Easy Shrimp Tacos

Posted on July 31, 2012 by thefasteryoupedal

We don’t get paid until Saturday so I have to be a little creative as to how I am going to make dinner. Mike and I usually fend for ourselves when it comes to lunch and breakfast, so I really only have to worry about one meal a day. Thankfully, last night I was able to run up to Chick-Fil-A for some dinner, which makes it easier on me! No dishes! Yay!

On Sunday I missed out on my mother in laws cooking (that I was totally depending on!) due to the fact that we slept through dinner, so I had to check out what was in the fridge and freezer and noticed a frozen bag of shrimp and some corn tortillas.

I came up with these little beauties. I sautéed some shrimp in a skillet with a little bit of garlic olive oil and added a dash of garlic salt to give flavor. The best part of shrimp is that it holds flavor really well (just like mushrooms). I warmed up some corn tortillas, added some shrimp sauce, and put some cole slaw mix as a topping. So easy and so good.

Now here’s the best part. I was able to make a really good sauce made with random ingredients from the fridge. I originally was going to try salsa, but we were out of it, so this is what I came up with:

Easy Shrimp Taco Sauce

3/4 cup of mayonnaise or miracle whip

1/2 cup of relish

2 tbsp of taco seasoning mix

1 tbsp of lime juice

2 tbsp of hot sauce

I wanted to add the hot sauce for a little kick and wish I added a little more, but it was good stuff!

Trying Out Pinterest Recipes

Posted on July 19, 2012 by thefasteryoupedal

Like I said in my previous post, my sister showed me some great recipes on Pinterest that I really wanted to try out. I really want to take advantage of the fact that I am not working right now, so I am teaching myself how to cook and bake. It is so fun!

These “Zucchini Chips” were great! All you have to do is put some olive oil on them, and add a mixture of panko bread crumbs, salt and pepper, and a little parmesan cheese. Bake for 22 minutes on 400 degrees…and deliciousness! The link is found here:

http://bakehouse.squarespace.com/home/2011/7/20/zucchini-parmesan-crisps.html

Then I decided to try another recipe that caught my eye because of my HUGE love for chinese food. I don’t live in a town that has PF Changs or Panda Express, so I had to bring the sweet and sour chicken to my kitchen.

It is VERY filling! So you don’t need much of it, which is a good thing. It is around 300 calories per serving so if you portion it right, then it’s not too bad. You don’t have to use all the cornstarch and egg too so it helps to lighten it up. It’s a little messy to prepare, but I give it two thumbs up! Here is the link:

http://life-as-a-lofthouse.blogspot.com/2010/09/baked-sweet-and-sour-chicken-with-fried.html

I don’t know about you guys, but this month brings a lot of entertainment to the household! The Tour De France has been played non stop, especially when there is a certain biking addicted husband in the house. We’re not gonna lie, it’s not as exciting this year since Cadel Evans fell back and Contador (the villain) is not here this year, but it’s been fun watching the drama unfold. Go Wiggins!

“I sure do like this Tour De France! Now buy me a bike…”

We can’t be too sad when it ends because the Olympics thankfully will take over! 🙂

Question: Are you keeping up on the Tour this year? Any opinions about this year’s tour?

Making A List of Recipes

Posted on July 17, 2012 by thefasteryoupedal

My sister came into town this weekend and showed me her awesome Pinterest board with all these recipes that I want to try! I need to get on there and just go crazy!

I am on a countdown and only have three weeks until I have to go back to work so I feel like I have to hurry and learn some more healthy ways to cook so that when things start to go crazy, then it’s already instilled in me.

So Albertson’s has a deal for $5.99 a pound crab legs. Just in case you want to know. Crab legs for dinner is a real treat. Take advantage of any deals right now!

Since I am on the 7 Day Carb Cycle diet (which I have lost three pounds already!), I have been working on the High Carb days to eat things that are sugar-free. I went on www.cooks.com and typed in the “Sugar Free Banana Bread” and it tasted great.

Here is the recipe courtesy of www.cooks.com.

Here is the link: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,164,149191-253198,00.html.

