"Dressed Up" Diet Meal Ideas

Hello All! Feeling much, much better today! It was my first day back at work and I think getting out of the apartment and being with other people helped my recovery process greatly!

I just wanted to put up a quick post of some of those meal ideas I was talking about in my post from yesterday. I know the diet is horribly bland and boring, so here are some ideas of meals that I eat to keep me semi-satisfied.

Here is one of my breakfast meals..

egg white omelet with half a slice of cheese and chopped tomatoes,

whole wheat toast with PB,

cottage cheese with a bit of homemade blueberry jelly

Above I have a grilled mahi mahi burger patty. 

Mahi Mahi is a fish that doesn't really have that "fishy" taste that

Tilapia does, so it's a lot more bearable. 

I paired it with long grain brown rice and a dry salad (YUMMMMM! haha)

(sorry the picture isn't all that great)

This is a salad I made for lunch

I used organic lettuce, black beans, that plain salsa that i LOVE (a few posts back I have it),

tuna fish, whole grain tortilla chips crushed up and some lemon 

I made this salad for my sister and I - she hated it but I thought it turned out pretty good, actually! 

This is another little concoction I made for lunch one day, I make it all the time now I love it so much!

What it is is: chicken burger, grilled, organic baby romaine lettuce and spinach, tomato, cucumber, lemon, and some hummus - turns out delish when you mix it all up :) 

Pair it with a greek yogurt and you're golden ! 

And as a little treat, I made sweet potato brownies one day last week.

It was the first time I've ever made them - they tasted a bit different from regular brownies, 

but they were still really chocolatey and moist and very, very good. 

I would def. make these from now own over any other brownies,

I think they'd be pretty easy to get used to. 

I kind of just messed around with the ingredients, 

next time I make them I'll let you guys know if they come out any better and

what I did different. Here is the recipe for now:

Felicia's "Healthy" Sweet Potato Brownie Recipe

2 Medium Sized Sweet Potatoes 

6 eggs 

1/2 cup organic coconut oil

1/2 tsp flax seed

1 tbs honey

6 tbs whole wheat flour

4 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup enjoy life choc chips

1/2 cup walnuts (personal preference)

• Start by preheating oven to 350 degrees 
• Use the microwave (or oven, or boil) to cook the sweet potatoes
• Once potatoes are cooked, peel the skin off, place into a large bowl, and mash
• Add eggs, coconut oil, honey, vanilla - mix thoroughly
• Then add flax seed, whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, choc chips, walnuts and cinnamon
• Once well mixed, put into a baking dish (I used a 13x9 pan)
• Bake for 29-31 minutes (no more, no less!)
• ENJOY!

They came out so moist and yummy, and they smelled great! I'm thinking that next time I'd like to incorporate applesauce somewhere in the recipe, but I'm not sure how much or if it

will clash wit the sweetness and moistness of the sweet potatoes. So maybe you guys try it

for me and let me know lol. :) 

Enjoy your night, everyone!

xxo Fitness Felicia 

Literally Back From the Dead This Time..

Hello Everyone! I'm writing today solely as a recurring request from one of my readers. I've been seriously ill the past week and a half and it really hurts my head and eyes to look at the computer screen. But a promise is a promise, so here I am :)

If I'm going to write a post today, I figure I might as well fill you guys in with what's been going on with me. I had to go to the hospital last Thursday after being pretty sick for about a week before that, and it turns out that I have mono. Which is really, really bad news. Don't get me wrong, being sick and unable to work really stinks, but on top of that ...get this...(as per doc's orders) NO physical activity for up to TWO MONTHS. WHAT?!!! This, on top of me not being able to eat just about anything ATM, is going to be setting me WAY, WAY back for my competition coming up in October. I've had nothing to do but lay in bed/couch the past couple of days and just rest, and I've been thinking about not being able to work out and have been pretty (ok, REALLY) bummed about it. I know there are other competitions if I'm not up to par for October, but I've been SO excited and SO focused on my training and dieting that it just really, really sucks for that to have been thrown away because of me getting sick. But, as my dad says, things happen, people get sick, there's nothing you can do about it :\ ..so for now, I'm just going to have to keep my chin up and continue to eat as cleanly and healthy as my body allows me to in hopes that when I am able to workout again, I won't be too far behind...

