Raspberry Spinach Salad

Raspberry Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Raspberry Vinegar
2 Tablespoons sugar free Raspberry Jam
3 packets Splenda
1/3 cup olive oil
8 cups Spinach, rinsed, stemmed and torn into pieces
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans or toasted almond slices
1 cup Fresh Raspberries

Dressing:
Combine vinegar and jam in blender or small bowl.
Add Splenda and mix well. Add oil in thin stream, blending well.

Toss spinach with 1/2 of the nuts, 1/2 of the raspberries, and the dressing.
Top with the remaining ingredients.

Serve immediately.

Serves 2

Net Carbs: 5 grams per serving.

What I Ate This Week

• Lemon Chicken with green olives
• Italian Sausage bunless burgers with garlic rapini
• Bunless beef burgers with taziki, greek feta tomato salad, rapini
• Rotisserie chicken with a side of roasted potatoes and salad
• Thai Beef Cabbage Stir fry
• Spinach & Strawberry Salad with Orange dressing
• Filet Mignon, lobster tail, garlic shrimp

Mussels White Wine Cream Sauce

This was a big hit in our house, hope it is in yours too.  Enjoy!!

Ingredients

2 lbs fresh mussels
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 ribs of celery, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 tablespoons butter or 2 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 lemons, quartered
salt & pepper

Preparation
In a pot large enough to hold mussels, heat butter on medium heat.
Add garlic  celery and onions, sautee for 5 minutes.
Add mussels, toss and warm for 2 minutes.
Add wine, cream, salt& pepper.
Raise heat to med-high, cover and cook 5 minutes.
Check during cooking.
Do not overcook.
Mussels are done when shells have opened.  Discard any mussels that haven’t opened.
Divide into 4 bowl with broth.
Garnish with parsley and lemon wedge.

Serve with shoestring fries and a warmed loaf of sour dough bread.
(this is for the carb eaters at the table)

Chocolate Greek Yogurt Dessert

Here’s a quick and delicious dessert filled with protein.

Chocolate Greek Yogurt

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Plain Greek Yogurt (I use Kirkland Greek Yogurt)
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
a dash of cinnamon 
Sugar free caramel syrup (I use DaVinci syrup)

Preparation:

Mix together and enjoy!!  :-)

My Workouts with Pics

I thought it would be a good idea for any newbies like myself to see what my workouts so I’ve added pictures for each exercise.
Remember proper form is more important that how many reps you do.
Well that’s my thoughts anyway.
Tighten your core, breath and push through.
Your body will thank you

Suggestions and advice are greatly appreciated

Here’s my 6 Day/2 Day Split

Cardio 30 min everyday
Upper Body & Back: Mon/Wed/Fri
Low Body & Abs: Tue/Thur/Sat

Cardio

Daily Cardio:  Stairmill 30 min = 350 calories

Upper Body & Back

Per Exercise: 4 Sets: 15 reps, 12 reps, 10 reps, 8 reps
Total Time: 60-90 min.

Machine Chest Fly

Seated Row

Seated Lat Pulldown

Chest Press

Hammer Front Pulldown

Hammer Inclined Chess Press

Hammer High Row

Triceps Cable Pushdown

Cable Seated Low Row

Back Raise

Dumbbell Bicep Curl Standing

Dumbbell Tricep Kickbacks

Dumbbell Bicep Hammer

Dumbbell Tricep Extension Standing

Lower Body & Abs

Per Exercise: 4 sets: 15 reps, 12 reps, 12 reps, 10 reps

Total Time: 60-90 min.

Kneeling Single Leg Curl

Leg Extension

Glutes Press

Hip Adduction Inner Thigh

Hip Adduction Outer Thigh

Seated Leg Press

Kettlebell Double Rack Squat

Kettlebell Lunge Pass

Kettlebell Single Leg Deadlift

Kettlebell Bridge Pullover

Ketttlebell Russian Twist

Kettlebell Sit Ups

Kettlebell Leg + Hip Raise

Kettlebell Side Bend

Kettlebell Crunch

Abdominal Crunch Machine

Burpees

Plank

Saturday WOD + Buffet Dinner

This workout was cut short since I had other plans for the day.    I increased the dumbbells from 12.5 to 15 lb. only because someone was hogging them.  It was heavy but I pushed through it and did my four sets.  

We went out for my daughters birthday dinner and she picked a Chinese buffet restaurant   Its not my favorite but she’s like it for the variety and all the sushi heehee.  Well it wasn’t easy to find low carb food so for most of my dinner I bit the bullet and just ate whatever.  I stayed away from the rice and noodles since I don’t care for those anyway.  But I did have lemon chicken, a springroll, pepper beef, steamed broccoli (I could tell they added cornstarch to make it shinny), 2 chocolate dipped strawberries and a tiny sliver cheesecake no crust.  I was stuffed and my daughter loved it.  Her favorite was the sushi and lime sherbet  :-)

Upper Body & Back

Cardio:  Stairmill 30 min = 350 calories

Per Exercise: 4 Sets: 15 reps, 12 reps, 10 reps, 8 reps
Total Time: 60-90 min.

Machine Chest Fly 50 lb.
Seated Lat Pulldown  75 lb.
Chest Press 30 lb.
Hammer Front Pulldown 80 lb. (40 lb. x 2)
Hammer Inclined Chess Press 50 lb. (25 lb. x 2)
Hammer High Row 80 lb. (40 lb. x 2)
Dumbbell Bicep Curl Standing 30 lb. (15 lb.x 2)
Dumbbell Tricep Kickbacks 30 lb. (15 lb.x 2)
Dumbbell Bicep Hammer 30 lb. (15 lb.x 2)
Dumbbell Tricep Extension Standing 15 lb.

Friday Leg Day WOD

Comments or suggestions about my workouts are greatly appreciated

I increased the weight on some exercises since starting on Monday.

Lower Body and Abs Workout

Cardio:  Stairmill 35 min = 400 calories

Per Exercise: 4 sets: 15 reps, 12 reps, 12 reps, 10 reps

Kneeling Single Leg Curl 30 lb.
Leg Extension 70 lb.
Seated Leg Press 95 lb.
Hip Adduction Inner Thigh 120 lb.
Hip Adduction Outer Thigh 120 lb.
Kettlebell Double Rack Squat 10 kg x 2 (22 lb x 2 = 22 lb)
Kettlebell Walking Lunge 10 kg x 2 (22 lb x 2 = 22 lb)
Kettlebell Dead Lift 10 kg x 2 (22 lb x 2 = 22 lb)
Kettlebell Side Bend 10 kg x 2 (22 lb x 2 = 22 lb)
Kettlebell Seated High Rotation 10 kg x 2 (22 lb x 2 = 22 lb)
Kettlebell Leg Raises