Because, heavens forbid I do the same workout in a row. I might lose my mind. Or crave veggies. Or something.

Here’s what went down:

Day 1: 4 sets x 10

alternating lunges & pull-ups

step ups & pushups

seated rows & overhead presses

side raises & triceps dips

Day 2: 5 sets x 8

leg presses & lat pulldowns

deadlifts & incline chest presses

rear delt flys & biceps curls

Day 3: 3 sets x 15

walking lunges & prone dumbbell rows

stability ball squats & overhead presses

leg exts & incline pec flys

front raises & overhead triceps ext

All over the board , eh? I used to think that I had to do 10-12 exercises per workout just to get a good workout. If there is anything I have learned over the last few years it is quality over quantity.

In all of these workouts, I usually move back and forth from exercise to exercise. I love strength training, but I hate just waiting around to “rest” in between sets. I enjoy moving the entire time, but if I really need the rest I will take it.

I’m also glutton for suffering.

Not really. But I thought it sounded cool.

]]> http://www.howsweeteats.com/2010/09/08/fitness-kick-start-3-full-body-workouts/feed/ 0 http://www.howsweeteats.com/2010/09/08/fitness-kick-start-3-full-body-workouts/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/howsweeteats/smSp/~3/OnhpwWik_B4/ http://www.howsweeteats.com/2010/09/08/pumpkin-spice-breakfast-cakes/#comments Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:51:12 +0000 Jessica http://www.howsweeteats.com/?p=9150 Since it’s September, I no longer feel like I am committing a sin by using pumpkin.

Is it back on the shelves?

I wouldn’t know – I’m still using pumpkin from last year. And I’m darn proud of it.

I love these breakfast cakes for multiple reasons. First, I don’t think I’ve ever made a breakfast cake. I don’t really know what considers this a breakfast cake, but I like the name. And obviously I would love eating cake for breakfast. Who wouldn’t?

Second – individual portions. I think that speaks for itself. If I eat two ramekins of cake, I really only had two pieces of cake. Right? That’s what I thought.

Third, I made them with whole wheat flour. I don’t care if that means nothing since there is sugar, butter and a doubly sugary glaze hiding in all the cake crevices, but I like it. It makes me feel good in my bones.

Notice I only made two breakfast cakes.

“Only” is the operative word here considering there is only one person in this house that likes pumpkin. And it isn’t Mr. How Sweet.

You do the math.

(Because, seriously, I’m really bad at math.)

Individual Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Cakes

adapted from food network

makes 2

1/4 cup butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup pumpkin

1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/8 cup cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pumpkin spice

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg and mix until well combined. Add in vanilla and pumpkin. Mix dry ingredients together and add to pumpkin batter, only mixing until just combined.

Spray 2 ramekins with non-stick spray and pour batter into them. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Maple Glaze

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tablespoon maple syrup

drop of water

Mix syrup, water and sugar together to form a glaze. Depending on desired consistency, add more or less liquid.

Off to have cake for breakfast!

It doesn’t get any better.

(Unless there is bacon involved.)

Because they sure are delicious!

And don’t go getting too excited about the veggies… enchiladas are one way that I can choke them down. There is something about sauce, cheese and tortillas that makes them much more palatable.

As usual, I chose to use some La Tortilla Factory tortillas, because, well… I guess you could say I’m a La Tortilla “lady of the night.”

The best part? You can add whatever you want. Don’t ever feel pressured to follow the recipe. In fact, I never follow a recipe with enchiladas. I add whatever I have, whatever I want, and whatever I feel like at the moment.

And no, I have never added bacon to enchiladas. It just doesn’t… fit.

I know. I’m surprised too.

You can also add chicken, steak or pork to this mix, but you can find a traditional easy chicken enchilada mix in the enchilada lasagna recipe.

Enchiladas make my world go round.

This recipe is for 1-2 people (or in Mr. How Sweet’s case, 1/2 a person), but you can easily add more to create a big pan of enchiladas.  I never measure anything when I make them, so you can imagine the anxiety that writing down the recipe caused me.

If you make too much filling, pack it up, throw it in the fridge and use it for something delicious later in the week.

And by “use it for something delicious,” I really mean stand over the sink and eat it cold with a fork at midnight. It’s perfect.