Onto a lighter note, many people have been asking me what my "competition" diet has consisted of the past couple of weeks..so I'm here to fill you all in :) As the competition date comes closer, my diet will be changing again, and I will fill you guys in when that happens. For the next couple of weeks, though, this is what my diet is:

Meal 1: 

4 Egg white omelet with half slice low fat Amer. cheese and a veggie (tomato, spinach)

1 Slice Whole Wheat toast with all natural peanut butter (about 1 tbs)

8 oz. protein shake (protein powder and milk)

1 cup cottage cheese plain or with some jelly

Meal 2:

1 cup greek yogurt

handful plain almonds 

Meal 3:

Tilapia (or any fish) seasoned with lemon juice,  garlic clove and tsp soy sauce

veggie (usually a salad with no dressing)

1 cup organic long grain brown rice

1/2 cup cottage cheese with peaches

Meal 4:

Protein shake

Meal 5:

Skinless chicken breast or fish seasoned with lemon, garlic and soy sauce

veggie

long grain organic brown rice

Meal 6:

homemade protein shake

-mix:

2 scoops protein powder

6 oz skim milk

1/2 cup of crushed ice

frozen fruit (strawberries, blueberries, mango, peaches, etc)

...and there you have it! That the framework of how my meals go every day...pretty much fish, chicken, rice and some veggies..every.day. 

The diet is extremely bland and I do try to dress it up once in awhile with some recipes. 

I do have pictures and a few recipes for you guys to try out that I will add on here later on.

The other day, I did make "healthy" sweet potato brownies as a little cheat treat, and they turned out pretty good..I will put that recipe up here and pictures later on as well. 

Just to give you guys and idea of what I'm trying to achieve with this diet...

I'm trying to keep my protein intake up, but am eating clean and lean 

so that I can start losing about 1/2 lb. a week. 

Before I got sick, I was right on target while following this diet.

If you are trying to lose more and at a faster pace than that, I would suggest keeping your carb intake

up during breakfast and before and right after your workouts. Other than that, try sticking to lean proteins and fruits and  veggies. 

Also remember to keep those reps HIGH HIGH in the gym to BURN BURN those calories :)

Make SURE you guys are getting in your cardio, as well, I cannot stress that enough! Cardio is going to be where you're going to burn the most calories and the most fat. 

YOU CAN DO IT! 

For the next few weeks, since I will be unable to workout, I will be living vicariously through you guys...so please, please, keep me updated about what you're all doing. Let me know if you guys are seeing the results you're hoping to see. Not seeing results? Shoot me a question and maybe I can help you find what you're doing that is not working for you. 

Eat clean and train mean, everyone :)

xxxo Fitness Felicia

PS: Just an FYI, I've honestly been really bumming since I've been sick..I've been cooped up my apartment all day just with the dogs, not really able to go anywhere or see anyone, and it's really sucked. On top of that, knowing that I could potentially not be able to compete in October has been gettin me down. But writing this post, knowing that people are out there reading this and utilizing what I have to say and are excited to read my blog, has cheered me up for the time being...so just a big thanks to all of you :) I get a lot of people who tell me personally or over twitter or instagram how much they enjoy reading this and it really means a lot to me! Someone told me the other day that I was in their inspiration, and that was amazing to hear. I just want to let you guys know that I do appreciate all of my readers and it does make me happy being able to share my experiences and this journey with you all. xxxoxo

101 Things You Can Do To Get a Workout in OUTSIDE of the Gym!

Hello All! Feeling a lot better today than yesterday, thank goodness :) I got myself into the gym tonight, not sure if that will backfire on me or not, but I need to stay on track with my training, so I did a light workout tonight and it felt great :)

Because it's summer time, a lot of people are going on vacations and spending their time with friends and family, and are not so concerned about getting to the gym. Because of everyone's busy schedules, I wanted to write a post about 101 things you can do to stay fit, OUTSIDE of the gym! A lot of people have a hard time thinking up ideas of what they can do to stay fit without getting into the gym, but sometimes the obvious ideas aren't so obvious, so Fitness Felicia to the rescue with some great ideas for you all !!!
Lots of these ideas are things you can do with friends/family as well, so they can be more fun than getting that gym workout in. With the weather outside being so nice, it's a great idea to take advantage of the outdoors while we still can :)

