Time to Train for The 2015 Peachtree Road Race

We are in!

Team #IAmAFitGk will be participating in this year's Peactree Road Race!

I get excited for the opportunity to run the race every year. Friday night I registered and I started sending email reminders to my teammates. I kept sending reminders until I had confirmation that everyone had registered. 

Then the waiting game begins.

I don't know how many people are declined from the race each year, but it is a tense 48 hours waiting to find out if you made it in. 1st I got the credit card confirmation, which is always a good sign. Then I got my official confirmation email!

My whole team is in for Peachtree 2015! My team consists of me, my mom, my sister Alicia, and my husband Anthony. The 4 of us have been running it together the past few years, so it only made sense that we formed a team. If 1 of us didn't get in it would not feel the same. All for one and one for all!

So now that it is official I am starting to map out our training schedules. If we start next week we'll have 13 weeks until race day! 

Are you in training for the peachtree too?

Comment below, I'd love to follow along with your progress.

Check in every Saturday to see how my training is going.

Health and Happiness 

L

30 Minute Step and Sculpt Workout

I stepped out of my comfort zone today and taught a Step & Sculpt workout for my Employee Fitness class at Tech.

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I will occasionally incorporate basic step patterns into our circuits as part of our functional cardio. Step choreography has always been really intimidating for me so I kept it simple for this workout. I timed the  intervals so we didn't have to worry about staying on the beat. Everyone could go at their own pace. No rhythm required and minimal coordination needed. It was cardiotastic! 

The combination of step patterns with some muscular conditioning work was a great way to balance the workout. The circuit included a 5 minute warm-up, 20 minutes of conditioning, and 5 minutes of cool down. Each exercise lasted 30-60 seconds. We got in cardio, lower body, upper body, and core. The Plank Walk Up was our finisher move. 

The Move "Plank Walk Ups":

• From a kneeling prone position place both hands on the ground on opposite sides of the step. 
• Engage the core to create a straight line from the shoulders to the hips. 
• Lift 1 hand off the ground and press the hand up onto the step. 
• Repeat movement on the other side. Once both hands are atop the step reverse the movement and walk the hands down the step. 
• Repeat for 30-45 seconds.
• The primary position of the plank utilizes the transverse abdominus and multifidi muslces of the spine to stabilize the core; during the walking phase of the movement there is also some shoulder stabilization, horizontal abduction, and adduction utilizing the muscles of the pectoralis and anterior deltoids 

Do you use a step/box/bench during your workouts?

Have you ever tried any of these moves before?

Comment below with your step experience.

My group loves step and really enjoyed today's workout and I got to work on my step aerobics skills.

Health and Happiness

Larissa

Resources:

Green, D.J(ed) (2010). ACE’s Essentials of Exercise Science for Fitness Professionals.
           SanDiego, CA: American Council on Exercise.

Green Recipes For St.Patrick's Day

So my goal for St.Patrick's day was to incorporate green into all my meals for the day.  Green is pretty much the easiest color to add to your meals. There are so many healthy options: Broccoli, kale, asparagus, cabbage, green beans, brussel sprouts, bell peppers, avocado and so many more. Green at every meal was my challenge, challenge accepted, and completed. My success earns you 2 new recipes!

For Meal 1 I sauteed some broccoli to go with my breakfast. Have you tried broccoli with breakfast. It was very filling.

Meal 2 was a post-workout green smoothie with kale and orange juice. The orange juice really helps to cut the strong flavor of the kale.

Meal 3, not pictured, because I was hungry. Was turkey chili with broccoli mixed in and topped with guacamole.

My grand finale was Meal 4, dinner: Cabbage and Beef Skillet with Potato Cakes.

