Banana Pancakes Recipe

This is a simple, 2 ingredient recipe once again from blogilates.com. I tried it for the first time this morning and it was really good and also super easy to make. Give it a try for yourself!

Here's how mine turned out (I promise they taste better than they look lol)....

                               

Beginner's Pilates Challenge: Week 1

My week in review:
***Disclaimer: I'm not sure if I'm gonna do a post like this every week. If I do it may not be as detailed.***

Day 1: Total Body

Not much to tell for today. I woke up at a reasonably early hour and did the total body workout per the calendar. I've actually done that particular video before so I knew what to expect. However it's been a few weeks since doing it so it was a little tougher but doable. That's really it.

Day 2: Abs

Due to a change in my work schedule I didn't get up and do my workout first thing in the morning. Had to be to work by 8am and I really wasn't trying to get up that early to exercise so I put it off until later in the evening. First off, I nearly died doing that 1 minute plank. I wasn't able to do the full minute all at once but I was able to last about 20 seconds at a time before breaking down. I think that's good considering I've never done a plank before in my life.

Day 3: Total Body

It probably took 30 minutes or more for me to do 10 roll ups because I had to rest between each. Terrible I know. The cardio workout was really fun. The total body was cool but I realized yet again how terrible my balance is with some of the side lying moves. Guess I have to keep trying.

Day 4: Lower Body

The 10 burpees were easier to do than I was expecting. For some reason I really thought I would struggle with that because I've never done them before but I didn't. Although they did make me VERY winded. I was so out of breath after it was crazy. I'm still having balance issues with some of the workouts calling for you to balance on one knee and one hand but otherwise the videos were today were alright. Also, I really enjoyed the quite cardio this morning. Not much else to say about today's workout.

Day 5: Abs

Another ab day. I honestly don't have much more to say than that. Oh, other than the fact that my balance is still terrible. That's it.

Day 6: Total Body

I realized that I can just barely do sit ups but around about 15 of 20 I got a little better. The back workout was okay but nothing I'd want to do on my own. The booty workout was short but definitely intense. I really felt the burn with that one. Not much else to say about today.

Day 7: Rest

Self explanatory.

Stuff I Like: Red Jacket Juices

The purpose of this post is to pimp out yet another healthy drink I discovered at Whole Foods. Gotta love that place. Admittedly I haven't done much research but from what I understand, Red Jacket makes a line of apple juices mixed with other fruits. This is not to be confused with a regular mixed fruit drink. The primary component is apples. I haven't tried all of them but the ones I have tried I really like. My favorites are the strawberry apple juice and raspberry apple juice. The best part is that this drink is healthy and really tasty. And according to the label the only ingredients are apples, strawberries (or another fruit) and vitamin C. 

I'm sure they sell these at places other than Whole Foods but honestly I haven't bothered to look. Give them a try and enjoy! 

Newly Discovered Music: Wynter Gordon

I've never heard of Wynter Gordon before but I recently heard a song of hers that I really like. If you watch the show Chef Roble & Co you've heard the song called Stimela by Wynter on the latest episode during the Mataano fashion show. I remember thinking that I really liked the song and luckily Chef Roble tweeted the name and artist after someone asked about it. Anyway, I looked her up on Facebook and she has some free downloads available as well as paid songs on iTunes and Amazon. Honestly, there's a few of her songs I like but I'm not yet sure if I like them enough to download.

Here's the video for 'Stimela'

4 Week Beginner's Pilates Challenge

Okay, so I'm not entirely sure this thing I'm doing is called a challenge, but it will be for me. Over on blogilates.com there's a 4 week plan for those just beginning their Pilates journey which is perfect for me. For one it has everything you need to do each day spelled out in front of you so you don't have to worry about it. Also, there's a different combination of workouts everyday so you don't get bored. There's also a rest day included with healthy meal suggestions.

Basically, there's a calendar that you can print out that has a few different workouts each day for you to check off and sign to mark your progress. On the website there's links to the videos for each day so you don't have to bother with trying to search for them. 6 days of Pilates workouts and 1 day of rest at the end of each week. I've already decided that I'm probably not going to follow the healthy meal suggestions just because I don't want to have to go out and buy anything. I'll just continue with my smoothies, salads and oatmeal and call it a day. I'll make weekly posts updating my progress.

