Hooked

My friends, we are nearing the end of our 10 week journey! Before you know it, you will be looking at your "before" pictures and freaking out at how you've changed in 10 weeks.

So now what?

Let me tell ya. I was scared to death for week 10 to come. I was so excited about how strong I'd become, and how great I felt. I didn't want it to end. But I was also scared to commit. How am I going to pay for this, what if I get bored of these workouts?

I think one of the hugest realizations I made during this program was:

Exercise is a must in my life.

It should be in all of ours. We always hear how great it is for us. And now that I had done it religiously for 10 weeks, I knew for myself that it really is all it's cracked up to be. I was thrilled at the results I saw after 10 short weeks. I have done home workouts (Hello Gay Gasper!) and worked out at the gymn consistently and never saw these sort of results.

And I knew that if I quit, I would go home and fall back into my old habits and working out would take a back seat.

So, here I am 3 years later and going strong. I can honestly say I still love it and continue to see results. I've made so many changes in my diet, that I think I spend less paying to work out than I did on buying some of the unhealthy foods we used to eat. And as a bonus, I get to meet great people like you!

Most of all, I'm taking care of myself, and in return, I have so much more to give to my family. And for me, that's really what it's all about. They are my pride and joy. (click here to see our family pic)

So there. I'm hooked. Are you?

Grilled Tilapia with Smoked Paprika and Parmesan Polenta

from Cooking Light:


Prep Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 fillet and 1 cup polenta)


Ingredients

Polenta:
4 cups fat-free milk
1 cup quick-cooking polenta
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese


Fish:
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
Cooking spray

Preparation

To prepare polenta, bring milk to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually add polenta, stirring constantly with a whisk. Reduce heat, and cook 5 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly; stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese; cover and keep warm.

To prepare the fish, heat a large nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat. Combine oil, paprika, garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a bowl, stirring well. Rub fish evenly with oil mixture. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add fish to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.

Kitchen Notes

The tilapia can be prepared either in a grill pan on the stove or over the coals on an outdoor grill.


Nutritional Information
Calories:422 (21% from fat)
Fat:9.7g (sat 3g,mono 5.1g,poly 1.1g)
Protein:39.9g
Carbohydrate:34.2g
Fiber:4.1g
Cholesterol:73mg
Iron:1mg
Sodium:751mg
Calcium:414mg

Let's Get to Work!

Welcome to FXB! Michelle and I are so excited to complete this program with you and help any way we can to achieve your goals. It's going to be an incredible 10 weeks!

This first post I wanted to re-iterate some of the things we talked about at orientation:

1. Come everyday. Decide right now that working out is a priority in your life. Even if you're tired, sore, or feel guilty because you snuck some chocolate chips out of the pantry the night before (btw, I've never done that). If you had to miss the morning class for some reason, remember there are classes at 4:30, 5:30 and 6:30. You don't need to sign up for them or get permission to attend those.

2. Eat right. The nutrition guidelines are tailor made for this kind of workout. I know this will be an adjustment. I will be giving you as many tips and info. as possible. Please come to me with any questions or concerns. If you feel it's just not going right, let me know. It may take a few days to make the changes- but make it a goal to have your nutrition plan down by this weekend. ***If it's not your "free day" and you got off track, don't decide that you'll start over tomorrow. Start over the next meal. ***

3. Give your level 10 everytime. This is huge. We have great instructors, but if you aren't putting all you've got into the work-outs, you'll be cheating yourself. Basically what I'm saying is, beat the crap out of those bags!

Here's to your health - now let's get to work!!!

Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Slaw

Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Slaw
Serves 4

15-ounce can black beans, drained
1 teaspoon ground cumin
5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons (or more) fresh lime juice
2 cups coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 white or yellow corn tortillas
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
Hot sauce

Place beans and cumin in small bowl; partially mash. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix 2 teaspoons olive oil and lime juice in medium bowl; add coleslaw, green onions, and cilantro and toss to coat. Season slaw to taste with salt and pepper.Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add tortillas in single layer. Spoon 1/4 of bean mixture onto half of each tortilla; cook 1 minute. Fold tacos in half. Cook until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Fill tacos with feta and slaw.

Southwest Chicken Salad

This is an amazing recipe!!


Vinaigrette

1/3 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons puréed chipoltle chiles in adobo sauce (find this with the green chilis with the taco stuff)
2 tablespoons of honey
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup canola oil - I usually use a little less
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro stems and leaves

Mix the first 6 ingredients in the blender. Then add a steady stream of oil while blending to form an emulsion. Add the cilantro and pulse to combine. Taste and adjust salt to taste. Set aside.

Salad
1 cup frozen corn thawed
1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken (I just put 2 breasts in my crockpot with a little italian dressing in it and cook it during the day.)
1/2 cup chopped red peppers and/or sliced grape tomates
4 cups of mixed baby greens
3/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds (optional)
1 1/2 cup grated Jack cheese
1 chopped avocado (optional)

Mix all the ingredients together. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad and toss gently with tongs.

Chicken with Lime Sauce

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp olive oil
Cooking spray
3/4 cupt fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp lime juice, divided
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp water
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp butter (use Smart Balance)

Preparation:

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4 inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from pan; keep warm.
Add chicken broth, sugar, 2 tbsp juice and mustard to pan; cook over medium heat, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.
Combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add cornstarch mixture to pan; stir well with a whish. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook 1 minute or until sauce thickens slightly. Whisk in remaining 1 tbsp lime juice and butter, stirring until butter melts. Return chicken to pan; simmer 2 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly heated.
Serve with brown rice (cooked with low sodium broth instead of water) and steamed broccoli.

Santa Fe Chicken

Sante Fe Chicken

Marinade:

Juice from 3 limes1/4 cup soy sauce1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seed6 cloves garlic, minced1 1/2 teaspoons honey2 whole breasts boneless, skinless chicken3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves

Preparation:
Mix together marinade ingredients in a bowl (I prefer to put all ingredients in a gallon-sized ziploc bag--that way I can mix them up and let the chicken marinate without dirtying any dishes!), stirring thoroughly. Pour marinade into a large ziploc bag or shallow baking pan. Cover baking pan and refrigerate for one hour (or longer if you have time--the longer the better!). After one hour, when the chicken has absorbed all the flavors of the marinade, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Serve over rice with low-fat sour cream, lime wedges, and salsa