skinny "fatkids"

We have moved!!!

noreply@blogger.com (monika) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 17:52:00 +0000

Skinny Fatkids is now at Fit Foodies. Healthy Life. Please visit us there :))

eating clean or working out?

noreply@blogger.com (monika) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:37:00 +0000

So this post got me thinking today because I think starting or re-starting is the hardest part of leading a healthy lifestyle. I cannot lie, during the last few weeks with finals I did not eat 100% clean and I could count on one hand the number of times I went to the gym. When I get stressed clean eating and the gym are the first priority to get the boot. I did so great with it in May during finals that I thought I would keep it up this semester but I #failed. So now I have to re-start with eating clean again and going to the gym regularly. I know some people find either eating clean or working out easy to commit to and the other is harder for them. For me, I have to commit to both and do them both or the other one suffers. If I don't eat healthy then I don't see any point in going to the gym because I am eating crap food anyway. But if I go to the gym I don't want to ruin it by coming home and eating something unhealthy. While I am going to get back on the wagon this week (because quite frankly I have no excuse not to), I won't be re-starting the 12 Week Trainer until after we get back from vacation. We are spending the holidays back east with the Fatkid's family and I can't wait.

I am hoping that a few of you will also be re-starting it as a way to re-boot after the holiday and start the new year off fresh. I promise I will not fall off the face of the Earth next semester and am already putting together some personal goals to ensure I keep everything in my life I enjoy even when it gets busy. I am also going to share them for that extra bit of accountability. One of those includes finally finishing the other website. I was doing it myself so when I got busy with school it got put on hold.

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend and are looking forward to the holiday season with your families!

Which do you find easier to commit to? Eating clean or working out?

monika

Jamie Eason and Bodybuilding.com Give Away

noreply@blogger.com (monika) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:50:00 +0000

So I am finally back. I will write a post about what I have been doing this last month tonight or tomorrow but I wanted to get this give-away started asap.

Bodybuilding.com was amazing and sent me two of these Jamie Eason Combo Stacks (one as a gift for me to try and one for me to share with my readers).

Here is the deal. In order to win the Combo Stack all you have to do it "Like" Bodybuilding.com and Jamie Eason on Facebook. Then post your favorite motivational picture or quote on the "Skinny Fatkids". Super easy! I am going to run this contest for one week so it will close on Monday November 7th at midnight.

Because this last month was so crazy I wasn't able to go from Phase 2 to 3 so I am starting over at Phase 2 (Day 29) today. I really want to get the effect of going straight through from 2 to 3.

Hope everyone is doing great!! Be sure to share this contest with your friends :))

Fit Kids Club Give Away!

noreply@blogger.com (monika) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 18:44:00 +0000

One of my readers, Melissa Hacker, asked me about doing a give away to help bring awareness to Childhood Obesity Month. Even though I am not a mother I have a younger brother who recently began a healthy eating (mostly - he is a 16 year old boy) and regular exercise routine.

This is some information I borrowed from Cindy because she did such a fantastic job with her give-away:

1 out of every 3 American kids are overweight or obese. President Obama declared September as Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. As a community we need to do what we can to educate not only our children, but anyone who is not sure where to start with healthy eating and exercise habits.

Eating patterns and physical activity are two key components to a healthy childhood and life.

Fun Exercise for Kids

Fit Kids Club Kids Workout Video

Emerald Beachbody Coach Melissa is on a mission to combat the obesity epidemic. She would like to introduce you and your kids to Fit Kids Club, produced by Beachbody and led by renowned fitness instructor, Shaun T.

Exercise for kids has to be fun, entertaining, and not too complicated or kids won’t do it. That is where Fit Kids Club comes into play. Shaun T makes exercise fun with a home workout video for kids that incorporates music, dance moves, and lots of fun. Kids think they are at a dance party, not a workout class! The kids workout video contains two 25-minute workouts for kids ages 7 and up.

Fit Kids Club Video Clip

Questions on where to start?

Coach Melissa invites you to "Like" her Facebook Page "Melissa Hacker ~ youJUSTincredible" and ask her any questions you have on getting you and your family a healthy start.

Win Fit Kids Club Video & Water Bottle
In honor of Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, Coach Melissa is offering one lucky winner their own copy of Fit Kids Club video and a water bottle. ($25+ value)

Buy Fit Kids Club Video

You can buy Fit Kids Club video on the Beachbody website for $19.95.