101 Outside-The-Gym Stay-Fit Activities 

1. Take the dog/s for a walk

2. Grab you girls/guys and head towards the wilderness for a hike 

(visit localhikes.com to find a hiking area near you)

3. Lace your sneakers up and head out for a jog - great for clearing your mind 

4. Going swimming? Make sure you get a couple laps back and forth in! - have a race with the kids, see who can complete 10 laps the fastest with the best form 

5. Head outside for a late-night walk and look at the stars

6. Set up the sprinkler and release your inner child! - Run through it with the kids or friends

7. Raining outside? Get your cleaning gloves on and do some summer cleaning! - things like scrubbing, moping, sweeping all work that upper body! 

Fem tip: vacuuming/sweeping in heels gives your calves a great workout :) 

8. Green Thumb? Get outside and do some gardening! 

9. Take the kids to the playground, get on that swing set and swing! See how long you can work those quads and hammys! Who can go the highest?! You or your little one?! 

10. Have a family/friend field day outdoors. Set up different games: moon bounce, sack races, football, three-legged race - some friendly competition never hurt anyone! It's also a great, fun way to burn off calories without even realizing it! (just make sure if you have food to serve healthy treats!!!) 

11. Love your ride? Been awhile since you washed it? Get outside and wash your car the good ol' fashioned way! Scrubbing and getting down in those nooks in crannies will work your upper AND lower body!! 

12. Heading to the beach for a little vay-cay? Bring a shovel and dig a hole as deep as you can (then bury the kids in it, of course)! Awesome upper and lower body workout! 

13. Take a run on the boardwalk and watch the sun rise or set - it'll be cooler outside and the sights will take your mind off your running :) 

14. Take your family/friends out and rent bicycles to ride while vacationing. Check out the great sights from a different POV 

15. Rainy day? Download a yoga video from youtube and do some calming yoga indoors. 

16. Not a fan of yoga? Youtube also has some awesome kickboxing videos you can do at home!

17. Okay okay! Hate kickboxing AND yoga?! Check out some great pilates videos on youtube as well!! 

18. Have little ones? Get out on the driveway or sidewalk, grab some chalk, and draw up a good old fashioned hop scotch board! Jumping from tile to tile really burns those legs!! 

19. Teach someone/learn how to hula hoop! Already know how? Hula Hoop for fun! It gives your obliques a great burn if you can go for awhile! 

20. Have a frisbee catch outside. I don't know about you guys, but I'm usually chasing after the frisbee, that gives me a great workout in itself.

21. Set up some horseshoes and play a friendly game of horseshoes outside! 

22. Play a not-so-friendly game of horseshoes outside - I know we all like to get competitive ;) (ha ha)

23. White Water Rafting - loads of fun but also a great workout for your upper body

24. Too hot or humid out? Go indoor rock climbing! Fun for inexperienced and experienced rock climbers and for the kids as well! 

25. Take it back to the schoolyard days and teach your kids how to double-dutch. Guarantee you it won't be so easy to keep jumping now that you're a few years older!! 

26. Head to a lake and rent kayaks or row boats. Great upper body workout

27. I know this sounds funny, but make yourself float while you're in a swimming pool, or even harder, the ocean. It gives your entire core an awesome burn! 

28. Click back a few posts and do my outdoors workout! I have videos for examples and everything :) 

29. Before you go to bed and when you wake up in the morning, do 100 jumping jacks for an all-over burn.

30. Also before you go to bed and when you wake up, do 100 sit-ups or crunches for a quick core workout. 

31. Head to a nearby high school or college track and time yourself running a mile.

32. Don't want to run a mile? Head to the track and practice your HIIT training instead! 

(I'll be stopping here for today guys! Early morning for me tomorrow - but no worries, I will be sure to finish this up tomorrow !! :) What do you think so far?!! ) 

xxxoo Fitness Felicia 

CONTEST TIME!!!

CONTEST!!

