In February the gym I go to is offering a paid program for TRX Suspension Training.
Apparently it’s been around for a couple of years now and it’s quickly turning into the hottest thing to hit the fitness world.

TRX – Is a suspension training workout that builds muscle and is great for core strength.

Click the link below to see what TRX Suspension Training is all about.

http://www.youtube.com/user/TRXtraining#p/u/0/Gagl23KZs0U

TRX Atomic Push Up

Has anyone tried this?  What are your thoughts on it?

Please leave a comment, I’d love to hear your feed back. Just click at the bottom where is says “Leave a Comment”.

Here’s a few meals I hope to make this week, they’re not in any particular order.

1.    Beef Stew
2.    Chicken Souvlaki
3.    Roasted Rosemary Chicken
4.    Taco Casserole
5.    Thai Beef Stir-Fry with Soup
6.    Sausage stuffed zucchini boats
7.    Hamburger & a salad for me – Pasta with meat sauce for my kids

(For my lunches) Dandelion Soup or Lentil Soup

All recipes are posted on my blog, just do a search and you’ll find it.

Enjoy!!

I’ve been eating pretty good this week other than some bad attack of the munchies at night while watching TV.I’ve been killing it this week in the gym.  Lately my typical day at the gym is:

This week I’ve done, Spin classes, Pilates classes, Body sculpt classes and my own Ketttlebell workouts.  Last week I wanted to try something new and I’ve never done any kettlebell exercises so I printed off some kettlebell workouts and I’ve been doing them every other day.  I’ve loving the kettlebells.  What took me so long to try them!!!
Here’s a few moves I like to do.

Around The WorldSwing

One Arm Swing & Pass

Single Leg Stiff Leg Deadlift

I’ve heard many times that you need change your workout routine for many reasons.  As for myself I had to change from high impact classes to Pilates since a foot injury.  But I have to say it’s been the best thing.  Change is good, my foot is slowly healing and I’m still getting a great workout, if anything it’s even better.

Did you know that in order to see continuous progress in your training that you have to change up your training regiment at the very latest, every two months?

To burn fat, you need to change your routine every 4 to 8 weeks.

To build muscle, you need to cycle your workouts every 4 to 8 weeks only AFTER you’ve been training for six  months. When you’re first starting out weight training, the body goes through a lot of neuromuscular changes, therefore, you don’t need to change up your routines very much. You also need time to learn and execute proper exercise technique, this takes time.

An exercise routine will only work for a short period of time before your body adapts and progress stops.  Changing to a new training regimen that your body isn’t accustomed to is the only way to prevent stagnation.

“It’s insanity to do the same thing over and over and expect results.
Change your routine often to keep making progress.”

Speaking of going insane, wait until I show you what my next gym workout looks like.  Apparently it’s the newest thing to hit the gyms.  In February I’m taking a class at my gym, it’s a paid program but only a handful of people are allowed per time slot. 

Interested???  Stay Tuned to find out what it is

Stay Healthy & Have a Great Weekend

Unbaked – It’s about 10 inch round pizza crust

Baked

Toppings: Pizza sauce, mushrooms, olives, pepperoni, mozzarella, oregano.

Fulled cooked and it’s not complete if you don’t have paper plates!!!
Its a Win Win all around!!

Low Carb Pizza Crust Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups low fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons flax meal
2 tablespoons coconut flour
½ teaspoon baking powder

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a bowl mix cheese, eggs, flax, coconut flour, and baking powder together until a sticky wet dough is formed. Spread with a fork  (or your hands) to ¼ inch thickness on a baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes in preheated oven.   Remove from oven, flip crust over and add pizza toppings.  Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Slice in 4  and serve.

Nutritional Facts:
Number of Servings: 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 372.6
Total Fat: 32.5 g
Cholesterol: 159.6 mg
Sodium: 629.8 mg
Total Carbs: 8.5 g
Dietary Fiber: 3.7 g
Protein: 31.6 g
Net Carbs: 4.8 g

NOTES:  I won’t be having this often since it’s very high in fat & calories but it’s nice to know that I have options when it comes to pizza.  I had 2 slices and I was stuffed.

Please leave a comment, I’d love to hear your feed back.   Just click at the bottom where is says “Leave a comment”.