To enter this contest either leave a comment on this post below with your name. Or leave a comment here by September 31st at Midnight. Winner will be announced on Monday October 3.

Important Links to This Contest: Skinny "Fatkids"on Facebook, Skinny "Fatkids" on Twitter | Beachbody Website | Melissa Hacker ~ youJUSTincredible on Facebook

Have a Great Saturday!!

finding a balance

noreply@blogger.com (monika) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 00:58:00 +0000

So now that school has started, this is what my schedule looks like this week starting with Monday:

Ugh - I am exhausted just looking at it. I worked really hard last semester to get a set schedule and stick to it for school and the gym and make time for my friends and family. This semester I am having a really hard time figuring out a good balance for everything. I feel like although I am caught up on everything with school, I can't seem to get ahead. And stuff around the house seems like it is never ending. I have so many additional meetings for student orgs, networking, etc. that I don't have as much time for my friends, and if I do have time then I feel guilty like I should be working on school stuff. I am hoping to figure this out sooner rather than later because it is taking a toll on me :( . I'm doing good sticking the the 12 Week Trainer though, mostly because the workouts only take me 45 minutes...which makes me a little worried about when they get longer next week.

Sorry for the ramble. I originally set out to write a post about making sure you find a balance between your goals and the world around you. I went to lunch with one of my good friends last week and she mentioned how I always seemed to have a balance between being healthy without taking it to an extreme. I think a lot of times people who are trying to change their habits feel like they can't do it and still hang out in the same social settings or indulge every once in a while.

This is just me personally, but there are always going to be times when I just don't choose to be super healthy: some days I really need a glass of wine, or two...when the Fatkid and I go to dinner I will be having steak or something of the like and when I do HH with my law school buddies at the local brewery I do not pass up the seasonal brew. That's simply my decision, I don't want to limit myself completely and I prefer not to take things to extremes. For me, my indulgences are savory foods, like steak or a cheeseburger and wine or beer. And I don't ever feel guilty when I have those because I know it's not a regular thing and honestly everyone needs a break every once in a while. I'm not saying this works for everyone, but I think it works for me because it's my choice to make healthier decisions over all as opposed to limiting what I can and cannot have. It's how I have managed to keep my healthy habits over a longer period of time without feeling restricted.

Just some food for thought :)

Have a great night!

clean chicken cacciatore

noreply@blogger.com (monika) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 13:33:00 +0000

I wrote this yesterday but I wanted to wait so I didn't take away from the tribute that yesterday should represent.

Sooo...

Yay for the Jets!!

The Fatkid is from New York and because I love him I love the Jets too. I have always been a fan of football but liked college better. When we started dating I adopted the Jets and then watching Rex Ryan on Hard Knocks last year just sealed the deal for me. Today's game was sooooo good and they made an incredible comeback.

Now.....on to food:

The Fatkid is obsessed with these individual meatloaves so he asked for them this week.

I also tried Jamie Eason's marinade of 1 tbsp dijon mustard and 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar with chicken and grilled it.

And for myself for lunch I did my turkey chili, with black beans and brown rice (added after).

I made my favorite kale chips - drizzle with olive oil and pepper on a baking sheet and pop in the oven for 5 minutes or so.

I cooked green beans and brown rice.

I took a cue from my friend Brittany and her idea for sweet potato chips.

Mixed berry-banana protein bars adapted from Jamie Eason.

And I tried this chicken cacciatore recipe because John wanted something for pasta.

Made in the slow cooker:

Ingredients:

Homemade marinara sauce.

1/2 onion diced

3 cloves garlic minced

carrots, mushroom, celery - however much you want. I did about 3/4 cup of each.

2 large chicken breasts - you are supposed to use thighs but I didn't have any.

Directions:

Pour 1/2 sauce into pan and put in veggies.

Put in chicken and cover with remaining sauce.

Cook for 3 hours on high (or until chicken is cooked through) or 8 hours on low.

Put over pasta or eat by itself.

I did all this while watching the Jets game - so glad Sunday football is back.

Today is the start of Week Four so I'm off to do legs!