7 Day Carb Cycle

Posted on July 10, 2012 by thefasteryoupedal

I really love the show Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition. It is so inspiring to see the people who are extremely overweight turn their lives around to make things healthier. I think Chris Powell is an excellent trainer and would love to have a job like that one day (after I get my health regimen in order).

I was searching on Amazon for nutrition books and found “The 7 Day Carb Cycle” by Chris Powell. I immediately downloaded and started reading it to give it a try. I only have about four more weeks until I am back at work, so I thought I would try it out and get into a healthy routine before then.

Yesterday was a Low Carb day and the process goes like this:

Sunday: Rest

Monday: Low Carb

Tuesday: High Carb

Wednesday: Low Carb

Thursday: High Carb

Friday: Low Carb

Saturday: High Carb

A high carb day doesn’t mean you eat as many cookies as possible. It’s more healthy carbs alongside protein. Fruits are a really good idea for those days. On the low carb day, it is mainly protein and veggies the whole day. After our 4th of July, I was going through withdrawal on sugar yesterday.

Most people on the reviews said that they lost two pounds the first week. It received four out of five stars on Amazon, so I figure I’ll be a guinea pig and try it out. I’ll keep you posted!

It helps if you cut up your veggies and fruits and leave them accessible in the fridge.

Barney is moping around the house today because of all the rain. Any time we attempt to walk outside, he gets so excited. I can understand since I get a little ancy too when it comes to rainy days. I was a little disappointed yesterday on my attempt to road ride and this beauty of a storm paid a visit.

P.S. Lists are so awesome. Then you don’t have to try to remember everything. When I spoke in church on Sunday, I was talking about how I write lists all the time. A lot of girls came up to me afterwards talking about their lists and their husbands told me that their wives are obsessed with them. Ha ha. Must be a girl thing.

Question: Are you a list person? If so, what are some ideas on where to keep your lists?

Green Chile Steak Salad

Posted on July 10, 2012 by thefasteryoupedal

I love to order a steak salad at a restaurant. Mainly because you still get the “meat” of your dinner, but you don’t feel too heavy afterwards. I was surprised the first time I tried one that the two of them would even exist together.

I took a small steak fillet (uncooked) and took a meat mallet to it to make it as thin as possible. I sliced the meat into thin strips and laid them out on my cutting board. I took 1 piece of roasted green chile and placed it on top and rolled them together like a sleeping bag. I was out of toothpicks to hold it together, so I put them in a baking pan and they seemed to stay still.

I then turned the oven to broil and placed them in the oven for 10-12 minutes until fully cooked. I pre-made a caesar salad and added the steak at the end. Good stuff. It always taste really good after a workout.

All you need is: steak, green chiles, and caesar salad!

Let’s Play Catch Up!

Posted on June 28, 2012 by thefasteryoupedal

Things have been a little hectic around the house lately that I sort of dropped away from blogging for a week. Mike and I had something sad happen in our lives, but are now ready to move on and be happy. (Sorry for being vague, for as much as I blog, you think I would be blabbing about everything. I like being private about some things though.)

I really am lucky to have a great friend for a husband. We went on Tuesday Night Ride last night. In Las Cruces, on Tuesday nights, all the local mountain bikers come out to the Dona Ana’s and the parking lot gets full of bikes, bbq, and people hanging out. It’s so fun to see everyone and mountain bikers are so friendly. I feel like they are my second family. We really are, since we see each other at all the races!

I’ve been still working on the Summer of Fitness and really feel like that I am getting the workouts down. I do my “Two A Days” and I’m training for some upcoming races in running and biking, so it should help. I really think diet is the key thing, so that’s my weakness right now that I am working on. Eat less sugar, fat, and carbs, and add on the protein. I’m avoiding sodas and late night eating too. It’s hard stuff!

So we bought some sparklers. I LOVE the fourth of July. My dad is specifically driving here for the fourth because we go a little crazy with the fireworks. Last year, Barney got freaked out and ran away (which was the scariest thing), so we are trying to get him used to it.

This was his first reaction. Scared to death! Here is what happened next.

He turned evil! My cute, little dog turns into a monster! He hates them! Needless to say, he will be hanging out in the house on the Fourth this year.

P.S. Trader Joe’s peaches…..are delicious. Add some Cool Whip Free and it’s a great dessert!