I plan on toning everything that jiggles   I’m really focusing on my abs & arms.  I’m want to be bikini ready by June.This past week I’ve hit the gym 5 days straight and it was intense, everyday I took it up a notch.  Yeah Baby!!!

Today I’ve had a Spa Day.  I had a manicure, pedicure and I got rid of that stubborn grey that keeps trying to remind me how old I am.  Having a pedicure in the winter is a real boost when all you see outside is snow, but when you happen to catch your pretty painted toes it might just remind you of last summer and where you were.  I was in Montreal last summer and I had a wonderful time visiting my family, miss you lots

OK gettting abck to me…See I told you it’s all about me this year LOL

I did my first Pilates class this week and it was great.  This wasn’t your typical Pilates, it’s called Pilates Fusion.  It’s Pilates with a twist.   Core Conditioning combining yoga, and weight training techniques.  I finally used my pretty pink yoga mat.  This was the main reason I had a pedicure today   my toes we’re unhappy without any color but now their happy tootsies!!!  Ok I know I’m nuts but truly it’s the little things that make me happy.

Definition:  Gym Rat
One who spends entirely too much time partaking in muscle building, strength training, cardiovascular, or aerobic activity. Specifically, one who does so at a health club or gym.

Ok I have to admit I’ve become a gym rat.  I’ve come a long way from the person who joined the gym just 6 months ago.  I was so nervous about going to the gym alone that just the thought of going there without my husband was inconceivable.  I didn’t know how to use the machines nor would I wonder around to find out what the gym offered.

My husband & I started going to the aerobics classes and then I started going on my own.  As I felt more comfortable in my surroundings I would jump on a machine and take it for a spin.

I’m not one who goes to the gym to chit chat, I’m there to workout.  There’s some people at the gym that don’t break a sweat cuz they’re too busy talking and don’t want to ruin their make up. HAHAHA!!!  You know the ones I’m talking about.I go the the gym 5 days a week and I see the same faces day after day.  You start off with small talk and later as the days go by you briefly chit chat about the weather.  I’ve met some really nice people, one lady in particular that we hit it off really well, we even worked out together a few times and it was great since we have the same goals in mind.  Workout first then chit chat.

Are you a gym rat?

Here are some signs if you might be a gym rat.

1. You know the gym staff’s schedule. They know your middle name, job, and birthday.
2. You have a favorite set of dumbbells, favorite treadmill, favorite place to stretch.
3. You notice when a fellow rat wears the same clothes in one week.
4. You reschedule social activities to work around your scheduled gym time.
5. You know which gym goers hog the treadmill, weight machines, and TV remotes.
6. When you can’t be reached, your friends or spouse just assume you’re sweating it out.

Here’s a recipe I found on about.com awhile back but never got around to making it.  I made it yesterday and I’m going to have to make a second batch before the week is over since my whole family loves them.
It’s so nice to have a crunchy low carb snack.  It’s great with cream cheese. 

Garlic Parmesan Flax Seed Crackers

Mix all ingredients together.
Spoon onto sheet pan which is lined with parchment paper.
Cover the mixture with a piece of parchment or waxed paper. Spread and flatten out the mixture to about 1/8 inch. I used a rolling pin to flatten it out.
The important thing is not to let it be too thin around the edges or that part will overcook before the center firms up. So after you spread it out, remove the paper and go around the edges with your finger and push the thin part inwards to even it up.
Using a knife, gently score into 50 crackers (10 crackers x 10 crackers).
Bake until the center is no longer soft, about 15-18 minutes. If it starts to get more than a little brown around the edges, remove from oven. Let cool completely – it will continue to crisp up.
Break into pieces.

The whole recipe is 6 grams of effective carbohydrate plus 35 grams of fiber

0.2 Net Carbs per cracker.

Enjoy!

Please leave a comment, I’d love to hear your feed back.   Just click at the bottom where is says “Leave a comment”.

Stay Strong, Live long

Ingredients:
1/4 cup cheddar cheese
parchment paper

Preparation:

Spread out cheese in a thin layer on parchment paper.
Microwave on high for one minute, or until cheese is bubbly.
While the cheese is still flexible with parchment paper still attached, fold it over into the shape of a taco shell and hold it for a few seconds, it will harden as it cools, it doesn’t take long.
When it has cooled, peel it from the parchment paper.
Now you’re ready to fill them with whatever you like!