Happy Monday :)

never forget 9/11/01

noreply@blogger.com (monika) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 04:05:00 +0000

First, please take a moment to say a prayer for everyone affected ten years ago by the horrifying events of September 11th, 2001. There are no words to express how my heart goes out to those who lost their lives, their loves ones, and those who continue to protect our country. Thank you.

I had another post after this but I am going to wait until tomorrow for it.

Goodnight.

easy migas

noreply@blogger.com (monika) — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 17:52:00 +0000

So Week Three of the 12 Week Trainer is almost over and I liked the back/bicep and leg workouts below the best. I am still feeling the bicep one two days later and my legs felt good and sore this morning. Side note - guys can do this trainer too, and in fact I know quite a few who are really liking it.

BACK/BICEPS

Hammer Strength Lat Pull
3 sets of 10 reps
Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown
3 sets of 10 reps
Alternate Option:
Pullup
Seated Narrow Grip Cable Rows
3 sets of 10 reps
T-Bar Row
3 sets of 10 reps
Alternate Option:
Bent-Over Barbell Row
Back Extensions
3 sets of 10 reps
Barbell Curl
3 sets of 10 reps
Incline Dumbbell Curl
3 sets of 10 reps
Alternate Hammer Curl
3 sets of 10 reps

LEGS

Leg Extensions
3 sets of 10 reps
Wide Stance Barbell Squat
3 sets of 10 reps
Walking Barbell Lunge
3 sets of 10 reps
Single-Leg Barbell Deadlift (shown with kettlebell)
3 sets of 10 reps
Lying Leg Curls
3 sets of 10 reps
Seated Calf Raise
3 sets of 10 reps
Standing Calf Raises
3 sets of 10 reps

This is a little random but I have been searching for Spike which was my favorite seasoning growing up for literally months.

I finally found it at the store the other day and so I made one of my childhood favorites for breakfast this morning. It's called Migas and it is super easy to make. You can add any type of veggies and salsa you want but I kept mine plain and simple like I used to have it as a kid.

Ingredients:

2 small corn tortillas - torn into inch pieces

1 whole egg and 2 egg whites

fat free cheese

assorted veggies/salsa

Directions:

Heat a pan with your choice of oil and once it is warm put the tortillas in.

Whisk egg and whites together.

Cook tortillas until they start to crisp.

*If you are adding veggies do it here.

Pour in eggs and scramble.

Top with cheese, salsa - whatever you want.

I used Spike because that's the whole reason I made it.

This was perfect after leg day.

Have a wonderful Saturday!

kung pao chicken and a new leg workout

noreply@blogger.com (monika) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:48:00 +0000

Oh my god, my legs are killing me. Today was Day One of Week Three for Jamie Eason's 12 Week Trainer and I am definitely going to feel it for a while.

LEGS

Leg Extensions
3 sets of 10 reps
Wide Stance Barbell Squat
3 sets of 10 reps
Walking Barbell Lunge
3 sets of 10 reps
Single-Leg Barbell Deadlift (shown with kettlebell)
3 sets of 10 reps
Lying Leg Curls
3 sets of 10 reps
Seated Calf Raise
3 sets of 10 reps
Standing Calf Raises
3 sets of 10 reps

Also, yesterday the Fatkid complained I haven't been trying new recipes, so I did. And it was so spicy (to him because he's a baby) that he drank 1/2 a gallon of milk with dinner...oops! But I loved it and the spice is easily adjustable. I adapted this recipe for Kung Pao Chicken from the August/September issue of Clean Eating because I didn't want to buy the obscure ingredients. It was super easy and I have enough for two leftover meals. I used 8 chiles which was the perfect about of spice for me but it was definitely up there. I would maybe start out with 4 if you're not sure or even 2 if you are not big on spicy foods.

Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice

Chicken:

12 oz of boneless skinless chicken, diced

1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1 tsp Japanese rice wine.

Sauce:

2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

2 tbsp water

1tsp agave nectar

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Additional:

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

6-10 dried red chilis, cut half and seeded - I used 8 chile de arbol

**Make sure you wear gloves while handling chiles or be very, very careful and immediately wash your hands to get the oil off. I did this and a few of my fingers still burned a little for about an hour.

1 large red bell pepper, diced

1/2 large onion, diced

6 cloves of garlic, sliced thin

1 inch of ginger peeled and sliced thin

Directions:

Put on rice to cook.

Soak chicken in soy sauce and rice vinegar.

