Happy Mother’s Day out there to all the wonderful mother’s who read this little blog, but especially Happy Mother’s Day to the most wonderful, caring, sweet and loving mom a girl could ask for! Thank you for always supporting me and encouraging me to do what I love. So happy to host a special brunch for you! XOXO
Whenever my sister and/or I go home, our parents always ask us what we’d like for a “special” meal. It’s not that I don’t cook nice meals on my own, it’s just that there’s something about cooking when I’m home (or having my parents cook for me) that makes a meal EXTRA good. Amiright?
Over Easter weekend, my sister and my parents (I sat at the kitchen table, drank wine and kept them company….) whipped up a delicious stuffed chicken meal and ever since then I’ve been thinking of different variations that I could make. I think the key to making stuffed chicken meals even more delicious is including cheese in them, right? Lately, I’ve been a big fan of using Laughing Cow Cheeses in my dishes (Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash and Chicken with a Laughing Cow Cheese Sauce and Creamy, Cheesy, Sauteed Veggies), so I decided to continue the streak and use them in my stuffed chicken recipe.
Ingredients (serves 2-3 people, depending on how big your chicken breasts are)
Directions
1. Pre-heat your oven to 350*. Cut up your red peppers and onion and gather your spinach.
2. Rinse the chicken and cut a big slit into each breast horizontally (just make sure not to cut them in half!) so that you can stuff it with your ingredients. Layer the spinach first, then cut each wedge into smaller pieces and place on top of the spinach. Lastly, place the red peppers on top. Close the chicken breast and put a toothpick on either end to hold everything together.
3. Heat a pan with a few tablespoons of EVOO. Once it is warm, place the chicken breasts in the pan as well as the onions. Let everything cook for 5-7 minutes.
Clearly I didn’t have toothpicks and had to cut up some extra long matches to do the trick. Hey- whatever works!
4. When the chicken has browned on the outside, spread a layer of marinara sauce on the bottom of a baking dish and place the chicken breasts and onions on top. Bake for 20-30 minutes (or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink).
While this recipe did take some time to assemble (and requires touching raw chicken…), it was absolutely worth it in the end. I served my stuffed chicken along side a bowl of spaghetti squash, sauce and a bunch of wine-sautéed veggies. Ending my weekend on a healthy meal is the best way for me to get back on track for the week ahead. Anyone else do this?
I’ve loved enjoying these leftovers all week- having a healthy dinner ready to quickly reheat after a long day and tough workout is my life saver!
Questions for you: What are your favorite ingredients to stuff chicken with? Do you like to end your weekend with a healthy meal or do you prefer to start fresh on Monday morning?
On Monday, I headed to the gym in my office building (that I also teach at) for a lunch-break workout. For so long, I avoided lunch-break workouts because I hated the idea of having to get ready for work, workout, then get re-ready for the rest of the work day. However, I’ve recently been doing lunch-break workouts once a week or so, as I’ve realized how nice it is to have an evening off on my non-teaching days (rather than going to the gym after work and getting home late). Because of this, I’ve had to strategically plan my workouts to maximize my workout time and minimize my locker room time… biggest bang for ya buck, right?
Since the weather is getting warmer and afternoons are likely filled with more after-work drinks (what is it about warm weather that makes you want to get drinks outside after work?!), maybe some of you could take some of these tips and incorporate lunch-break workouts into your day.
1. Skip or limit the cardio
I’m a sweaty beast when I workout, but especially when I do cardio inside. Getting that sweaty requires me to take a full shower (washing my hair), which really just makes the locker room process too long. However, if I do just weight training, I’ll get sweaty, but not TOO sweaty. I can usually get away with just a quick rinse or use sanitizing wipes to clean all the important areas (don’t judge). But, if you must do some cardio, pull your hair back into a tight, low pony tail and wear a headband to help soak up sweat from your forehead/hairline area. This really just doesn’t work with me because my hair/head gets too sweaty, but I guess if I just let my hair air dry after, it wouldn’t be so bad… no one else would know 😉 If you have straight hair anyway, just blow dry it again!
2. Plan out your workout before you get to the gym
I usually put what I want to do on a sticky note and put it on the back of my phone so I have it handy. By doing this, when I get to the gym I can start immediately on my workout instead of standing around wasting time figuring out what type of format I want to use, what exercises I want to do and what weights and equipment I’m going to need.
3. Wear something easy to change in and out of
In other words, don’t wear tights or a lot of jewelry or other things that might take more time changing out of and back in to. Similarly, pack light in your gym bag so you’re not rummaging around sifting through things you don’t need. I just pack 1 top and 1 bottom and since I usually walk to work in my sneakers, I already have those.
4. Put it in your calendar at work
If I don’t block off time on my calendar, I’ll just keep putting off my workout until I realize I’ve lost all opportunities to do so during the day. In addition, if my calendar isn’t blocked off, people can schedule calls and wouldn’t know that I had plans for a workout. Also, I plan my workouts between my morning snack and lunch that way I’m fueled for the workout and know I’ll be eating lunch soon after I get back… what can I say? I usually plan my day around workouts and eating.