This recipe make 1 taco shell.

In these tacos I used a 1/4 cup low fat refried beans (7g), sour cream, salsa, green onions.
Use can use beef, turkey, chicken or veggies.

Steel Cut OatmealUncooked Steel cut oats

I’m not a big oatmeal fan but I know it’s good for you so I have it once in awhile.

Old-fashioned, rolled oats have already had the bran removed and are then rolled flat.  Steel-cut oats are essentially the unprocessed oat kernels, which have been cut into two or three pieces using a steel disc.  Hence, the name steel-cut. 

As a result, steel-cut oats are nuttier and chewy, offering a lot more texture than traditional oatmeal.  They keep me full longer than traditional oats. 

Here’s my favorite recipe for steel-cut oatmeal.  It’s simple, but delicious.  Unsweetened almond butter, splenda, and a dash of cinnamon.

Enjoy!

Cooked steel cut oats with peanut butter and brown sugar.

Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Ingredients:
1 cup steel cut oats
6 cup water

Preparation:
Add about 6 cups water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stir in 1 cup steel cut oats. Stirring occasionally. 
Reduce to medium-low heat, allowing oatmeal to simmer (with lid on) for 20 minutes (depending on desired consistency)  my family likes it al dente, a little chewy and not mushy.
Remove from heat, drain and rinse under cold water until water runs clear, it might take awhile.  It now looks like boiled rice.  You can now refrigerate and reheat in microwave.  This will last you all week.

To Serve:
Measure ½ cup cooked steel cut oats, ¼ or ½ cup of milk or almond milk, heat in microwave. Then add toppings.

Topping Suggestions:
Peanut butter or Almond butter
Chopped, toasted Nuts
Coconut Milk, Almond Milk, or for a cold oatmeal stir in Fat Free Yogurt
toasted, unsweetened Coconut
Spices such as Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, Pumpkin Pie Spice
Any fresh or dried fruit
Maple Syrup or any sweetener you like

Nutritional Information:

Makes: 6 servings  (just the cooked oatmeal without toppings)
250 grams Per Serving:

Calories 52
Fat 0.9g
Protein 1.8g
Carbohydrate 9.2g
Dietary Fiber 1.4g
Net Carbs 7.5g

It was the month after Christmas and all through the house
nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.
The cookies I’d nibbled, the eggnog I’d taste,
at the holiday parties had gone to my waist.
When I got on the scales there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber).
I’d remember the marvelous meals I’d prepared;
The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared,
the wine and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese
and the way I’d never said, “No Thank you, please.”
As I dressed myself in my husband’s old shirt
and prepared once again to do battle with dirt.
I said to myself, as I only can
“you can’t spend a winter disguised as a man!”
So—away with the last of the sour cream dip,
get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip
every last bit of food that I like must be banished
till all the additional ounces have vanished.
I won’t have a cookie—-not even a lick.
I’ll want only to chew on a long celery stick.
I won’t have hot biscuits, or corn bread or pie,
I’ll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.
I’m hungry, I’m lonesome and life is a bore,
but isn’t that what January is for?
Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.
Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

]]> http://marisaskitchentalk.wordpress.com/2012/01/01/happy-new-year-2012/feed/ 0 marisaskitchentalk 20120101-192244.jpg http://marisaskitchentalk.wordpress.com/2011/12/29/sun-dried-tomato-dip-recipe/ http://marisaskitchentalk.wordpress.com/2011/12/29/sun-dried-tomato-dip-recipe/#comments Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:00:41 +0000 Marisa's Low Carb Kitchen Talk http://marisaskitchentalk.wordpress.com/?p=3629 ]]> Sun-Dried Tomato Dip

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped (or 1 tsp. dried)
1/4 Cup green olives, chopped

Place tomatoes in a small bowl and add balsamic vinegar until just covered. Allow to soak for about an hour. Remove tomatoes from vinegar and drain well. Chop finely and mix with other ingredients. Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Makes 16 Servings.  

3.5 net grams of carbohydrate per serving.

Just a quick note to wish you all a Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!!  Hope you are all enjoying your time off and spending quality time with your family and friends.