Mix together sauce and set aside.

Pour sesame oil into a pan and heat up chiles for about 2 minutes.

Pour in chicken and spread around the pan to cook evenly for 2 minutes.

Mix in remaining ingredients and cook until chicken is done and veggies are at desired texture.

Pour in sauce and reduce for about a minute.

Serve over rice.

Nutrients from Clean Eating for 3/4 cup cooked rice and 1 cup of chicken mixture:

Calories: 410

Fat: 9g

Carbs: 51g - just reduce the rice to get this lower which is what I did.

Sugars: 6g

Protein: 27g

Happy Wednesday!!

slow and steady

noreply@blogger.com (monika) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 21:45:00 +0000

The Fatkid has asked me pretty much every day since I started the LiveFit program why I am not doing cardio. He cannot wrap his head around it. Today on her page Jamie Eason gave a great answer to this and explained it better than I could, I just keep telling him it's progressive and he still does get it. She said, "I have traveled a ton from last year to this year & my muscle really atrophied, which naturally increased my body fat to muscle ratio. I decided to start at the 1st phase to get the most gains. I could, however, have started at phase 2 if I wasn't too atrophied & if I was doing a shoot & still had good muscle tone, I'd jump into phase 3 to really lean out quickly. If you jump into phase 3 w/o taking time to build muscle, you will end up more skinny than toned & defined. I've made that mistake."

This explain perfectly why you want to go through phases and why you cannot just jump into Phase 3.

Me and Kate woke up early today and back and bis before school.

The Workout:

BACK/BICEPS:

Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown
3 sets of 12 reps
1 min rest

One-Arm Dumbbell Row

3 sets of 12 reps
1 min rest

Seated Cable Rows

3 sets of 12 reps
1 min

Underhand Cable Pulldowns

3 sets of 12 reps
1 min rest

Dumbbell Alternate Bicep Curl

3 sets of 12 reps
1 min rest

One Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curl

3 sets of 12 reps
1 min rest

Standing Biceps Cable Curl

3 sets of 12 reps
1 min rest

Phase Two of the trainer is also up and I am excited to add some more stuff back in.

-monika

gratitude

noreply@blogger.com (monika) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:11:00 +0000

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the other." - Cicero

I just want to take a minute and remind everyone to be grateful for what they have in life, when you start to complain about not having the next best thing, or that you don't have the "perfect" legs, arms or whatever....remember there are people out there struggling to find jobs, feed their families, fighting diseases like cancer, re-learning how to do daily things with one arm or leg, and so many more challenges I can't even list them all. Take a minute each day to be grateful for your health and that of your loved ones and to say a prayer for those going through something you couldn't even imagine.

Sorry for the sappiness but I needed a little reminder myself this morning.

Happy Wednesday!! :)

a treat for me!

noreply@blogger.com (monika) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 01:53:00 +0000

A little treat for myself this week. I was in desperate need of a new gym bag (mine completely ripped) and this super cute one was 20% off at Sport's Authority when I went. So excited!! It just makes me happy looking at it :) which is always a plus when you are having a hard time getting to the gym.

Inside pockets - so cute!!

Ok, now that my raving is over...

I am having a hard time getting into a new schedule with school and everything I'm involved in this semester. I am hoping by next week I will have it down because I am struggling right now. And obviously I am hoping to have a scheduled blog time like I did during the school year last year and I need to finish transferring all my posts to the new site - yikes!

Today was Day Two, Week Two of Jamie Eason's Plan and we did chest/triceps. I modify this a little bit by taking out the flys and adding a reverse grip cable pull down.

CHEST/TRICEPS:

Pushups (Wide Hand Position)
3 sets of 12 reps
1 min rest
Dumbbell Bench Press
3 sets of 12 reps
1 min rest
Flat Bench Cable Flyes
3 sets of 12 reps
1 min rest
Pushups (Close Hand Position) standard or on knees
3 sets of 12 reps
1 min rest
Standing Dumbbell Triceps Extension
3 sets of 12 reps
1 min rest
Triceps Pushdown
3 sets of 12 reps
1 min rest

My friend Kate says this one is her favorite. I'm a pretty big fan myself. Hopefully everyone doing it is feeling good as well.