Hello everyone! How is hump day treating all of you? Mine has been HOT! Very hot! I think temperatures around here made it into the high 90's today. I spent most of my day in the sunshine by the pool taking in the sweltering heat (while still working all the while -___-)

I've decided that I'm going to have a little contest for this blog. I've seen other blog sites hold little contests before and I think it really helps to promote the site and the blogger, so why not give it a try?!

The contest will begin today and end three weeks from today - July 11th. 

The rules are simple: 

-Follow my blog 

(there is a link on the right side of the blog which you can click to follow me)

-Leave a comment stating what you do to stay healthy/keep in shape and/or any suggestions/questions 

you have for my blog

(must leave an email address at which you 

can be contacted if you place in the contest)

-Follow me on Twitter 

-and/or-

on Pinterest 

 (must repin at least 1 pin from my "Gym Rat Blog" board)

(click on the "contact me" page where you will 

find my twitter account and pinterest account

 that you will be able to click on and then follow me)


-Vote in my poll about what you would
 like to see me write about on this blog
(can be found on the right side of my blog page)

And that's it! After completing the 4 steps above, you will be enrolled in the contest.

The winners will be chosen at random.

(Hint: The more comments you leave on posts, the more times your name will show up, giving you a better chance at one of the three prizes) 

The Prizes:

1st Place: (1 winner)

Workout Outfit (top and bottom)

2nd Place: (1 winner)

3 Workout Headbands and 1 Water Bottle

3rd Place: (10 winners)

Your own, personalized workout/diet plan 

focusing on what your goals are

OKAY GUYS!! Let's see how this goes! Tell your friends! Tell your neighbors! Tell your family!! 

SPREAD THE WORD! Because you know you want free stuff, dontcha?! And it's EASY free stuff, nonetheless !! So go for it!

I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST OF LUCK! 

Let me know if you have any questions :) Go Get Em! 

xxxxooo

Fitness Felicia 

Back From The Dead...

Well hello there everyone!! I'm so sorry that I have not been keeping up with my posts...this week has just been beyond crazzyy. But I'm back and ready to blog! Hope you guys didn't miss me too much ;)

I just got done an awesome bicep/trap workout and am feelin' really good. What did everyone do in the gym today? Anybody start my new workout? I am really LOVING this new workout I've made...the "figure model workout." It's been awhile since I've committed to a brand new workout routine and I'm really feeling good after my workouts with this new routine I've made. I've been pretty sore every day from my workouts - I love doing high intensity workouts it gives me such a good burn for the next day or two.

Oh, before I get you guys all caught up...has anyone read 50 Shades of Grey ? I just finished it today..it was really, realy good..I haven't been able to put it down the past 3 days (yes, it only took me 3 days to finish the 500-something paged book). If you have not read it yet, I definitely advice you read it. I got lost in the relationship between Christian and Anastasia and can't wait to find out how the next book is!

ANYWAYS....The last time I blogged was ...Sunday (wow, it really has been awhile, sorry :/ ).
Monday, Tuesday, Wed and today's challenges all consisted of my new workout...so I will fill you guys in on the workouts below. I know a reader had asked for pictures, and I will put them up ASAP. I was able to get pictures for today's workout, and will get caught up on the other workout pictures as soon as I can. I've been working out alone the past few days and haven't had anyone to take pics for me until tonight. So, I'll get on that as soon as I can!!

Okay, so..Day 2 of the workout is Back, Triceps and Abs

Felicia's Figure Model Workout: Day 2

Reverse Lat Pulldowns - 3 sets - 15-20 reps

superset with

Wide Grip Lat Pulldown - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

Seated Cable Rows - 3 sets - 12-15 reps

superset with 

Barbell Bent-over Row - 3 sets - 12-15 reps 

Cable Bent-over Row - 3 sets - 15-20 reps

drop set the last set 

Triceps Pushdowns - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

superset with

Overhead Cable Extension - 15-20 reps 

E-Z Bar Skullcrushers - 3 sets - 12-15 reps 

superset with

Overhead Dumbbell Extension 3 sets 12-15 reps

drop set last set of overhead dumb. ext

(you can find a bunch of pictures for these triceps exercises on one of my previous posts)

