Wednesday, May 25, 2016

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...




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

#MotivateMe Monday with Fitness Cheerleader, Running Rachel, & Run Mommy Run
Sunday Fitness & Food Linkup with Marathons & Motivation & IlkasBlog




21 comments :

  1. Those gloves look awesome! I'll be following along your fitness challenge :)

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  2. We have a lot of weeds we need to spend time digging up, too. I keep putting it for more things, like fitness challenges. ;)

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  3. The gloves do look awesome! and thank you for the reminder I have some leftover turkey too!

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  4. This recipe sounds fabulous! I also love the gloves!! I just recently started using something similar after burning my hand with an old pot holder. Thanks for sharing!!

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  5. Sounds like a fun challenge. I'm challenge-less until I finish yoga teacher training in July.

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  6. Those mitts look awesome! I have admittedly been using dish towels since my oven mitts went missing a few years ago, I bet those would get some great use in this house ;)

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  7. Those mitts look like something that need to be in my kitchen!! Also, glad to know I'm not the only one who uses yoga as recovery :)

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  8. I think I"d like those gloves! I use silicone baking mats and I love those.

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  9. Those recipes sound great! I have silicone oven mitts and love them!

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  10. Gardening. Weed pulling. UGH. We've had a lot of rain in the past few days, so the dry ground is now loosened up...so I'm headed outside this afternoon to do more weed-pulling (if the rain holds off). Those gloves look interesting!

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  11. The gloves are great! I also just received the Bobs Red mill and I am excited to check them out. Have a great weekend

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  12. I haven't tried that particular brand of gloved before, but silicone cooking gloves are definitely a game changer!

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  13. Love egg cups! And these gloves look like great, definitely a great addition to any kitchen!

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  14. Those gloves look awesome! I love the color of them.

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  15. Thanks for sharing at Let's Get Real Friday Party.

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  16. Gardening is a serious workout - no wonder you needed some extra rest afterwards. You really need to watch your back with all that digging, too! I totally need silicone gloves like this - I need to check them out! Such a great idea! The challenge sounds like so much fun!

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  17. I need some of those gloves, I burn myself way too much while cooking. For next Thanksgiving if you need any ideas, one of my favorite day after breakfasts, is what I call Thanksgiving Benedict. Instead of an English muffin use left over mashed potatoes or root veggies, and turkey in place of the ham and of course gravy instead of hollandaise sauce.

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  18. I don't have a pair of those gloves but they do look neat! That summer fit challenges sounds fun I will have to check it out! Tell me about not having to pay for WW with a goal weight letter from your dr.??

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  19. I have never tried those gloves but would definitely like to. For some reason, I'm always heavier in the summer, just when I want to be at my lightest. It's weird -- I've always been that way. Maybe a fit challenge is just what I need! Good job with the gardening. It is a never ending task at my house. Thanks for linking with us Cassandra!

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  20. Those gloves look neat! I love new kitchen stuff even though my husband does most (ok all) the cooking in our household. Great job with your gardening! I've seen your posts on IG. That is a workout in itself. I look forward to following your workout challenge.

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