Remember the holidays are not a free for all, so stick to your guns and have some self control when the tempting foods are  in front of you.  Now I’m not saying don’t indulge, far from it, have your treat but know your limit, then walk away from the table.   You didn’t work so hard this year so that you can pack on 10 lbs in the last few days of 2011.

Let’s start 2012 lighter so we won’t be starting the year with yet another new years resolution.

Let’s say good bye to 2011 and hello 2012, let’s start the New  Year with a bang!

Ingredients:

8 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Halves
2 Tablespoons Salt
1  1/2 Tablespoons Garlic powder
1  1/2 Tablespoons Ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon White Pepper
1 Tablespoon Onion Powder
1 Tablespoon Ground Cumin
1/2 Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper
1/2 Tablespoon Paprika
3/4 lb Unsalted Butter, melted

Preparation:

Pound chicken breasts to about 1/3″ thick.

Thoroughly combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl. Just before cooking each piece of chicken, dip it in the melted butter so that both sides are well coated, then sprinkle each fillet evenly with the seasoning mix, using about a rounded 1/2 teaspoon on each, and patting it in with your hands. (If you lay the fillet on a plate or other surface to season it, be sure the surface is warm so the butter won’t congeal and stick to the surface instead of to the meat. Immediately place the fillet skinned side down in a hot skillet, making sure all meat folds are opened up and the meat is lying flat. Pour about 1 teaspoon butter on the top of the fillet (be careful, as the butter may flame up). If you cook more that 1 fillet at a time, place each fillet in the skillet before buttering and seasoning another one.

Cook uncovered over the same high heat until the underside forms a crust, about 2 minutes. (The time will vary according to the thickness of the fillets and the heat of the skillet or fire; watch the meat and you’ll see a white line coming up the side as it cooks.) Turn the fillets over and pour about 1 teaspoon more melted butter on top of each. Cook just until meat is cooked through, about 2 minutes more.

Serve the chicken fillets crustier side up while piping hot. Clean the skillet after cooking each batch and repeat the blackening procedure with the remaining chicken fillets.

Zero Carbs.

Ok so I’m a little late on last weeks recap but better late than never Right!!
Last week was not one of my bests.  I went to the gym on Monday and did my spin class, Tue & Wed I did weight training with my husband, we had a good workout.  But then it went down hill from there. Thursday I woke up at 4am with a sore throat and it’s slowly going away.  I’m sleep deprived with a sore throat to boot.

I’ve tried my best to stay focused but when I’m sick all I want is carbs.  I made a lima bean soup which was very good but the bad part was that I ate it with crackers.

I did some Christmas shopping on Saturday and it was a mad house every place I went, not to mention the 45 mins wait just to pay.  I’ll have to check my list twice but I think I’m all done. Yippee !!  Oh yeah !!! one more thing.  I bought a pair of jeans and they’re a size 7!!!  Yup that’s right you heard me…a freaken 7!!!   Yeah baby!!I went to a spin class today and did 1 hour weight training.  My spin class was very entertaining.  At my gym since there’s a limited amount of bikes we have to sign in on a sheet to reserve our bike but some poeple don’t do that and then the people who signed in are left bike-less.  Today there was this new person who came in the class freaking out and yelling that she signed in and now there’s no bike for her.  She was so rude and even had the instructor do a roll call of the sign up sheet and sure enough there was a person on a bike who wasn’t signed in so they had to give up their bike to loud mouth McGee!!!
Ok I get the fact that she had the right to be there but she was so dramatic and childish.  She sat on the floor and pouted until she got her bike and let everyone know that she took a day off of work to do this class.

What are some of your gym stories?

Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushroom Caps

Ingredients:

1/4 cup white wine
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp thyme
1 tsp roasted garlic spice
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 pkgs (454 g) whole white mushrooms, stems removed
250 g goat cheese, room temperature
1 tbsp sun-dried tomato, tapenade

Preparations:

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). In a bowl, toss wine, oil, thyme, garlic spice, salt, pepper and mushrooms. Marinate, 5 min.
In a separate bowl, fold together goat cheese and1 tbsp sun-dried tomato tapenade .
Remove mushrooms from marinade and stuff with goat cheese mixture, mounding slightly. Place on a baking sheet.
Bake 20 min., then broil for 2 to 3 min. until cheese is lightly golden.
Serve warm or at room temperature.