Happy Tuesday!! :)

Week Two of LiveFit

noreply@blogger.com (monika) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 00:59:00 +0000

So tomorrow starts week two of Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainer. I have to say it's a little weird to only lift for 45 minutes and I'm a little antsy about it but I keep telling myself it is only a few weeks and then it picks up. I am not that creative for food this week because I had a jam packed weekend with school stuff and celebrated my mom's birthday too. It is also the Fatkid's mom's birthday as well - kind of cool they have the same one. This week I am doing pretty much the same food as last week - you can find it here. I will still show you guys my cooler each day in case I incorporate something new.

Hope everyone is ready for the week!!

breakfast and cooler for the day

noreply@blogger.com (monika) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 15:30:00 +0000

So there is no way I will be able to eat 5 eggs whites every morning. I just don't like them that much....instead today I did a protein shake with:

1 scoop protein

1 tbsp flaxseed

1/3 cup oatmeal

1/2 banana

1/2 cup almond milk

1/2 cup crushed ice

cinnamon

And my cooler for today:

M2: slow cooker chicken/onions with tomato and avocado
M3: turkey chili with black beans and brown rice
M4: same as 2
Lots of veggies for the day!

Hope everyone is doing great on the Jamie Eason plan!! Today is legs again for me and we all know I'm excited about that.

Happy Thursday!
Monika

Day One - Jamie Eason's 12 Week Trainer

noreply@blogger.com (monika) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 04:15:00 +0000

So, as I mentioned yesterday I am dong Jamie Eason's 12 week trainer and started today. Because I want to add an extra leg day I am duplicating the leg workout (Day 3) at the beginning of my week which means I did it today. I liked it, it was super quick and efficient.

Then I made meals for the week.

Under the tummy treats tab find the recipes for my slow-cooker chicken, turkey chili and berry protein bars. I also made Jamie's turkey meatloaf muffins, lemon chicken (chicken with lemon juice and seasoning, baked) brown rice and hard boiled eggs. I only took a few pics - sorry they are not awesome...it was way past dark by the time I was done.

Turkey chili with black beans.

Meatloaf muffins

I am planning on doing the following for meals this week:

M1: 5 egg whites, veggies, oatmeal or protein pancake (under tummy treats)

M2: Greek yogurt with flaxseed and strawberries

M3: Turkey chili with black beans and veggies or turkey meatloaf muffins with veggies

M4: Protein bar (1 serving) or shake

M5: Chicken, steak, tilapia with brown rice and veggies

M6: Egg whites or casein protein shake

I'm off to read for school -

Hope you all had a great Monday!

cheat meals and vacations

noreply@blogger.com (monika) — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 20:13:00 +0000

Hi everyone!! Sorry it has been a while since I posted on here. I was going through finals for summer school and then I went on a trip to Napa to celebrate on of my best friends who is getting married in six weeks. Below is a picture of our gorgeous scenery on the trip.

It was a great girls trip but then I had to get right back into my fall semester for school. It is my second year of law school and I cannot believe how fast the last year went.

I have a whole list of topics that I have been asked about and I think that this one is perfect right before starting a new plan. I get a lot of questions about cheat meals and how to stay on track when I am on vacation - like I was last week. Remember this is just my opinion and some of you may not necessarily agree but I'm only human :)

There are lots of articles out there both for and against "cheat" meals - keep in mind this is not the same as a re-feed which is what competitors often do when they carb cycle. I don't do either - I think carb cycling is too much work since I don't compete and I don't like to schedule cheat meals because I just don't see the point. That's not to say I never treat myself to foods that wouldn't be considered "clean" and that I don't ever have those moments where you just lose all willpower and break down. I just don't like to schedule them. I would rather treat myself if we go to one of our favorite restaurants and have something I might normally not have - like a cheeseburger (but I'm talking a 5 star one, not from McDonald's) and a glass of wine or two. And you can bet that when we were in Napa, I was not concerned with making sure I put a limit on what I had when we were celebrating and going to fantastic wine tastings. For me, it's just moments like that I would rather not worry about it, as opposed to one set "cheat" meal I plan for every week.

And - I still have my days of complete failure - this was during finals a few weeks ago. I finished my first final and went to the store with a mission. I was having pizza, apple tarts and wine. None of which are things I eat on a regular basis and you can bet I regretted my decision later. That's what stress does to me and sometimes it just happens.

