In the Kitchen

Have you tried a pair of silicone cooking gloves before?  I received a pair of the AYL Cooking Gloves for free in exchange for my honest review and they are AH-MA-ZING!  I could stand there a loooong time with a hot pan in my hands (only having to set it down because my hands grew tired).  AYL's gloves have a cotton lining which makes them more snuggly.  I've been using them instead of my oven mitts and potholders to handle all hot stuff from the oven and microwave.  I don't know if Austin didn't believe me at first but I got him to try the gloves this weekend and he was rather surprised that he couldn't feel the heat through them.  Supposedly you can toss them in your dishwasher to be cleaned but I don't think Benny would be willing to do try that LOL

You can find the AYL Cooking Gloves on Amazon and try them out yourself.

This weekend I FINALLY used up the rest of the turkey from Thanksgiving.  It's been sitting in the freezer annoying me to look at but I just couldn't figure out what to make.  I printed off a couple of Barbell Bikini recipes and made them.

Chicken & Spinach Egg Cups (serves 4-5)

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 Cup Coconut Milk (I used almond milk)
• 2 Cups Diced Spinach
• 1 Cup Shredded Chicken (I used turkey)
• 1 Tsp Sea Salt (I only used 1/2 tsp since it was the fine grain)
• 1 Tsp GarlicPowder
• Dash of Hot Sauce (optional)
• 9 Eggs

 DIRECTIONS 

1. Whisk eggs and coconut milk, add chicken, spinach, and seasonings.
2. Using olive oil or coconut oil spray, coat a muffin tin well (skipped this since I used the silicone muffin pan).
3. Portion egg mixture evenly in cups (very hard for me to do LOL).
4. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes (had to go longer in the silicone).

It was as I feared, too eggy for my liking.  However, I experimented further. I topped one of the egg cups with black bean hummus.  It looked like icing and reduced the egg taste further to where I enjoyed them.  Now I have something new for breakfast!

Avocado Chicken Salad (serves 4-5)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Cups Shredded Roasted Chicken (I used the rest of the turkey but don't know how much it really was)
• 1  Cup Mashed Avocado (I used 2 of them)
• 1 Tsp Lime Juice (I had none so mine was "dry")
• 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 Tsp Sea Salt (again I only used 1/2 tsp)
• 5 Pieces of Crisp Bacon, Crumbled (used turkey bacon)

DIRECTIONS

1. Place all of your ingredients in your stand mixer with it's paddle attachment and let it mix until it's completely combines. (Umm...what's a paddle attachment?  I just mixed it by hand in the container with a normal spoon....)
2. Serve on a bed of mixed greens.

I brought some to work to eat for lunch.  I didn't use any lettuce but had it on one of my sandwich slims.  It was really odd for me to experience a buttery taste.  Is that what it's like to eat an avocado uncooked?

 

Workouts & Studies

THURSDAY I did the 21 Day Fix lower body workout.  I started reading Lifestyle Wellness Coaching during lunch.

FRIDAY I did Pilates and read chapter 2.  The Bob's Red Mill protein powder arrived for me to try and hopefully get #SummerStrong. Visit 

http://www.bobsredmill.com/get-a-coupon.html to snag a coupon so you can grab a bag and participate in the Instagram challenge July 18-23 (leads up to Fitbloggin').

SATURDAY I did Dirty 30 before heading outside to work on the flowerbed out front.  It was a chilly day (because of the wind) so I couldn't see myself working in the garden.  I cleaned it out and planted my seeds - Forget-Me-Not, Aster, Marigold and....I actually forgot what else.

SUNDAY afternoon I spent 4 hours (with breaks) digging out the east side of the garden.  There were so many weeds I had no other choice!  I'm going to use some of that landscape fabric (or whatever the garden version's called) this year to see if that'll help with weed control.  Benny had fun hunting for where to put the dirt.  No idea where he's going to put the rest from the west half...

A photo posted by Cassandra Schmigotzki (@longandwindingroadtowellness) on May 22, 2016 at 4:08pm PDT

MONDAY I did yoga to help recover from all that digging.  I read chapter 3.

YESTERDAY I didn't feel recovered enough to do a workout so I took a rest day.  I read chapter 4.

I finally got the note from the doctor for my new goal weight so I got everything updated at Weight Watchers.  So now I'm back to not having to pay!

TODAY I mixed it up and did Kelly Coffey-Meyer's Split Sessions upper body workout. This afternoon I stopped at the farmer's market and picked up more tomato starters. Now I have 10 to plant. Afterwards I walked around a little bit, totalling 2.23 miles (according to MapMyWalk).

 

#SummerFitChallenge on Instagram

Who needs another fitness challenge boost to get bikini-ready this Summer?

#SummerFitChallenge‬ starts June 1st! Each day we challenge you to complete as many reps of the exercise for that day within 30 seconds (get your timers out).

Post your pics and videos throughout the 30-day challenge using hashtag #summerfitchallenge. We'll each choose our favorites to regram. Also be sure to tag your hostesses - so FOLLOW ALL OF US (see below).

There will be weekly prizes to those who actively participate in this challenge by posting pics/vids with the challenge hashtag so if you want to WIN something make sure you use the challenge hashtag on each and every one of your posts so we know you are in!

The lovely hostesses of this challenge are: @FemmeFitaleFitClub @SweshFit @FitFaithLife @TheSHGCommunity @4FitMommas @LongAndWindingRoadToWellness @TheFrugalExerciser_

Linking up with

Jill for Fitness Health & Happiness

MississippiPiddlin & HoHo Runs

#MotivateMe Monday with Fitness Cheerleader, Running Rachel, & Run Mommy Run

Sunday Fitness & Food Linkup with Marathons & Motivation & IlkasBlog