New Zumba Routine

ZUMBA!

Zumba is so great! 

You're having so much fun but yet you're burning all these calories! 

That's right, Kitty. It's Zumba time!!

I like change. I've already done my last Zumba sequence 4 times and I need something new already. 

This one is an hour long and it has some of the last sequences videos, just in a different order and some new ones. I hope you enjoy!

Warm Up

Cool Down

You just burned 800-1000 calories!! 

Doesn't feel like you did, does it?!?!

Chicken Parm Meatballs

I know I'm biased but these were AMAZING!

What you need:

2 Chicken Breasts

1/4 cup Italian Style Breadcrumbs

1 large egg   

1 tbsp Parsley

1/2 cup Onions, chopped 

1/4 cup  Parmesan Cheese

3-4 Garlic Cloves        

1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded

Spaghetti Sauce

Food Processor

Cake pop machine - optional, but it makes things a whole lot easier

Pam

What you need to do:

In a food processor, pulse your chicken until it is nicely shredded.

Throw in breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, onion, parm cheese and garlic. 

If you have a cake pop machine:

Turn it on, spray and place scoops of chicken mix into it, close and let cook for about 5-7 minutes

(Don't worry about it not cooking in the middle, we will be boiling them in spaghetti sauce later)

While this is cooking, get a nice deep pan and pour in spaghetti sauce. I used the whole container of prego for the spaghetti.

When the chicken balls are done, gently scoop them out and place into pan with spaghetti sauce and cover. Let simmer while you cook the rest of the chicken. 

Do this about 3 more times, until all your chicken mix is gone. 

If you do not have a cake pop machine:

GO GET ONE! It makes this recipe, Tilapia Tots, and meatballs SO much easier! 

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll chicken mixture into balls.

Place into a well greased casserole dish that is deep as well as wide. 

Bake for about 15-20 minutes, just long enough so that the outside of the ball is sturdy enough to pour spaghetti sauce onto without breaking apart. 

Pour spaghetti sauce over the balls and bake for another 15 minutes. 

When your meatballs are just about done, sprinkle mozzarella cheese over entire batch, let melt and serve. 

I dished these up with some dreamfields pasta (Or you can use zucchini pasta), steamed broccoli and salad.

This recipe makes 24 Chicken Parm Meatballs and each are:

54 Calories, 4 g Carbs, 2 g Fat, 4 g Protein, 1 g Fiber

Banana Oat Muffins

These are very similar to the Pumpkin Oat Muffins and were also a hit in my house!

2 1/2 cup oats (I recommend pulsing this first until it's fine)

1 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt

2-3 ripe Bananas

1/4 cup Spenda

1/4 cup Splenda's Brown Sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup Raisins

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray tin with non-stick cooking spray.  I used silicone cupcake liners for these because it was recommended not to use regular liners.

Place all of the liquid ingredients in the blender, and then blend adding oats in 1/2 c at a time until smooth.  (I recommend grinding the oats first)

You may need to stop the blender a few times to stir.  Stir in raisins and walnuts after blending is complete.

Divide batter among 12 muffin cups (This might make a little more than 12) and bake for 20 min. or until toothpick comes out clean.

You could even add in some protein powder to make them into a great protein filled breakfast on the go!

For 1 Muffin, without Walnuts:

110 Calories, 21 g Carbs, 1 g Fat, 4 g Protein , 2 g Fiber

 For 1 Muffin, with Walnuts:

143 Calories, 22 g Carbs, 5 g Fat, 5 g Protein, 3 g Fiber

Amazing Fruit Dip

Would I lie to you? I don't think so. When I say this is a.maz.ing.... I mean it. 

I originally found this recipe as a sauce for a fruit pizza (P.S. also amazing with a pretzel crust... don't tell anyone I said that) but I loved it so much I just use it as is!

What you need:

1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk (I recommend the really good brand)

1 cup Sugar Free Cool Whip

1 Lime

Thaw out your cool whip until it's easy enough to scoop out and mix, but not super watery. 

Wash your lime. We need just a pinch of zest. Zest off about 1 tbsp of the lime. Cut lime in half. Squeeze lime juice into cup to make sure there are no seeds in it. Omit seeds if they are there. Pour juice from entire lime into cool whip. 

Next, open your can of condensed milk and pour into lime/cool whip mix. 

Mix it all together. 

You can eat it immediately but I recommend refrigerating it for a while first so that it gets back to it's thicker consistency. 

2 tbsp of this is 58 calories, 9 g Carbs, 3 g Fat, 1 g Protein, 0 g Fiber.

