Stop! And give me 20!

20 minutes, that is!
We live very busy lives; from work, school, meals, etc, sometimes it can be hard to get in that needed daily exercise! In addition it can take even more time just getting to the gym. I was thinking about these work out-barriers and my friends who are taking Ga Tech summer finals this week (good luck!) when creating this quick 20(ish) minute cardio workout that left my pulse flying and me dripping with sweat! Another great thing? No equipment needed! So take a study/work break, grab some water, floor space, and let's hit it!

Short, Sweet, and Sweaty Cardio Circuit:

10 Squat Jumps

10 Lunges with Knee Raise (each leg)

10 Plank Jacks

10 Push Ups

10 Mountain Climbers (each leg)

10 Jumping Jacks

5 Burpees

Repeat 5x through (without any breaks), 2 min rest, repeat 5x again.

Advise for this circuit: have a way to keep track of which repetition you're on, it's easy to lose track!
Each set of 5 took me about 10 minutes. With a break and a second round, the circuit should take about 25 minutes! Short, sweet, and SWEATY! And by the time you're done you've done a total of 650 reps! Now that is an efficient workout!
If you've got a little extra time I always recommend light warm up and cool down cardio (I did the elliptical before and after the circuit).

Try the circuit out and let me know what you think!

Question: What's your biggest barrier when it comes to making time for exercise?

Amanda cooking dinner!

Amanda has been on a roll making some delicious dinners lately, so I thought I would highlight just a couple.
Two nights ago we had fish taco's for the first time!

Very delicious and so easy to make! We bought two large fillets of frozen wild salmon and baked it in the oven for close to half an hour. We used Kickin' Chickin' (ironic, I know) seasoning because that's all we had, but we'll probably use something more simple (and less salty) next time to season the fish.

Once the fish was done, we just forked some of the meat into whole wheat tortillas and topped it with all the usual taco fillings: salsa, guacamole, and cheese (obviously I didn't have this last ingredient).

Delicious, healthy, and very versatile! I recommend making fish tacos, using any fish you have on hand and stuffing the taco's with your favorite taco fillings! Good job Amanda!

Although I am a vegetarian, Amanda's dinner last night smelled so good I just had to post about it! Amanda made her first slow-cooker BBQ Chicken! 

I was amazed at how little preparation this recipe that filled the entire house with the mouth-watering smells of molasses, brown sugar, and spices took!

Amanda filled the crock pot with a pound of chicken and then followed the direction on the back of the BBQ chicken seasonings packet. Chicken, seasoning packet, brown sugar, ketchup, and water were combined into the crock pot and allowed to cook on high for 4 hours.

Amanda added store-bought bbq sauce and made herself a sandwich. To go on the side, I steamed green beans for about 10 minutes, then sauteed them with onions, black pepper, and butter. Even as a vegetarian I can't help but admit this looked yummy! Oh well, the sacrifices we make : ).

Well done Amanda cooking protein-packed dinners!

Glimpse into the future: look out for my first circuit workout coming soon!

Sara

Discovery of Blueberry Muffins!

This summer has been an attempt to discover go-to recipes for my favorite baked items. Banana bread, check. Chocolate chip cookies, check (still need to post about). My latest discover? BLUEBERRY MUFFINS!

I tweaked a recipe I originally found on all recipes and made these Monday night in a procrastination effort for my final : ). This recipe is incredibly simple! The recipe does ask for 1/3c milk and since I was making these for my dad and Amanda I used regular dairy milk, however I think almond milk could have been easily substituted!

Perfect Blueberry Muffins

Servings: 8 large muffins
Ingredients:
1.5 c all purpose flour
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 c vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1.5 cup fresh blueberries

Directions:
1.Preheat Oven to 400 degrees.
2. Mix together dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder).
3. In a separate bowl mix together vegetable oil, egg, and milk. Then add wet ingredients to dry mix.
4. Once fully mixed, add in blueberries. Be sure not to over-mix so you don't get purple muffins!
5. Bake in oven 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy!

Sara

Start of the Weekend!

Started off the weekend right with an easy run with Thomas!

Our legs were stiff from the 6.5 mile run we did Thursday evening, but it helped to get them moving!
We started and ended our run at the local gym, so I followed with some Body Pump! Wooh, endorphins are flowing!
I got my Gymboss Interval timer in the mail a couple of weeks ago, but didn't get a chance to look at the instructions until yesterday. I used the timer to complete the first workout on Jess's Summer Shape Up. Day 1 included a leg workout and an intense core workout. The timer kept me efficient and breathing hard, since my breaks were actually 10 seconds (and not the extended breaks I usually take). I was seriously sweaty after this workout, but loved it and my timer! For $20 I think the timer was a great buy!
This weekend is filled with work at the gym and studying for my final on Tuesday! See ya after that!