See you in a week!

5 of My Favorite TV Theme Songs

The title of this post is pretty self explanatory so let's get right to it shall we? Okay, good. In no particular order....

The Golden Girls 

Half & Half

A Different World Theme (Aretha Franklin version)

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Dawson's Creek 

There's plenty of other tv show theme songs that I like but these are definitely some of my favorites and the first ones to pop into my head. Enjoy the nostalgia kids.

Cranberry Spinach Salad Recipe

I think it's safe to say this is my new favorite salad recipe (my first is a Caesar salad with grilled shrimp...yum!). I originally saw this recipe over at blogilates.com and it sounded delicious so I had to try it for myself. It was even better than I expected. So good in fact that the first time I ate it I made two! Wait, does that sound greedy? Anyway, give it a try for yourself.

               

Ingredients Include 
Baby spinach (washed)
Dried cranberries (a regular pack of Craisins will do if you like)
Candied walnuts (the original recipe uses almonds but I prefer these)
Goat cheese (I used Chevre brand from Trader Joe's)
Raspberry vinaigrette

                

Mix it all together and bam! There you have it. Enjoy!

Stuff I Like: Bolthouse Farms

Has anyone heard of the company Bolthouse Farms? I'm sure you have. They have a pretty decent sized line of drinks and salad dressings but to be honest the only thing I really pay attention to are their drinks. Mostly healthy and full of protein, fruits, veggies, etc. Anyway, the point of this post is just to highlight my two favorite drinks of theirs (so far....I haven't tried all of them). The Vanilla Chai Tea drink which I've been a fan of for years and the Green Tea Soy Latte which I discovered only a few weeks ago. I'd definitely recommend giving the entire line a try because everything I've had has been pretty good. Look in the produce section of your local grocery store.

A small idea of the rest of the drinks but they have WAY more than this.

Banana-Pineapple Smoothie

This should be pretty brief but as I said it my last post I have two favorite smoothie recipes that I really like so far. Again, the recipe doesn't include measurements so I'm just going to tell you what I put in to give you a basic idea. Honestly the only thing different from this recipe and the previous one is the use of bananas instead of strawberries. If done correctly, this smoothie tastes like a virgin pina colada. In the future I may add my favorite rum into the mix for a little smoothie party.

                             

Banana-Pineapple Smoothie
-Frozen bananas (I tried using fresh but they ended up going bad from not using them so frozen works better)
-Crushed pineapple
-Coconut manna
-Goat's milk yogurt
-Vanilla extract (again, a little goes a long way)
-Honey
-Kale

Frozen bananas....

                                                

Looks gross I know lol. Yogurt, kale, pineapple, bananas on the bottom.

                           

And there you have it, one of my favorite smoothie recipes. Enjoy!

My Favorite Smoothie Recipes

As I mentioned in a previous post, I've started making my own fruit smoothies at home as a way to try to add some healthiness to my diet. Lord knows I don't eat anywhere near the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables each day. Right now I'm sticking with fruit but maybe someday I'll branch out into vegetables or mixing the two together. I haven't decided yet but we'll see.

                           

Let me preface this by saying that I never measure anything with my smoothies (or cooking in general for that matter) so I'm just going to give you the ingredients I use and a general idea of weather it's a good amount or just a pinch. Personally, I'd say to just add things based on your personal taste and preference. That seems to work well for me. After a bit of trial and error I've found two smoothie recipes that will be my staples. To be honest I haven't tried very many varieties and mixtures but I'd rather just stick with what I know I like for now. Check them out below:

Strawberry-Pineapple Smoothie
-Frozen strawberries (you can use fresh if you want)
-Crushed pineapple (I prefer to just buy cans and put the leftovers in the refrigerator)
-Goats' Milk Vanilla Yogurt (you read right, goat's milk...it's actually pretty tasty)
-Coconut Manna (after melting it I add a few tablespoons)
-Kale (I just take a few leaves and break them up into the mix)
-Vanilla Extract (less is more so I'd say no more than a teaspoon)
-Honey (no idea how much, just let it drip for a bit)

Coconut manna and goats' milk yogurt both bought from Whole Foods.

                                   

Like I said, I never measure anything. Just use your best judgement. Blend and taste test until you get your desired results.

Stay tuned for my other favorite smoothie recipe in the next post!