I love eating this with Apples, mostly, but it goes great with practically any fruit. I also love it with Oranges. I don't know, maybe because there is lime in it it make the orange pop? Either way it's amazing. 

Tuna Salad with Avocado

A great light but filling lunch. 

What you need:

Tuna, canned, drained

1/2 of an Avocado

1/4 cup onion

1 tablespoon lime juice

Garlic powder salt and pepper to taste.

I added in some Mediterranean yogurt dressing in it for some kick. If you'd like to try it click HERE.

Assemble!

I ate this with some sweet potato chips (Simple Truth brand) and an orange.

This total meal was 266 calories, 27 g carbs, 15 g fat, 7 g protein and 6 g fiber.

Tilapia Tots

Sounds really weird, I know. BUT! I hate fish. Can't stand the smell, can't stand the taste, can't stand the look of it. But my husband loves it, so I make it every once in a while. These were a hit. I made about 18-24 ish and they were all gone. This recipe was borrowed from 24/7 Low Carb Diner and I can't thank her enough. These were amazing!

They came out perfect little balls... how?? A cake pop machine. I have had mine for about 3 years and I think I've used it once, maybe twice. But when I read that she used a cake pop machine my mind exploded! The possibilities!! I will be for sure using it for meatballs soon.

Anyways, here is the recipe!

What you need:

2 Tilapia fillets 

2 eggs

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup almond meal

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp lemon pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

Bake the fish fillets until they flake with a fork at the thickest point.  

Place fillets in a medium bowl and flake. 

Let cool 5 minutes before stirring in the eggs. 

Add the cheese to this mixture. 

In a small bowl, combine almond meal, baking powder, lemon pepper, garlic powder and salt. 

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir. 

Use a scoop to place the fish mixture into the cavities of a cake pop maker. 

Bake for 5 minutes. If pan frying, melt some coconut oil in a skillet until hot. Use a scoop to place about 2 tablespoons of mixture onto the hot pan.  Smooth the edges with a spoon. Fry until golden on both sides and set in the center.

Makes 18 tots. 

To serve 4: these have 201 calories, 6 g carbs. 21 g protein 11 g fat and 2 g fiber. 

I also made sweet potato to go with it.

I sprinkled garlic powder, chipotle seasoning, salt and pepper on them and baked for 30 minutes at 375. They were magnificent!

I also made steamed broccoli and a salad.

Hope you enjoy!

Pumpkin Oat Muffins

These were adapted from Spokane Dinner Club

Despite how unattractive these are, my husband ate 6 of them in 3 seconds. I had to freeze the other 6 so he could pace himself. 

What you need:

2 1/2 c oats (regular or quick is fine)

1 c plain nonfat greek yogurt

1/2 c honey

1 1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1 t pumpkin pie spice

1 c canned pumpkin

1/2 c chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray tin with non-stick cooking spray.  I used silicone cupcake liners for these because it was recommended not to use regular liners. 

Place all of the liquid ingredients in the blender (including pumpkin), and then blend adding oats in 1/2 c at a time until smooth.  (I recommend grinding the oats first, that may they don't look at clumpy as mine do)

You may need to stop the blender a few times to stir.  Stir in chopped walnuts after blending is complete.

Divide batter among 12 muffin cups and bake for 20 min. or until toothpick comes out clean.

You could even add in some protein powder to make them into a great protein filled breakfast on the go!

Chicken Salad and Black Bean Wrap

This is a high fat, high protein lunch. It's very filling and great for some extra fuel in the day.

What you need:

Chicken breast (I used some leftover rotisserie chicken)

Avocado

Black Beans

Braum's Jalapeno Dip (or lite ranch)

Tumero's Low Carb Tortilla

Boil the black beans. While it is cooking:

Cut or shred your chicken. Mix in a little less of half an avocado. About 75% of the half. 

Mix in your dip/dressing.

Place onto tortilla and when beans are ready spread over chicken salad.

This could also be good with some onions or peppers. Be creative!

This lunch was high in calories because of all the fats, BUT!, it is worth it because they are very healthy fats, high in protein and fiber.

This lunch was:

401 calories, 31g Carbs (11 from the tortilla, but the rest are healthy carbs), 21g Fat, 31g Protein, 16g of Fiber

I hope you enjoy!

High Protein, Low Calories Type of Day

Good Morning!!