MMMMMMirza Ghasemi

The title of this post might sound like gibberish, in fact, it's the name of my favorite Persian Dish!

Being a vegetarian, many Persian dishes aren't edible for me (beef and chicken kabob don't scream vegetarian), but this one is and I love it. Mirza Ghasemi is incredibly simple, just eggplants, tomatoes, and onions! Some versions include eggs, but my mother has never made it with eggs, so I don't either.
A bit of prepping goes into the dish to get the water/bitterness out of the eggplants, but once that's done, it's quick, quick, quick.
You MUST love eggplants to like this dish. : )
I've successfully learned how to make this eggplant rich dish from my mother and am here to share it with you.

Ingredients:
1 Eggplant
2 large tomatoes (chopped)
1 large white onion (diced)
2 tsp Turmeric
3 Tblsp Tomato Paste
Salt
Olive oil

Directions:
1. Eggplant Prepping:
Wash the eggplant and cut to make circular pieces of about 1/2 - 3/4 inches. Leave the peal on (it's so delicious in the stew!). Cut the circular pieces down the center to make half-circle pieces.
Line a cookie sheet with paper towels and place the eggplant pieces on the cookie sheet. Generously shake salt on the pieces, this helps get the water out of the eggplants (by osmosis) and kill the natural bitterness of egg plants. Leave the salt on the eggplants for at least 2 hours.

Look at that osmosis at work! 

Flip the eggplant slices, salt, and repeat.

One the eggplant are done drying, put the egg plant on a wire rack (or straight into the oven) and broil for about 10 minutes, or until the eggplant are slightly brown.

This is a picture from when my dad made the dish, he accidentally peeled the eggplant, but be sure to LEAVE THE PEEL

2. Dice the onion. Saute the onions in a large pot. When the onions are only slightly cooked, add in lots of Turmeric (anywhere from 1-2 teaspoons). This spice is purely for color!

3. Over medium-low heat, add eggplant, chopped tomatoes, 2-3 tablespoons tomato paste, and a splash of olive oil. Give it a good stir!

4. Cook for 10-15 minutes covered, lowering the heat toward the end. The stew should get to a consistency where the eggplant fall apart when it's mixed. Turn off the stove when this consistency is reached.

5. Let cool for about 10 minutes.

This dish can be eaten hot or cold and is often enjoyed with bread that's dipped right in to this delicious eggplant-y goodness!

Sara

RUNRUNRUN

Among the cardio and strength circuits I have been completing (and having so much with), I haven't been running much and, my goodness, are my legs feeling antsy! They are craving a long run!

So what better way to get back in the swing of things with running than to sign up for a half marathon?

Here are the races I'm considering:

Area 13.1 Half Marathon aka "Alien Half"
August 17
Supporting: Russell Foundation and Life Connection Ministries

Why the funny nickname? This race starts at 7 p.m. and continues into the night, plus you get glow-in-the-dark apparel!

All-State Half Marathon

October 6

Supporting: various charities

Under the Oaks Half Marathon

Oct 12

Supporting: Georgia Sea Turtle Center

Takes place in the scenic Jekyll Island!

AthHalf

Oct 28

Supporting: AthHalf Educates (Music & Arts)

My good friend Thomas who attends UGA recommended the Ath Half to me. It would be fun to run and spend a weekend with him in Athens.

Atlanta Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon

Nov 28

Supporting: A canned food drive supports The Salvation Army

LOVE this race! I've done it a few times already and love having this the morning of Thanksgiving Day, before I sit down and stuff my face : ). 

I most likely will run the Thanksgiving Half no matter what, but I also want to do a half marathon before that, any good recommendations?

Sara

Go-To Banana Bread Recipe --> Sister approved!

With my last physics test (minus the final) out of the way, I finally have time to put up my latest baking experiment, banana bread! This bread is seriously BANGIN!
I have loved banana bread ever since I can remember and I have constantly been looking for a healthy and delicious recipe. With a few tweeks from a recipe I found on allrecipes.com, I have finally found one!
How do I know this one is a keeper? Well first off, it was SO yummy, but also my sister, Amanda, loved it and Amanda has very little tolerance for "healthy versions" of just about anything.

Bakin'

Just out of the oven!

Time to eat up! YUM!

Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 overly ripe banans
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 snack package of unsweetened apple sauce
2 eggs
1/8 cup non-fat greek yogurt (plain)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
1. Mix together flours, baking soda, and cinnamon.
2. In another bowl, beat together brown sugar, apple sauce, and yogurt. Add in eggs and vanilla. Add in mashed bananas.
3. Add flour mix and walnuts.
4. In a greased bread pan pour the mixture in.
5. Cook for 60 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.
*edit: I have also made these into a dozen muffins and baked them for only about 35 minutes