in color. Remove the asparagus from the boiling water and drop them directly in ice cold water for 1 minute. Drain asparagus. In a small bowl mix equal parts olive oil and dijon mustard. Squeeze half a lemon into the mixture and whisk. Zest the lemon into the mixture and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle this on top of the asparagus.