 This last weekend was not good. Eating wise, I mean. My husband and I went to see the basketball game between WSU and Louisville on Saturday at a friends house. We brought Cool Ranch Doritos and Braum's Jalapeno Dip (have I mentioned that I love this stuff??) Someone else brought chips, salsa and queso. Our friends brought beer, Cheese stuffed crust pizza and wings from Buffalo Wild Wings. It would be wrong not to eat it, right? I ate it. A lot of it. Even took some home. Sigh.... So I ate horribly that day and ate blah on Sunday. So today, I'm not that hungry for breakfast. But I plan on working out a ton! I will be doing my zumba routine from youtube. you can find it HERE.

Working out with a friend at 2 at the gym, power pump at 6, then some relaxing swimming at 7. A total of 1463 calories burned. WOO! #beastmode

Anyways,

So if you're looking for a low calorie, low carb, high protein breakfast besides a shake, here you go!

So simple, so easy.

I used to be a vegetarian so I used to eat a lot of veggie meat. This is Morning Star's Original Sausage Patty.

I don't eat pork due to my religion (SDA) but my husband used to and he says their not bad considering they're made from soy and veggie.

And a hard boiled egg. I sprinkle some salt on the side of the plate and that's all I can have for the entire egg. I use about 1/8 tsp of salt. 

This is 150 calories, 3g carbs, 8g fat, 17g protein, and 1g fiber.

 You will get full, trust me.

Annndd life can't go on without coffee. (Vanilla Maple, today)

Have a great rest of the day!

Noodle & Co The Med Salad Copy Cat - And it's spot on!

Have you ever been to Noodles and Company?

They're so delicious. But they are called NOODLES and Co which means they're filled with carbs. But they do have salads. I love their 'The Med' salad. It's only 350 calories without the chicken and about 500 with the chicken. Not bad! 

I crave it all the time but for 5-6 bucks a pop, it adds up. So, I make my own at home!

This salad is so good and so simple to make. I don't know why I didn't try it sooner!

And on top of that homemade this salad AND THE CHICKEN (not including olives) is total:

 209 calories, 18 grams of Carbs, 4 grams of Fat, 29 grams of Protein, and 3 grams of fiber.

Whereas, Noodle and Co's version (without chicken) is:

 330 calories, 44 grams of carbs, 13 grams of fat, 9 grams of protein, and 4 grams of fiber. 

The Parmesan crusted chicken is:

 200 calories, 8 grams of carbs, 10 grams of fat, 20 grams of protein, and <1 grams of fiber. 

tsk, tsk, tsk. 

What you need:

 1 cup cavatappi pasta (I used 1/4 cup (dry) Dreamfield's Penne since it's low carb)

Romaine lettuce 

1 cucumber 

1 tomato 

1 red onion 

A handful of black olives 

For the Dressing:

1-2 tsp. sriracha hot sauce 

1/4 cup olive oil 

1/4 cup greek yogurt 

2 tbsp. lemon juice 

1 tsp. lemon zest 

1 garlic clove, minced 

1 tbsp. feta cheese, crumbled 

Salt & Pepper to taste

What you need to do:

Boil pasta until al dente. 

Assemble salad.

Assemble dressing (I made mine REALLY garlic-y and had a ton left over)

I like to put my salads in a container and shake until its all mixed together then either eat it from the container or move to a plate. It's best to do something like this with this salad. 

If you want to add chicken:

I LOOOVE their Parmesan crusted chicken breast. So I made my own!

Fillet a chicken breast. Heat a greased pan to medium high. Sprinkle salt and pepper on each side of the chicken. (You can also use a meat tenderizer to flatten) Once covered, Sprinkle Parmesan on the chicken until well covered. Place in heated pan and turn the heat down to about a 4-5 (medium-low) and cover. 

Flip after about 3-5 minutes and cover. In about 3 minutes you are going to turn off the heat and just let the chicken sit there for about another 5 minutes. This lets the heat from the outside cook the inside and lock in moisture. This way you don't have under cooked chicken or dry chicken. I always cut one of them to see if there's no pink. 

Place on top of chicken and you are ready to enjoy this magnificent salad!

Zucchini Cakes

Ready to make something low carb, super good and easy to make??

Adapted from HERE

Zucchini cakes!

Aren't they pretty???

I'm not even that big into zucchini and these were great! 

63 calories, 1.1 grams sugar, 2.1 grams fat, 7.6 grams carbohydrates, 3.6 grams protein

Uhhhh yea!!! 

Crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. You can serve with Ranch, but I used my favorite condiment in the whole world: Braum's Jalapeno Dip. (Seriously, get this stuff already!)

Ingredients:

1 large zucchini, grated

1 large egg

1 c. panko bread crumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp. Adobo spices

1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

Remove excess liquid from freshly grated zucchini by placing them between paper towels and squeezing. (REALLLLLY squeeze!)