And yes, even in the middle of my breakdown I took a picture because in the interest of honesty I knew I would share this set-back with you guys. Even if just to show that everyone has them, and then you put it behind you and move on. The Fatkid died laughing when he came home and saw this, and me just run down from studying and school. It happens.

So on that note....I am starting Jamie Eason's 12 Week Trainer from Bodybuilding.com tomorrow. You can find it here and it has meal plans and workouts to follow.

I figured it was perfect with school starting, that way I don't have to think about what I'm doing each week - it's already done for me. I am adding one extra leg day in each week, probably at the very beginning of the week because I just can't give up two days of legs. I'm hoping to get all my food prepped later today and I will post pics after. I am probably just going to make slow-cooker chicken, turkey muffins and hard boiled eggs to start. The hardest part of this program is the limited fruit - I may have to sneak in 1/2 an apple anyway.

I hope that each of you who is also doing this will stick with it for the full 12 weeks - I think you may be surprised how much of a change you can see if you really commit to it.

Enjoy your Sunday!!

-monika

chicken with fresh peaches

noreply@blogger.com (monika) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 03:51:00 +0000

When I asked my Facebook readers what ingredient they would most like to see a new recipe with the overwhelming choice was chicken - no big surprise. But one reader also suggested peaches - which are in season right now and I was excited to do something with them after my success with the chicken in grape glaze. It was pretty easy but took a little longer than some of my recipes.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts cooked - I browned mine in a tablespoon of olive oil on a skillet and then cubed it.

2 ripe peaches - chopped

1/2 onion chopped fine

1 garlic clove minced

1/2 cup chicken stock (low-sodium)

a pinch of salt and a few shakes of pepper and basil

Directions:

1. Cook chicken and set aside. Because I cooked the chicken in a skillet I used the same one to make the sauce.

2. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil.

3. Add peaches, onion and garlic and simmer until peaches are soft and sauce has thickened.

4. Add salt, pepper, basil at end.

5. Pour over chicken.

I will post nutrition in the AM but right now it is time for QT with the Fatkid.

Have a great night!

planning for the week

noreply@blogger.com (monika) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 19:14:00 +0000

So I was asked to write a post on how I get organized in the kitchen. I don't really have any secrets but here are the steps I have found work well for me. This is the process my kitchen goes through :/

1. Decide what I am going to cook before I go to store.

On grocery day (usually Sunday) I will ask the Fatkid what he wants for lunches and a few dinners to make sure we have enough (turkey, chicken, onions, etc.) or see if it needs to go on my list.

2. Check the essentials - these are things that are always in my fridge/pantry and that I from Costco - I freeze the meat and we go through everything else fast enough usually.

Onions
Tomatos
Garlic, peeled and frozen
Lemons
Ground turkey
Frozen chicken breast
Frozen tilapia - plain
Steak
Eggs
Non-fat milk
Unsweetened, unflavored almond milk
Non-fat greek yogurt
Berries
Bananas
Apples
Bell Peppers
Asparagus or broccoli
Almonds - plain (huge bag lasts forever!!)
Walnuts - plain

3. I usually get things like kale and spinach from the regular store, also any special fruits and veggies he wants like eggplant or oranges.

4. I always wash the fruit and cut it right when I get home, I also wash and cut enough veggies for me for the next few days. I also portion out the steak and individually wrap it (usually 5-6 oz for me and 8-10 for him) that way I can pull it out the morning I want to make it.

5. On Sunday nights I will normally make three to four things. I always make my slow cooker chicken and something with ground turkey - whatever the Fatkid wants. I will make another chicken dish for him to grab if he needs extra.

6. I plan what I am making when based on my week. I usually have two late nights (Tues/Thurs) so I will make sure whatever I make for dinner on Mon/Wed I make extra so we have left overs.

That's about it - it takes some time on the front end and usually it is my whole Sunday afternoon but then it's pretty much done for the week.

Hope this helps!

coffee protein latte

noreply@blogger.com (monika) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 16:44:00 +0000

So I saw this idea on a forum board a few weeks ago and then two readers reminded me of it on our facebook and today was the perfect day to try it out. I am in law journal training all day and I was rushing to get out of the house this morning so I made a coffee, protein latte.

