Monthly Archives: November 2012
Coffee n’ Core
Last night was a feast! Our school had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for students as well as members of the community. (The senior citizens by far out-numbered the college kids and it was fun to see the hall so decorated and festive!) A couple of my friends from the track team and I filled our plates with everything: turkey, sweet potatoes, green beans, stuffing, and yes, pumpkin pie! We were STUFFED and ready to lay down and take a nap.
This morning, though, I was wide awake and ready to begin my core workout while the coffee brewed! I started the coffee pot and did a “warm up” of high knees, jumping jacks, and jogging in place. Then I got right down to business with squats (regular and plie) and lunges.
Some days the last thing I want to do is get my sweat on the moment I wake up. Other mornings I have a burst of energy to crank out some exercises. Just go with it! After pouring my first cup of steaming hot coffee, I decided that I didn’t want to do another circuit of ab exercises. My core routine is typically 30 of these, 20 of those, 15 of that, REPEAT x4. But today, the repitition didn’t appeal to me. So I set the timer on the microwave to challenge myself:
Instead of doing a pre-determined number of reps, I did each exercise listed above for 1 minute. The goal is to get as many reps as you can in the minute each. (I tend to go straight from one exercise to the next, but you can give yourself a “rest” time between each minute.) I won’t tell you how many of each I completed, because it’s not a competition between us. It’s a competition between you and yourself!
I will tell you that the transition between burpees to mountain climbers will kick your butt. Don’t know what I was thinking, putting those two together…
I am going to do this same workout next week and try to beat today’s “score” in one or all categories. So write down your results (unless you have a super awesome memory) and go for an improvement in 1-2 weeks. :)
Any then enjoy a perfect mug of coffee, with homemade pumpkin spice creamer if you’re feeling extra motivated today. Less than a week to Thanksgiving, let the calorie pre-burn begin!
Maple Dijon Sprouts Skillet
This is a recipe adapted from Taste of Home with healthy modifications.
First of all, if you are avoiding brussel sprouts because of their less-than-stellar reputation, you are missing out! They look just like mini cabbages and taste like broccoli stalk, if you ask me. (I just tried them for the first time over the summer.) Brussel sprouts are extremely healthy; half a cup contains almost a day’s worth of Vitamin C and a significant amount of Vitamin K. Like any green vegetable, they are low-calorie and full of fiber and nutrients. Regardless of what Franklin the Turtle says, they taste delicious :)
On to the recipe. (You might want to consider this for a Thanksgiving side dish, an alternative to green bean casserole!)
Ingredients:
4 low-fat turkey kielbasa links
1 Pkg (16oz) frozen brussel sprouts (microwave for 4 minutes first)
1/2 lb sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup fresh baby carrots, quartered
1 medium onion, chopped
3 heaping tablespoons of Dijon mustard
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp dried sage leaves
1 tsp ground pepper
*Optional: Whole grain rice, wild rice, Cous cous, or quinoa
Directions:
In large skillet, cooks sausage, carrots, onion, mushrooms, and brussel sprouts until vegetables are crisp. Add in the syrup, mustard, sage and pepper; cover and cook 4-6 minutes longer or until sprouts are tender. Meanwhile, prepare rice/couscous according to package directions. Serve with sausage mixture.
I really want to try some sort of brussel sprout dish for this Thanksgiving dinner. Which, by the way, is only 8 days away!! It would be a healthy addition to the big meal. Some “healthified” green bean casserole would be good too. Honestly I don’t know if I’ve had a green bean casserole at a Thanksgiving dinner. This traditional dish is not so traditional in our house. I do think it’s good to incorporate some sort of vegetable dish in with the meat and rolls (carbs), mashed potatoes (carbs), sweet potato casserole (carbs), and stuffing (more carbs).
What veggies make an appearance at your Thanksgiving table?
(Not) Hiking Humphrey’s Peak
Veteran’s Day also happens to be my friend Alyssa’s birthday & for her 21st, she decided to hike the tallest peak in Arizona – Mt. Humphrey’s. It reaches 12,500ft elevation, and is currently covered in fresh-fallen snow from Friday and Saturday’s storms. Of course I was excited to join her, her mom, her brother and friend on the birthday hike!
Unfortunately, we had some direction mishaps…..Map Quest and someone’s smart phone navigation didn’t match up. We were driving down a desolate dirt road that warned “Not Maintained for Passenger Vehicles.”
It was nearing 11am, and I was worried that if we didn’t get started on the 8+ mile hike soon, we would be finishing after sunset. We decided to park our car on a random dirt road, and just start walking in the direction of the largest mountain we could see, which was covered in snow and trees. It was not Mt. Humphrey’s.
It started out with a semi “trail” which disappeared after about ten minutes.
*Okay, I am a very LOGICAL person and sometimes this can work to my disadvantage. I usually go over the worst-case scenario’s in my head, and I immediately envisioned us trapped in the deep forest with no light, food, or cell phone service. As soon as we deviated from the trail and started weed-whacking trees to create our own path, a red flag went off in my mind – “How are we going to find our way back to the car without a trail to follow when everything out here looks the same?!” Luckily, the snow allowed us to make pretty noticeable foot prints. We would just have to trace our footsteps all the way back.
Reaching the summit
After almost 2.5 hours, we could see the summit of the mountain. The last stretch had been so steep, we literally grabbed onto trees and pulled ourselves up. I was so relieved to see the end in sight!
View from the top
And in honor of Veteran’s Day:
And in honor of Alyssa’s 21st Birthday:
Snow-Chilled Champagne!
“Cheers to Mt. Humphreys, where ever the hell you are!”
Time to head back down! At first, it was pretty treacherous. Because it was so steep and covered in fresh snow, we were slipping and sliding our way down for a few minutes. But the hike down was definitely quicker than the hike up! We had to track our own footprints back down, which wasn’t too difficult seeing as how we were the only people on that mountain. We never passed a single person, and thankfully no wildlife either.
We saw animal tracks and “business” and knowing deer/foxes/potentially-very-hungry-mountain-goats were near us kept me alert. (I’m picturing Meredith on the camping trip from Parent Trap right now ;) )
But it really was total wilderness, and the day brought another “first” for me…
First “Wilderness” Experience – Yellow Snow. (TMI?)
When the “trail” started to flatten out and things became familiar, I was able to breathe easy and actually enjoy the moment knowing we would not be eaten/starve/freeze to death. (Dramatic? Perhaps.) Our “exhausted” face:
We had hungry bellies and plenty of daylight to continue celebrating! Off to a Greek Grill Restaurant where Alyssa could order her first legal cocktail:
Haha too much? Just kidding :)
Definitely an unforgettable experience. Now we have to do some Google Maps research and figure out where the heck we were all day!