Beef and Cabbage Skillet (Gluten free and Paleo)

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I had this the other day for lunch at Whole Foods. It was so tasty I thought I would try and recreate it. What better occasion for beef and cabbage than St.Patrick's Day.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 lb 93% Lean Ground Beef
• 1/2 a head of Green Cabbage
• 4 strips bacon (Whole 365 uncurred and nitrate free is my preference)
• 1/2 clove Garlic Minced
• Pinch of Salt

Prep

You will need a sharp knife and a skillet with a lid.

• Cut cabbage in half, Then into quarters, then thinly slice and set aside. Save half for later use.
• Layer 4 slices of bacon and cut into sixths. Place in pan. Heat pan and cook bacon (for a lower fat recipe remove the bacon fat from the pan or be like me and reserve it for use later to fry the potatoe cakes).
• Add garlic to pan.
• Add ground beef to pan and brown.
• Add cabbage to pan and stir.
• Briefly raise the heat to sautee the cabbage with the meat.
• Cover pan reduce heat to low and allow cabbage to cook with the meat.

Cabbage can be eaten raw so as long as your beef and bacon is thoroughly cooked you can eat it whenever you're ready. I like a tender cabbage so I let it steam for about 20 minutes while I mashed and fried the potato cakes.

3-Ingredient Potato Pancakes (Gluten Free and Dairy Free)

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I simplified the traditional Boxty. The original recipe called for milk, butter, and flour, but I try to avoid extra flour when I can and dairy and I aren't always friendly. So I used what I had to make my own potato pancakes.

Ingredients 

• 1 1/2 lbs Red Potatoes
• 2 Whole Eggs
• Pinch of Salt
• Bacon Grease or Coconut Oil for frying

Prep
You will need a large pot to boil the potatoes, a small bowl and fork to whisk the eggs, and a large bowl and spoon to mash the potatoes (I own a metal potato masher, it makes life soooo much easier, and I find mashing potatoes very relaxing).

• Boil potatoes until tender, 20-25 minutes. Mash. Mash thoroughly while warm. The better mash you get the better blend you'll get later. Add salt. Let cool. 
• Mix 2 eggs in a separate bowl. 
• Add eggs to potatoes, mash until smooth. 
• Heat oil in pan. 
• Add potato cakes 3 at a time. Cook until crisp approximately 3 minutes per side.

This recipe makes about 11 potato cakes. We started eating before I counted them all but I think we got 11, you could make yours a little smaller and get 12.

Did you get creative in the kitchen for St. Patrick's Day?

I love trying new recipes during holiday's. Share any your favorite Green or St. Patty's Day themed recipes in the comments below.

Health and Happiness,

Larissa

What's on My Plate: Plated Mushroom and Leek Udon with Tofu and Spinach

This weekend another awesome plated box arrived. I chose a vegetarian dish and a hearty chef's table plate. I like to try recipes with ingredients I would not readily buy or recipes that just look and sound appetizing. Sunday night we tried the Udon.

All of the products straight out the box

Food prep always takes more time for me than what is listed on the recipe card. I like reading through the whole card and having everything laid out before I start. But, each time prep to plate gets easier.

My food prep station

The hardest part of prep for this one was the chopping. My knife skills are still pretty rough, but I am learning new tricks each time. A sharp knife makes chopping and mincing things like fresh ginger much easier.

The smell was amazing. The ginger and garlic was so aromatic. Mmmmm just thinking about it is making my mouth water again.

The final product

This was my 1st time cooking with tofu. I was not sure how my husband would react to a vegetarian dinner. Guess who loved every bite. That lets you know how good it was.

For us, it made way more than 2 servings. It made about 4. I am still eating from it. It was great as a dinner and made an even tastier lunch the next day.

Have you tried Plated yet? Use this link to check out their current menu and if they deliver to your area. Try Plated

If you love eating high quality food and enjoy trying new recipes you should checkout Plated. Let me know what you think.

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Disclosure: This blog includes a referral link to Plated. If you chose to buy a Plated box using this link you will receive a 2 plate discount on your first order and I receive a discount on future Plated orders.

Health and Happiness,
Larissa