1 scoop protein powder

1 iced brew of Caribou on my Keurig (about 1/4-1/2 cup)
1/2 cup crushed ice
splash of almond milk
dash of cinnamon

This turned out much frothier than usual making it just like a blended latte, as opposed to a "shake".

And my cooler for today:

Apple with almonds
Chicken, avocado, bell peppers, tomato
2 banana nut protein muffins
Leftover steak, asparagus, kale, yam

Hope everyone else enjoys their Saturday in more relaxing ways than I am :)

Guest Post on GalTime!

noreply@blogger.com (monika) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 19:09:00 +0000

I was asked by a friend of mine to do a guest post on GalTime. I tried to follow what you all said you would like to see and modified a post I had done on here a while back. Check out the post here and let me know what you think. I am off to study today so here is my cooler:

M3: Stuffed chicken, sweet potato, tomato, peppers, kale, avocado
M4: 1 banana nut protein muffin, 1/2 apple, almonds
M5: Hake, sweet potato, mixed veggies, kale, avocado, tomato

Have a great day!!

Monika

jelly legs

noreply@blogger.com (monika) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 00:03:00 +0000

Today's leg routine was curtesy of Fitness Model Vanessa Tib who posted what James Wilson (Jamie Eason's friend and an admin on her page) sent her. You can find it here with my modifications in ( ), I did the quad one. I was dying during the wide/narrow squat super set. Then I did a short circuit from BodyRockTV: dead man burpees, dive bombers, prisoner get ups. 30 seconds of each with 10 second in between - 3x. Then I did some HIIT on the treadmill, incline of 2.0. I did 20 minutes walking (3.0) and a minute jogging (6.8/7.0) for 12 minutes and then 2.8 at an incline of 15 for 8 minutes. My legs were dying but in a good way. Now I am just waiting for class and then date night with the Fatkid :) thought this lovely quote from my Yogi tea was perfect for today.

You only give when you love.

-monika

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a week's worth of food

noreply@blogger.com (monika) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 00:06:00 +0000

I have written before about how I like to prep out food for the week on Sundays and that was definitely my day yesterday - mixed with lots of studying. I knew the Fatkid was getting home around 8 so I wanted to be mostly done with cooking by then. But that never happens and I wasn't done until around 9:30 - hence the next day post. Sorry :)

Before I get to food I had to share this picture of our bug Tyson - he is the cutest thing ever and John felt bad he stepped on him so he let him lick his Coldstone container.

So - yesterday I made all of the following:

Stuffed chicken with: spinach, onion, mushroom, 1/2 piece Laughing Cow Lite cheese. Topped with pepper and no salt added mixed seasoning. Find the original recipe here.

Slow cooker chicken. Recipe here.

Baked Kale - wash, put on a large baking sheet, sprinkle olive oil salt and pepper and pop in the oven with whatever else you are cooking until it crisps.

Bake hake with dressing from Rob Riches. I used 5 cloves garlic, juice and pulp from one lemon, juice from one lime, black pepper, cayenne pepper, no salt added mixed seasoning. Mixed in a processor and poured over hake before I baked it. WARNING - this is very garlic-y if you pour it on instead of using like a marinade like he suggests. I wanted it that way to cut the Hake flavor.

Sauteed veggies.

Banana nut protein muffins. I used this recipe but added in one chopped banana and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and used banana baby food instead of the blueberries/mixed berry baby food.

I also cut up fruit, and cooked some hard boiled eggs and quinoa.

Then I packed it into our fridge which now looks like this:

And thanks to all my cooking yesterday I had a perfect cooler for school today :) this is meals 2-5.

Apple with walnuts
Baked chicken with sweet potato, tomato, cucumber, kale
Banana nut muffins
Hake with sauteed veggies, kale and peppers.

Also, don't forget I am doing the 100/200/200/200 challenge starting today. If you want to join check out my note on it here. The more the merrier :) once I do it tonight I will let you guys know how it goes.

Hope you all are starting your week out great!

-Monika

dinner for one

noreply@blogger.com (monika) — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 03:03:00 +0000

I am solo for dinner tonight :( the Fatkid went to see his new baby niece and I have to study for my summer school finals so I stayed home with Havoc and Tyson (he took Emma). Trying to make the best of being along, I made something I wanted to make for myself before I made for the Fatkid, for the sole reason that he is picky. Especially when it comes to fish. He can't even smell it - which is why I basically only cook tilapia and usually it is hidden in something (stuffed peppers). I made a clean fried tilapia tonight and I think it will pass his test when he gets home. It took me 10 minutes from start to finish.