Finish the workout with 15 minutes of Ab exercises of your choosing :) 

Day 3: Lower Body and Cardio

Warm up with 12-15 minutes of cardio of your choice 

I did HIIT training for 15 minutes on the treadmill 

Barbell Squats - 3 sets - 12-15 reps 

superset with

Sumo Dumbbell Squats - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

Romanian (Stiff Legged) Deadlifts - 3 sets - 15-20 reps

superset with

Sumo Deadlifts - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

Single-Legged Dumbbell Squats - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

superset with

Cable Kickbacks - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

Seated Leg Extensions - 25

drop set last set 

Seated Calf Raises - 3 sets - 20-25

superset with  

Standing Dumbbell Calf Raises - 3 sets - 20-25

Seated Leg Curls - 25

drop set last set 

Complete Workout with 25-30 minutes of cardio

I did more HIIT training on the treadmill (that's my favorite)

(You can also find a lot of pictures for most of these exercises on one of my previous posts)

***I switched day 4 and day 5 up..it used to be:

Day 4: Traps and Biceps

Day 5: Cardio and Abs

I just switched them around to get an extra cardio day in there..so day 4 is Cardio now, day 5 is traps and bis***

Day 4: Cardio and Abs

45 minutes to 1 hour of cardio 

You can decide what type of cardio you want to do. 

I started with a fast-paced walk of 3.8 on the treadmill at an incline of 15.0

I did that for the first 30 minutes of my cardio workout

The last 30 minutes of my cardio I did sprint HIIT training

Sprint for 1 minute, jog for 2 

Conclude your workout with ab exercises of your choosing

I always switch up my ab routine, that's why I never really put ab exercise pictures on here, but if you guys would like to know some exercises and get some pics, let me know and I'd be happy to put some up :) 

Day 5: Biceps and Traps

Standing Dumbbell Curls - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

Superset with 

Dumbbell Shurgs (I didn't get a picture of that one, sorry) 3 sets - 15-20 reps

standing dumbbell curls

Reverse E-Z Bar Curls - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

superset with 

E-Z Bar Upright Rows - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

Reverse EZ Bar Curls

EZ Bar Upright Rows

E-Z Bar Preacher Curls - 3 sets - 15-20 reps

superset with

Resistance Band Biceps Curls - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

EZ Bar Preacher Curls

Resistance Band Bicep Curls

Concentration Curls - 3 sets - 15-20

drop set last set 

PHEW! Okay! So now we are alllllllll caught up, right?! I promise to add pictures for the rest of the workouts as soon as I can! I'll be going away this weekend, so keep your eye out for a new post in a couple of days. Until then, try this new workout plan out and let me know how you all feel! I've also been trying out a few new recipes that I'll put on here later on.. 

I hope everyone has been having a wonderful week so far! Mine has been hectic, but well. My new job is going pretty good - still getting used to a 45 hour work week, but I guess that wil take some time. I also got a new client that I start training next week which I am very excited about! 

Talk to you guys in a couple days :)

XXOOO

Fitness Felicia 

Felicia's Figure Model Workout

Hello, all! How was everyone's weekend? Anybody do anything new and exciting??? My weekend was nice and relaxing. My new job allows me to have all my nights and weekends off, and I am absolutely  L-O-V-I-N-G that!!
I got back into the gym today after having my off days, and started a brand new workout cycle. I'm really excited about it. I'm calling this new workout "Felicia's Figure Model Workout" ! It's sort of catchy, right?

Speaking of this new routine, my challenge for last night was to think about and write up the new workout, and my challenge for today was to execute it. I'm not going to put the entire workout on here straight away, after all, you guys need something to look forward to, don't you?!