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Mix thoroughly. 

Heat a large pan on medium, and spray with Pam. Shape spoonfuls of the zucchini batter into 2-in. (diameter) patties, and drop onto the sizzling pan. 

Cook each side for about a minute and a half, or until the outside is golden brown. Finish the cakes off in the oven. Stick them on a baking pan and broil them for 1-2 minutes. 

Serve immediately. 

Makes about 12-15 cakes.

Breakfast Quesadilla

I had a delicious quesadilla thing this morning and it. was. good. A total of 400 calories, 39 grams of carbs (11 not healthy carbs, the rest is healthy carbs), 36 grams of protein, 23 grams of fat, and 9 grams of fiber. Which includes the 1/2 cup of grapes and 2 cups of coffee with creamer and splenda. It includes Eggs (1 whole, 2 whites), turkey sausage, onion, Braum's Jalapeno Dip, Boar's head White American Cheese and the tortilla. Yummerz. 
I'm not here to tell you about my breakfast today, I'm actually here recommending a low carb product that I love.

Tumero's Gourmet Tortilla's 

They look a bit weird. You know, that healthy weird look? I expected them to be grainy and stiff. But they taste like regular tortillas! 

They are 60 calories, 2 grams of fat, 11 grams of carbs, 7 grams of fiber, and 6 grams of protein. 

I don't go crazy on these. I just have one every once in a while since they still have flour in them. 

I will be trying them in a peanut butter and apple wrap sometime this week too. 

2013 Monthly Goals

2013... You're going down!!!

I know I'm a little late to the game, but better late than never, right?

I want to have a goal set for every month of the year. 

I want to have it written down somewhere I can come back to and check it out, so this list is mostly for me, but you can always join me!

January: Start of Nike Plus app

February: Start of Low Carb Living

March: Start of Myfitnesspal app

April: Sexy Leg Workout

May: Abs

June: Butt

July: Arms

August: Jumping Jack Challenge

September: Flat Belly Moves

October: Triceps

November: Fit and Trim Nov

December: Total Body

Sante Fe Omelet

Eggs are quite possibly my favorite food to eat. I have them almost every morning in all sorts of ways but one: Sunny Side up. The thought of raw egg just makes my stomach turn. But my favorite egg dish: Omelets.
And for a low carb diet, eggs are your best friend.

I was craving black beans this morning. It was weird. I couldn't stop think about hot to make them for breakfast. Then it came to me: a Tex/mex style omelet!

 What you need for this delicious bad boy:

1 whole egg

2 egg whites

1 tbsp Olive oil butter

1/4 cup black beans (Maybe even less)

1/4 cup onion, pepper and garlic mix

Cheese

Braum's Jalapeno Dip

Salsa

Pretty sure you know how to make an omelet so I won't delve into the details. I just need to make a quick shout out to Braum's. Do you have a Braum's in your area? I LOOOOOOVE them!

Their ice cream is so inexpensive and delicious, the sherbert isn't that many calories and it's always soft. I love their milk, don't get me started on their waffle cones, but have you tried their Jalapeno dip??

I just recently discovered this dip at my husbands grandparents house when they had us over for Easter. They had it with cool ranch doritos (Which was like spicy heaven in your mouth) but they go with everything! Carrots, celery, chips, recipes! AND It's only 60 calories and 2 carbs for 2TBSP and sometimes you really don't need that much. A little goes a long way!

Anyway, TRY IT!

So I spread some on top of my omelet along with salsa. 

SOOO good!

I try to have some fruit with my breakfast, today was oranges. 

Oranges are 70 calories, 0 fat, 3 carbs, and 1 Protein

And of course I can't function without my coffee. Today's flavor is Vanilla Maple. (YUMM) 

2 cups of Coffee is 69 calories with 2 tsp Lite Coffeemate creamer and 3 packets Splenda.

The Sante Fe Omelet is 339 Calories, 23.1 total fat, 17.3 Carbs, 30.1 Protein

 Everything total is 479 calories, 23 total fat, 47 carbs and 32 protein. 

Remember: these are all healthy carbs!

Hardest 8 minutes of your life!!!

I seriously need these arms! 

I've been doing this arm workout for the past couple of weeks but I've been slacking off. I want to do it everyday, except the days I do weight lifting (So Monday or Wednesday). This arm workout is KILLER! but thank God, it's only 8 minutes long. Based on the few times I've done it, my shoulders feel stronger, my arms are more defined, and my skin has tightened.

 

This workout burns 118 calories (Based on my weight: 182) in just 8 minutes. Try it out!!