It’s funny how a whole weekend can fly by and I can’t seem to find the time to workout, when most workdays I work out 90 minutes a day!  After our super stormy weather Sunday and mild temps, it was back to reality – I left the house and it was 30 degrees.

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I just scanned through the workout the night before.  If I don’t know what the exercise is, I’ll watch the video so I know what I am doing and don’t have to waste time during the workout watching videos!

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Holy bat shit.  Yesterday was calves and quads and it took me 55 minutes to complete!

  • Leg Press: 3 sets of 15 reps
  • Squat Jump: 3 sets of 15 reps
Working Set Active Rest:
  • Smith Machine Single-leg Split Squat 3 sets of 15 reps, per side
  • Jump rope: 3 sets of 1 minute
Superset:
  • Walking Barbell Lunge: 3 sets of 20 reps, 10 steps down, 10 back
  • Long Jump: 3 sets of 20 reps, 10 jumps down, 10 back
Superset:
  • Leg Extension: 3 sets of 20 reps
  • Lateral Bound (side-to-side single leg hops): 3 sets of 20 reps
  • Smith Machine Squat: 3 sets of 30 reps
Working Set Active Rest:
  • Standing Calf Raise: 3 sets of 20 reps
  • Jump rope: 3 sets of 1 minute
Working Set Active Rest:
  • Calf Press on Leg Press: 3 sets of 20 reps
  • Jump rope: 3 sets of 1 minute

Do you know how hard it is to go from a single legged squat straight to jump roping?!   And doing 60 squats on hand weights so that my heels were off the ground really made my quads shake by the end.

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This was intense for sure, but I ended up doing the whole thing.  I even made good time to the gym so I had a chance to take a 15 minute long shower before heading to work.

So I know a bunch of you are dying for the Jalapeno Popper Recipe – I wish I had come up with the idea, but I “borrowed” it from my sister who put it on Facebook last week.

I did make some changes, mostly to make it a bit more healthy – so here is my adaptation:

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I had 1/4 of the quiche, a Chobani and some kiwi on the side.  Note, my quiche was a bit watery after I reheated it – I probably didn’t squeeze out enough liquid from the shredded zucchini – I think a better substitute would be broccoli.

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This was so spicy good!  A couple of bites I had to alternate with the yogurt to tone it down a bit.

I was more than happy to get to the pool at lunch.  For some reason after doing strength, the pool just makes my whole body feel better – and I only had one other person to share the pool with!

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I had to take this picture for Roz.  She’s the only other person I know who loves to show her oddly shaped carrots!

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Alright, I know I am going to get a lot of shit for this, but I did take home some of my Mom’s chili from last Friday.  As I was driving home though, the smell of the onions got stronger and stronger, but what I now realize is that was probably ME that stank of onions, since I cut so many of them.

I emailed my Mom yesterday morning to tell her I was going to eat her chili at lunch, even though I knew the vast amounts of onions that were in it.  She emailed me back and said “let me know if you throw up.”

Well, I didn’t throw up and actually my Mom’s chili is delicious!  I didn’t see, nor did I taste any onions, which just goes to show that if they don’t taste like anything, why put them in a dish?

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So on the days I do cardio on equipment with t.v.’s during lunch, I usually watch The Chew.  In the beginning I didn’t like it, but now I do – they do have some creative dishes on that show and I think their personalities go pretty well together.  Last week Michael Symon did a turkey cutlet sandwich with broccoli rabe that looked amazeballs.

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I couldn’t find broccoli rabe at my store to save my life but I thought I could quickly sauté some baby spinach and get kind of the same effect.   I just FEB’d my turkey cutlets (flour/egg beater/breadcrumbs) and sautéed them quickly in 2 teaspoons olive oil until nice and crispy – turkey cutlets are a great weeknight protein because they take just a few minutes to cook.

After I cooked the cutlets I just sautéed the spinach with some minced garlic and crushed red pepper and put it on a 2 ounce bun.

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The turkey was juicy, crunchy and then the garlic red pepper spinach made this dish.  Tony asked for cranberry sauce on his sammie.  He liked the flavor of it, but his sandwich was too thick for his liking.  I think he was thinking a pork cutlet sandwich when I mentioned turkey cutlet.  Have you ever had this?  It’s ridiculously good – usually served on a tiny white bun with pickles.

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I wouldn’t even know how to attempt to make that pork sandwich at home!   Well, unless I get a bigger deep fat fryer!

Stats for the Day

  • 1728 calories, 236 carbs, 100 protein, 41 fat and 29 fiber
  • (not pictured – 1/2 cup granola pre-workout snack)
  • 21% of calories from fat, 25% from protein and 53% from carbs
  • B+ grade on caloriecount.com
  • 55 minute calves/quads strength
  • 30 minute swim at lunch

I hope that the people in the south suburbs of Chicago can rebuild after the storms on Sunday.  To see the pictures is so crazy that your life can change in an instant!

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Today is back and biceps, and it looks equally as hard as yesterday.  Oh, and after the strength?  The cardio is 30 minutes of sprints – 30 seconds on at 8 mph, then 30 seconds recovery.  Wish me luck!  Make it a great day!