it's always hard

to say good-bye!

See you in 8 weeks dear friend of mine!

embrace your fitness

I have a love/hate relationship with working out.

I love how I feel while exercising and afterwards.

I hate waking up early to run when I could be sleeping in on a weekend.

I love letting all of my stress out on my weights.

I hate stressing over when I'm going to work out.

I love working out with friends, pushing myself and them as well.

I hate finding the motivation to push myself alone in the gym.  

Although our relationship seems a bit turbulent, it truly is one of the joys in my life.  I like to take pride in my health and fitness, and so I wanted to share some of my favorite workout moves with you.  I decided to ease into this with just two.  I don't actually workout at a nice big gym anymore.  Instead, I workout in the comfort of my own home and the small gym in my condo complex.  Because of this, a lot of the moves use simple pieces of equipment that you most likely already have.

Disclaimer: I'm not a sport physician, an athlete, or trainer.  I'm just a seasoned gym attendee, bootcamp experiencer, yoga DVD lover, and Jillian Michael's crushee.  

This is great for your abs and arms!     

1. Start in plank pose.  Make sure that your shoulders are right over your wrists.  This is different than push-up position.2. You are going to jump both feet towards your hands, then jump back into plank pose. Tips: Try to get in as many reps as possible in 30 seconds.  Do not stop back at step 1, instead hop right back into step 2.  Contract your abs the entire time to ensure that your back stays straight.   

This one is great for your abs, thighs, and arms!

1. Start with a fitness ball between the small of your back and a well, feet hip-width distance apart.  Hold 8-10 lb. dumb bells shoulder level.

2. Squat down while pressing your weights up.  Return to start.

This is a power movement because so many body parts are working together at the same time, allowing you to burn max calories.  

Tips: Pull your stomach in towards the ball, as if your belly button is touching the ball.  As your squat down, use your firm stomach as strength to push your weights up.  If need be, decrease the weight of your dumb bells.  Try doing 3 sets of 15 reps.  For an additional challenge, hold your squat for 15-30 seconds with weights resting on your legs.  

There you go!  I hope these are useful to you at home and that you embrace your fitness!

my italian cooking lesson

While Kylee was in town I decided to get in a good Italian cooking lesson.  You see, Kylee's husband is a phenomenal chef (no joke!).  They both definitely know their way around the kitchen, and I'm constantly trying to get recipe ideas from her.  She has been getting together with her husband's grandmother and cooking authentic Italian style.  Luckily she passed the recipe onto me, and we are here to show you how to make braciole.  

Here's what you'll need:

Homemade Sauce:

2 cans diced stewed tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 onion, chopped

~1/4. c. dry red wine

dried parsley

dried basil

dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

(All of the seasonings are to your taste so use however much you prefer.)

Braciole:

1 lb. round steak sliced thin

1/4 lb. sliced salami

1/4 lb. sliced provolone

First we sautéed garlic and onion in olive oil.  We added a little bit of red wine to the pan so that the onions had liquid to absorb while they cooked.  Once those were softened, we added two cans of stewed italian style tomatoes and one can of tomato paste.  

The tomatoes weren't diced so we pulled out the immersion blender and let it get to work.  It broke up the tomatoes perfectly and created a great texture.  

(Note: you will want to buy diced stewed tomatoes to ensure you don't have to whip out your immersion blender)

Next, we took a piece of thinly sliced round steak and placed a pice of provolone and salami on top.  We rolled the steak up and secured it with tooth pics.  You could use cooing twine if you have some.  Once you have all of your steak rolled, heat a pan with olive oil and sear the steak.  The seared steak then gets transferred to your pot of pasta sauce so it can continue to cook. 

While your meat cooks, cook your spaghetti!   

Slice up your meat, and voila!  

Dinner!!!!  

This meal was divine!  I've tried only once before to make my own sauce, but after this I'm never going back to the jar.  Well, I say that now but the jar is still my time saver friend.  This dinner will be served up again for a little romantic date for the husband and I.