5. Find a coworker who wants to go with you
Having a workout buddy helps hold you accountable for actually getting the workout done. It can be hard to separate yourself from your work, but if you have someone else doing it with you, it’s better motivation! Even if your office doesn’t have a gym, you can bring sneakers and just go for a power walk, which probably doesn’t even require a locker room to clean up in 😉
Now, here’s for the workout I did during my lunch break on Monday. The whole thing took me 35 minutes, start to finish. I wore my heart rate monitor and my heart rate was up for most of the workout, especially because I moved quickly between exercises and sets.
I really enjoyed this workout! Lately, I’ve been just doing upper body lifting when I’m not doing cardio, but I was craving some leg stuff on Monday so it was fun adding it in.
Questions for you: do you like to workout during your lunch break? Do you have any tips that I forgot to mention? Do you ever skip out on a shower and using sanitizing wipes instead (please tell me I’m not the only one!!)?
A few weeks ago, I was contact by someone through The Handle Bar asking if I’d like to try a class at their new Fenway studio. Umm , duh! I’m always up for trying out new studios, especially ones that I’ve heard a lot about.
They were gracious enough to offer a free class to myself and a friend, so I asked my upstairs neighbor, Lisa, if she wanted to join since she always says how she wants to go to a spin class with me.
The whole experience was really enjoyable! They gave me shoes and water when I walked in, which was a nice surprise. I also loved that they had complimentary ear plugs, gum and hair elastics- all really helpful things when you’re going to an indoor cycling studio.
While there are no changing rooms or showers, there are cubbies and big bathrooms that can be used for changing. The studio itself was awesome! They had a ton of bikes and all different colored lights, which they would change throughout the class.
Per the norm for most indoor cycling studios, they choreograph the moves to the beat of the music, which I love! It makes the ride much more fun and much less boring than just going for an endurance ride to stimulate an outdoor ride. I have to say that the choreography for this particular class wasn’t as good as some others that I have been to, but it was still a good workout! It just seemed like she repeated choreography on a couple of different songs. I’m sure most people didn’t notice or care, but the instructor in me notices that stuff (and I have a really good memory when it comes to choreography and catch on quickly).
The class we went to was only about half full, which is always a bummer since I thrive off of the energy in those classes! There’s nothing like the feeling of being in a packed class, riding to loud music and feeling like you’re in it together with everyone else in the room. I’d love to go back to a class on a day/time that might draw a full studio- those are the best!
Overall, though, I loved the studio and would definitely go back again. They don’t offer a free first class, but they do give a discounted ride of $10 to new riders. Shoe rental is $2, which you do need for these particular bikes (plus, now that I’ve used the shoes, I don’t think I could go back to riding without them!). If you’re interested in trying out a class, head on over here.
Questions for you: Have you been to The Handle Bar? What’s your favorite part about indoor cycling studios?
Good morning! Happy Cinco de Mayo! Are you doing anything to celebrate tonight? Did you guys have a good weekend? I did! Friday night started on Lisa’s deck. She, Lauren and I all got together for some after work cocktails and snacks- it’s awesome to have girls in the same apartment building that are fun to hang with! Lisa’s view is amazingggg and she made a delicious white sangria- can you tell we are itching for summer to be here? Lauren swung by Angela’s Café and picked up some fresh chips and guac. Have you ever been there? Their Mexican food is absolutely delicious! Thanks for a great start to my Friday night, girls!
After cocktails with them, I met up with the guy and we headed into the city to meet up with my friend Jessi and her boyfriend for a little double date bowling night at Jillian’s/Lucky Strike. I cannot say I was good (at all), but it was a really fun night regardless!
Saturday morning, I got up, taught and then pampered myself a little by cashing in the pedicure gift card that I got from my gym friends Alice, Steph and Jen- thanks girls!! I finally had a Saturday where I had nothing “planned”, so I did a little shopping… whoops! Check out these awesome buys 🙂
That night, the boy and I watched the Derby and he made us dinner. I was asleep on the couch before 10pm… I am so lame.
Sunday morning, he made us pumpkin banana paleo protein pancakes and we went on a walk along Constitution Beach. The rest of the day required lots of computer work, a yoga class and finally a night in the kitchen cooking! All in all, a really great, relaxing weekend, which was so necessary after the craziness over the past couple of months.
Let’s get to workouts, though, shall we? Last week’s workouts were good and I was happy to be able to get some yoga into my life. Every time I do it, I always say I need more of it, but do I do it? No, not usually. Ugh. Anyway!
Last Week’s Workouts
This Week’s Workouts
Things I’m Looking Forward To
There’s not really much going on this week, which is kind of nice! I may get together with some girlfriends on Tuesday night for dinner which would be fun since I haven’t seen them in so long. Other than that, I am excited to host Mother’s Day on Sunday. We have to figure out what we want to make, though- any suggestions? We are doing brunch, so we are thinking we’d like to make some type of fancy egg casserole and fruit salad and potatoes… help!
Questions for you: What was the best part of your weekend? Did you watch the Derby? Get outside to enjoy the warmer weather? Do you like to go bowling? Did you have any particularly good workouts last week? What are you looking forward to this week?
Burpees to Bubbly 