My new workout split is as follows:

Day 1: Chest and shoulders and cardio

Day 2: Back and triceps and abs 

Day 3: Lower Body and cardio 

Day 4: Traps and triceps 

Day 5: Cardio and abs 

Day 1:  Chest, Shoulders and Cardio

-warm up- (10-12 minutes of the cardio of your choice)

Resistance band front raises - 3 sets - 15-25 reps

-superset with-

Barbell bench press - 3 sets - 15-25 reps 

Stability ball dumbbell flies - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

-superset with- 

Leaning dumbbell lateral raises - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

Incline dumbbell chest press - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

drop set last set 

Arnold Press - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

drop set last set 

Complete workout with 25-30 minutes of the cardio of your choice

*I did my cardio earlier in the day before my workout, if you don't want to do the cardio at the end of the workout, just make sure you get some type of cardio in at some point during your day*

Terms used with this workout that you may be unfamiliar with:

Superset: A superset is when you do two different exercises as one set. Right after completing the first exercise, immediately move into the next exercise. That is one set. 

Drop set: A drop set is when you use a lighter weight right after your last rep of the exercise. Keep pumping out more reps until you can't go any longer

If you guys want pictures for any of these exercises, just let me know :) 

I really liked my workout today, my chest and shoulders are already exhausted. They're kind of shaking as I type this, actually (ha ha).  

Keep track of your reps and weight of each exercise as you go through your workout so that you can track your progress as you get further along.

Because the rep range is quite high for this workout, make sure to use lighter weights so you can complete the required reps. Working with lighter weights is definitely something I, myself need to work on. I always get into the mind frame that if I'm working with lighter weights, I'm not working hard enough. Even though you're using lighter weights, your rep range is high so you're burning more fat and toning! - just remember that (I need to, too). 

Try this workout out, and let me know how you feel afterwards and how you liked it. Recommendations for any changes?? I'm going to keep at this workout for 3 weeks and keep track of my progress every day and then switch my workout up again. 

Now.... get off the computer and go exercise!! :) 

XXOO 

Fitness Felicia 

P.S. I got another inquiry today about personal training! EXCITING! :) 

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth..

...I've just been busy, busy, busy!!
How has everyone been?! Sorry it's been a few days, but things have been cray!! GUESS WHAT, though?!! I got my first call for a client for personal training! Exciting, right?! I'm very excited :) I also put an ad in the newspaper to see how that goes. I actually got an email saying I can't put flyers in people's mailboxes anymore (lol woops), so I had to find a new way to get the word out...we'll see how this new method works! I'll keep you guys posted.

So..I know you guys are all just dying to know what I've been up to the past couple of days, challenge wise. So let's see, I have Thursday, Friday, and today to cover.

Thursday's new challenge is pretty exciting...I signed up for my very first figure competition!! Exciting, right?! It's in October, so that gives me about 4 months to focus on my training and diet...which opens up like, a million new challenges. I have to switch up my workouts and eating habits completely. Which opens doors to LOTS of new things for me! I'm competing in the True Novice Figure category, which is for first time competitors. I'm not really sure how much of a chance I have at actually winning, but I'm excited that I'll at least get the experience of competing.

So that was Thursday's challenge. Onto Friday..

Thursday I completed my workout cycle for the week, so Friday's training consisted of only cardio and some core exercises. Friday's challenge was a new recipe. Sorry it's been mostly recipes lately, I'll start up with new workout posts tomorrow again. I'll be switching up my workouts completely, so I'll have lots of new things to put on here for you all.
Friday's recipe was "egg muffins"

I wanted to try out this recipe because I started a new job where I will be starting work a lot earlier than normal, and wanted something that I could grab quick without having to wake up even earlier to make a healthy, complete breakfast. These egg muffins can be wrapped up in saran wrap after making them and can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days before going bad. I actually really liked the way they turned out.

Recipe:

Large eggs (use one for every muffin spot on the muffin tray)

Any toppings/seasonings you normally put on your eggs

These were so simple, and quick to make. 

Start by cracking an egg into each of the muffin spots of the tray. 

Add your toppings and seasonings into each of the eggs. I added low-fat cheese, sodium-free ham, tomato, mushrooms, pepper and garlic powder. 

After adding your toppings, put into the oven at 350 degrees and keep in for about 12-15 minutes. 

I really liked the way these egg muffins came out. I wanted to try them with egg whites, but wasn't sure how they would turn out and I didn't have the time to try. I'll try using egg whites next time to see how they turn out. I'm not sure if the egg whites would be too thin to hold up as a "muffin."
Heat them up in the morning for about 30 seconds, and you're good to go! I haven't tried them cold, but I like my eggs hot, so that's how I ate them. I'm sure they would be fine cold if you chose to eat them that way.

