Kettle Balls Plus

Workout bright and early this morning with Kettle Balls, plus a ton of sit ups and push ups, and that wasn't even boot camp. That is tomorrow morning - unless it is pouring rain - then I might just skip it. Weather forecast says 40 percent chance of rain - let's hope it is wrong! I am missing my friends at the Biggest Loser Resort. I am keeping in touch via facebook and it sounds like they are plugging away to lose more pounds quickly. I guess I am glad to be home. Yes. I am. I just have to keep my eating in line. Tomorrow I will be at a training all day so I am going to make a crockpot chicken. Here is the recipe. It sounds really good. We shall see.

1 roasting chicken
1/2 c. chicken broth
1/3 c. soy sauce
1/3 c. olive oil
1/4 c. honey
1 t. Worchester sauce
2 t. balsamic vinegar
2 t. lemon juice
1 t. sesame oil
2 T. chopped garlic
combine all ingredients, put chicken in crockpot without skin (pat dry first). Pour mixture over chicken and cook on low setting for 8 hours.

The recipe says to serve it with jasmine rice. I think I will do that and add some green beans.

Tasty Recipe...and good for you too!

Tonight Makyala is spending the night - so I thought I'd make something she would like. But, I didn't want to go overboard on my calorie intake for the day. So, I tried a new recipe. This recipe is amazing – a great recipe from the book “The Skinnygirl Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life.” It is really yummy and it even has vegetables in it! Serve it with a salad and you are set.

Zesty, Cheesy Mac and Cheese

Makes 6 servings
320calories per serving

Bake time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
• 12 ounces whole wheat mini pasta shells (these hold the cheese better than elbows)
• 1 cup soy milk
• 1 cup freshly shredded Parmesan
• 1 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup frozen butternut squash, thawed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ tsp. chili powder or a few dashes of Tabasco sauce
• 2 tablespoons whole wheat bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons reduced fat Monterey jack cheese, shredded

Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Boil pasta shells in salted water until slightly firm, according to package directions.
2. In another saucepan, combine the soymilk, Parmesan, cheddar, and butternut squash over medium heat until melted and combined. Turn off the heat. Add salt, mustard, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and chili powder or Tabasco.
3. Drain the pasta but don’t rinse it. Add it to the cheese sauce (use a large bowl if necessary) and toss to coat the pasta. Taste and add more salt or pepper, according to your taste.
4. Spray a shallow baking pan with cooking spray and put the pasta-cheese mixture in it. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and Monterey jack cheese. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Chinese Fire Drill this morning...and a recipe

My workout is at 7:15 every Tuesday, Thursday and some Fridays - but today I woke up at 7 a.m. That didn't give me enough time to even wake up - I usually get up at 6 a.m. to have some coffee and read my emails, and now do my gratitude journal, intentions and declarations. But, some how this morning I slept through not one, but two alarms! I woke up at 5:45 and thought, I have 15 more minutes of sleep - yippeee! But, I guess I ignored my two alarms. LOL! Anyway, I did make it to my workout, but I was tired and groggy - not the best way to workout. I guess I need that time to wake up in the morning. LOL That was about the excitment for the day. I did make some awesome turkey chili for dinner though.

Here is the recipe (I made it up!):
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
1 15 ounce can black beans
1 15 ounce can kidney beans
1 15 ounce can cannelli beans (white kidney beans)
1 pepper diced (I put in two peppers from my garden one purple and one green. Told you I'd find something to do with them.)
1 onion diced
About 5 cloves of garlic, chopped (I love garlic.)
1 shallot, chopped
1 T Chipolte Chili Powder
1 T Chili powder
1 t Oregano
1 t Cumin
1 t Corriander
1 t salt

I put it over 1/2 cup of brown rice and topped it with a little soy cheese.
It was pretty spicy - it need the rice to calm the spice down. Steve, loved it - it made his eyes water. So, if you don't like that much spice cut down on the Chili powder. Enjoy!!! Delish! - as Racheal Ray would say!

New Baby and Really good Chili Recipe

Sometimes there just isn't enough time in the day - no workout today. I planned to go to the gym to do cardio and yoga, but now I am babysitting one grandchild, while another is born. Baby Swartz number three is on the way!! :)As I type... Thank goodness I started this chili earlier today....more tomorrow. Boy? Girl?

Here is a really good Turkey Chili Recipe courtesy of Jillian Micheals:

Black Bean Turkey Chili
Ingredients

1 pounds turkey, ground
1 cup(s) onion(s), coarsely chopped
1 pepper(s), red, bell, seeded & cut into 1/4-inch cubes
2 clove(s) garlic, minced
2 pepper(s), jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin, ground
1 1/2 teaspoon coriander, ground
1/2 tablespoon oregano, dried
1/2 teaspoon marjoram, dried
1/4 teaspoon pepper, red flakes
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
16 ounce(s) tomatoes, whole, canned, undrained & coarsely chopped
16 ounce(s) beans, black, rinsed and well drained
1/4 cup(s) cilantro, fresh, chopped
4 tablespoon cheese, cheddar, shredded
Preparation

In a 3-quart saucepan, combine turkey, onion, red pepper, garlic, jalapeño pepper, chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, marjoram, red pepper flakes and cinnamon. Cook mixture over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until turkey is no longer pink.

Stir in tomatoes and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.

Stir in beans and cilantro. Continue cooking for an additional 15 minutes.

Serve topped with Cheddar cheese.