Loaded Veggie Enchiladas

makes 3-4 enchiladas

4 whole wheat tortillas

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 green pepper, chopped

1/4 red pepper, chopped

1/4 sweet onion, chopped

1 medium yukon gold potato, chopped

1/4 cup chopped baby portobello mushrooms

1/4 cup chopped broccoli

1/3 cup black beans

1/4 cup refried beans

1 1/2 cups red enchilada sauce

1 cup shredded cheese (I used low-fat cheddar)

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat a skillet on medium heat and add olive oil. Add peppers, onions and potatoes, sprinkle with salt and saute until soft, about 6-8 minutes. Add in chopped mushrooms and broccoli, sauteing for another 5 minutes. Add black beans, refried beans and 3/4 cup enchilada sauce, mixing until combined and heating through.

Turn off heat and stir in 1/2 cup shredded cheese.

To assemble enchiladas, add about 1/3 cup mix into the center of a tortilla and roll tightly. Add to baking dish and repeat with tortillas and mix. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

I didn’t add meat to these, so Mr. How Sweet wouldn’t touch them with a 10-foot pole. That is my secret. If there is something I want all to myself… I just leave out the meat. More for me!

Caramelizing them was really the only thing I had in mind.

Well, that… and eating them with a pound of bacon. Don’t ask.

This parfait was totally new to me. A few weeks ago Brittany made a quinoa parfait that looked so delicious that I couldn’t get it out of my head.

Greek yogurt isn’t new to me, and neither is quinoa, but the combination of the two is. And the texture is fabulous. I wasn’t so sure about using the quinoa in a non-savory fashion, but I am so glad I did.

Speaking of new-to-me things, Mr. How Sweet caved and got a blackberry after swearing up and down for years that he never would. It’s pretty funny watching him trying to manage the thing. I prefer to call him “Gramps.”

Oh, and I didn’t make the parfait for him. Though it may have softened the blow of technology.

Not only did I love the texture of this parfait, but it offered a boatload of protein in forms that I actually enjoy, some whole grains and sweet, juicy fruit! Doesn’t get much better in my eyes.

The more my everyday food tastes like dessert, the better.

Spiced Quinoa Apple Pie Parfait

1 cup greek yogurt

1 apple, chopped

1/4 cup dry quinoa

1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine chopped apple, brown sugar, 1/4 tablespoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon salt in an oven safe dish. Roast apples until soft and caramelized, about 15-20 minutes.

Combine dry quinoa with remaining cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Cook according to directions.

When apples and quinoa have cooled (not completely, but they shouldn’t be scalding) layer in a glass with greek yogurt. If desired, mix yogurt with cinnamon and honey for topping.

Happy Labor Day!

They are one of those foods that I love trying different ways – similar to pizza crusts, chocolate chip cookies and cakes. While they are one of my favorite foods, I love trying different recipes just to see if I can find the best one.

This is our go-to recipe when we are in a pinch, or just don’t want to bother with doing something different.

In all honestly, I don’t know if these are sweet potatoes or yams, but oh well. They are orange. Orange equals sweet potatoes in my eyes.

I peel away most of the skin, because I can be picky and I want to make sure nothing is rotting deep down inside there. You can’t blame me – I have a penchant for allowing vegetables to rot in this house. It just happens.

Good thing I peeled, because the whole upper 1/4 of one was rotting away.

Then I cut them into wedges. I also scream and shout because this hurts my tiny, grubby hands.

Here comes our favorite way to season them: olive oil, salt, pepper, brown sugar and smoked paprika.

I have done the whole soaking-the-sweet-potatoes-in-water-to-release-the-starch thing, but it really makes no difference to me. I couldn’t tell one way or another. Plus, it adds on even more time to make these. While I love them, I roast them for almost 45 minutes which is a long time when you have my attention span.

The key is setting the wedges on a wire rack.

This allows the sweet potatoes to get brown and crispy on all sides.

So while I don’t soak the wedges in water first, they still come out great. Of course, they don’t taste like deep-fried sweet potato fries that you get in restaurants, but they are pretty darn good. Occasionally you may get a mushy one, but that usually depends on the size of the wedges cut. If you attempt to make them all uniform in size, that will help. It will also determine your cooking time. It’s all trial and error friends!

Sweet Potato Fries

serves 2-3

2 large sweet potatos (or yams… whatever)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Preheat oven to 425.

If desired, peel sweet potatoes. Begin cutting potatoes into wedges – I just cut them in half and continue cutting in half until I get the wedge size that I want.

Add potatoes to a bowl, and combine with olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, and brown sugar. Mix thoroughly with your hands so every wedge is covered.

Set a wire rack on a baking sheet and spray with non-stick spray. Lay wedges on the wire rack. Bake for 25 minutes, then check to see if the potatoes are close to where you’d like them. I usually rotate the pan at this time and put them back in for 15 minutes. They may also need an additional 5-10 after that.

So tell me – what is your favorite way to make sweet potato fries?