I haven't done my challenge yet for today, but check back later tonight or tomorrow to see what it will be!! ;)

How is everyone's weekend going so far? What's everyone been doing to keep healthy?!

Check back later on for today's challenge. Let me know if you guys try this recipe out. Has anyone reading ever done any figure competitions before? Any words of advice??? I really have no idea what to expect! I'm very exciting to start training, though.

Talk to you guys soon/!

XXOO 
Fitness Felicia 

Kookin' with Kale

Hey guys! Thanks for all the responses and motivating words yesterday! I really appreciate it :) I'm feeling a lot more motivated today, and am back in action. I took a long walk with Jackson today through some neighborhoods and handed out more personal training flyers. I've probably handed out 100 by now. No calls yet, but I'll keep waiting. All I need is just ONE client, and the flyers will be a success!

I added some new tabs at the top of my page, by the way! One of the tabs is a way you guys can contact me if you have any questions, advice, complaints, requests..etc. You can also find a link on there to follow me on pinterest and twitter. The other new page I created is a "get to know me" page. I just provided answers to some basic questions on there so you guys can get to know a little bit more about me. Let me know if you guys have any other questions for me!

Anywho! I was feeling a bit under the weather today, so I decided to skip the gym. Today would have been shoulders (one of my favorite days). Hopefully tomorrow I'll be feeling better and can get my sneakers back on and myself back into the gym!

Since I wasn't able to get into the gym today, I gave myself a cooking challenge...actually more like 2 cooking challenges. I've been reading a lot about the vegetable kale lately and have been wanting to try it. Kale is FILLED with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. One cup of kale is only about 35 calories and has 5 grams of fiber. I've never tried kale before, and didn't even know what it looked like (it looks a lot like lettuce, except darker)! Just out of the blue the other day, my mom texted me a new recipe she wanted me to try, "kale chips." What a coincidence!!! It was then that I decided that making kale chips would be my next challenge!

The recipe is quite simple:

1 bunch of kale

1 tbs extra virgin olive oil

dash of garlic powder

dash of salt 

KALE

Preheat oven to 350

Wash and dry kale thoroughly

Cut the kale leaves off of the stem part of the kale and tear into bite-sized pieces.

After tearing the leaves, lay out onto a baking tray

Drizzle olive oil, salt, and garlic powder over the kale leaves

Bake for about 8-10 minutes, until the leaves start to turn brown around the edges

Cool and enjoy! 

The kale chips were....interesting. I've never tried kale before, so I wasn't even sure what kind of taste or texture to expect from the chips. They were very light and flaky almost. For a snack, these chips are great, but they aren't going to fill you up, that's for sure. I have A LOT of kale left, so I will be trying some other recipes with this veggie. If you like kale, try these chips. They're not "OMG delicious," but they are different for a snack, and extremely healthy and filled with nutrients. 

My next challenge of the day was zucchini and eggplant fries. I'd seen a recipe off pinterest for this snack and decided to give it a go! I've NEVER made eggplant by myself before, so cutting it up was a challenge in itself..I wasn't sure if you had to take out the seeds, or if it needed to be skinned..I was clueless. I basically just started chopping away and chopped the eggplant into a bunch of long, skinny fries. Is that how you cut an eggplant?

The ingredients for this recipe was also simple:

One whole eggplant

One whole zucchini

100% Whole Wheat bread crumbs

3 egg whites 

Pinch of onion powder

Pinch of garlic powder

Cut up the zucchini and eggplant into long, thin "fries"

Dip the fries into the egg whites, and then coat with the bread crumbs

Place out on a baking tray and back at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes (depending on how crunchy you want them)

Unlike the kale chips, these fries turned out "OMG delish!" They were so crunchy and yummy I couldn't stop eating them! These make a great snack or side dish at dinner. So, so yummy and I really recommend you make them. They were quick and easy to make and "OMG SO DELICIOUS!"

Try out these new recipes and let me know what you think!! Back to the gym tomorrow, everyone, and I'll have a new workout challenge ready! 

<3 Fitness Felicia