Ingredients:

1 tilapia filet, 5oz (I buy them individually frozen and vacuum sealed from Costco) defrosted

1 tbsp non fat greek yogurt

2 tbsp almond meal --> note this is the coarsely ground bulk almond meal from Whole Foods, not the flour-like almond meal. (pictured below)

seasoning of your choice - I used:

one lime, chili powder, garlic powder

Directions:

Heat a non-stick pan over medium on the stove.

Whisk together the greek yogurt with your seasonings, I used the juice of 1/2 a lime, 1 shake of garlic. powder and a few shakes of chili powder.

Pour onto a plate.

Pour almond meal onto a separate plate.

Coat the tilapia on both sides by laying it on the greek yogurt.

Do the same with tilapia in the almond meal.

Put into pan and cook for a few minutes on each side until the tilapia is flaky.

I think topped both my fish and my sauteed veggies with the juice from the other half of the lime.

The fish has:

226 calories

4g carbs

10g fat

33g protein

Pretty good for a ten minute meal :) now I am going to put some baked goods in the oven which hopefully I can share with you tomorrow and study for the rest of the night.

an unusual breakfast

noreply@blogger.com (monika) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 19:44:00 +0000

I cannot take credit for this new breakfast idea. I got it from Ashley at the edible perspective and had to try it. I cooked my quinoa with 1 cup water and 1 cup unsweetened almond milk and then let it cool for a few minutes. Topped with greek yogurt, cinnamon and a fresh plum - yum!! I have to admit it is a lot like eating oatmeal, just thicker and with a nuttier flavor. I did enjoy it though. It's also extremely filling, more so than oatmeal I think.

The nutritional value is pretty impressive too!

In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%). Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), and like oats, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it a complete protein source, unusual among plant foods.^[12] It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. (found here)

So next time you are going to make your regular old oatmeal try some quinoa instead. You might just have a new favorite!

breakfast for dinner

noreply@blogger.com (monika) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 03:51:00 +0000

Now that I am in summer school I don't get home until 8:30 every night so I try to eat before class at 6. But, some nights I can't or I'm still hungry for more than a shake when I get home. Tonight I only had a snack before class so I came home and made a scramble with one turkey meatloaf muffin, 3 egg whites and one egg. Because the muffins already have onions, garlic, etc. in them I only had to top with hot sauce and I was done! I tossed the "muffin" in the pan first to break it up and make sure it was warm and then poured the beaten egg mixture on top.

I have mentioned before how much I love Arizona Gunslinger Hot Sauce, it is made with all natural ingredients and has zero calories and low sodium. Usually we get the traditional Red Jalapeno but this last time I got Chipotle Habanero - amazing!!

I also wanted to share some exciting news that I finally decided on a new domain name. I have been mulling over one for a few weeks but something about it wasn't quite right. I had a few more ideas today and settled on one. And bought it!! Wahoo!! I'm hoping to have it up and running in the next few weeks so I hope you guys like it. :)

Another thing I did today was start this challenge which I put on my page in case anyone wants to join!! I think it will be a lot of fun to see if I can do the 100/200/200/200 in three weeks.

Have you all been trying any of the recipes? If you do I would love to hear how they are turning out :) comments make me happy!

Have a great night and be excited for Friday's breakfast - it's gonna be a good one!

skinny "fatkids"

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finding a balance

clean chicken cacciatore

never forget 9/11/01

easy migas

BACK/BICEPS

LEGS

kung pao chicken and a new leg workout

LEGS

slow and steady

The Workout:

BACK/BICEPS:

gratitude

a treat for me!

CHEST/TRICEPS:

Pushups (Close Hand Position) standard or on knees

Week Two of LiveFit

breakfast and cooler for the day

Day One - Jamie Eason's 12 Week Trainer

cheat meals and vacations

chicken with fresh peaches

planning for the week

coffee protein latte

Guest Post on GalTime!

jelly legs

a week's worth of food

dinner for one

an unusual breakfast

breakfast for dinner

Win Fit Kids Club Video & Water Bottle
In honor of Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, Coach Melissa is offering one lucky winner their own copy of Fit Kids Club video and a water bottle. ($25+ value)