Question: What is your favorite summertime fruit to eat? Any good recipe ideas?

Slow Cooked Turkey Legs

Posted on June 12, 2012 by thefasteryoupedal

I was browsing the meat aisle of the grocery store and saw that Turkey Legs were on sale. My first instinct was to BBQ them, since everything tastes so much better on the grill. If I owned a deep fryer, that would be even better, but I don’t. It’s been 100 degrees outside and not so pleasant to stand outside and barbecue, so I went to my back up plan.

When in doubt, use the crock pot.

I added a whole bottle (yes a whole bottle!) of barbecue sauce, and then to give it a little kick, about 3/4 cup of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. I added about 1/4 cup of water and stirred it up. I wished I would have put some onions or fresh garlic in to spice it up some more. Place the turkey legs in. Give it about five hours on low heat.

I was worried it was going to be dry, but the barbecue really holds in a lot of the juices. When I put the leg on a plate, I took some more of the sauce and put it over the top.

Love how flaky it came out. Crock pots rule. For a girl who didn’t own one until about five years ago, I was missing out!

Question: I’m in desperate need of recipes with turkey. Do you have any suggestions?

The Summer of Fitness

Posted on June 10, 2012 by thefasteryoupedal

From kindergarten til now, I have dedicated my summers to something. When I graduated high school, I went straight on through college, and immediately started teaching at the age of 21, I have always had summers off. (Very lucky, I know. I get told that all the time!) By August, I have had to either go back to classes or back to work. I have never known what it feels like to not do.Twenty seven years later…..I am in the same situation.

(This is my vision board when I was living in Utah in 2005. I got the idea from a Oprah Winfrey episode on things to do to achieve goals. I made it to remind me of all the fun things I like to do and to remind me of all the friends and family around me. Usually a vision board is for goals you have. Mike and I have one in our second bedroom. I’ll put it in a future post. )

When I was in college, I dedicated my summers to traveling. I went and worked in Orlando for a summer at Walt Disney World. I went to Utah and spent a summer at Brigham Young University learning the college life on campus. I went on four different cruises to different tropical places. I dedicated summers to dating right. Other summers to educating myself. So many different things!

Starting Memorial Day Weekend, I made a pact to myself that I was going to make this the “summer of fitness”. I have been addicted to working out since about 2004, when I started taking group fitness classes. I slipped down to my lowest weight and felt great. I was especially excited when I found Les Mills’ Body Pump class and started to build muscle and tone out. I have been interested in eating right and have bought almost every Fitness, Shape, Cooking Light, and Self magazines as the years have passed on.

This year was a very disappointing year on my body. The stress from my job took a toll on me. I gained almost 15 pounds from August until May. I even went as far as going to my doctor about it. I am an avid mountain biker and still raced, and was even getting faster on the bike! Why was this happening to me?? With a lot of research and discussion, I concluded the weight gain to two things. 1. Stress. 2.Eating Right.

(Before And After)

I can go on and on about how I concluded this, but I will spare the details. So instead, I am going to explain how I am going to get myself back to a “comfortable” physique. I am not going based on weight, I am going by how I felt. Being thirty, I have to be realistic that age plays a role, but I am also going to not let it hold me back. I still want to be healthy. My goal is to feel “confident” by the end of the summer. A confidence where I am not embarrassed to sit down and not use my purse to cover my stomach. A confidence where I am not embarrassed to wear a short sleeve shirt, because I am afraid to show off my arms. A confidence where I can stop complaining every second I put my clothes on.

Here is the game plan. A successful way to diet and exercise is to keep a journal, therefore I will be keeping a journal on this blog through posts:

1. Two a Day Workouts. It doesn’t mean I go to the gym twice a day. It means I complete at least two workouts a day.

2, Food Journal. Keep a list of foods and meals eaten. Keep healthy meals on hand. Watch portioning.

3. Make life more fun. Since stress is such a big factor in my life and physically makes me sick, I am going to work on at least one thing a day to relax my body.

4. Organize my life. When I am organized, things are so much happier around my house. I love organizing and consider it a huge impact on my success in teaching, as well as my success personally.

So here it goes guys. I send this out into the cyber world! I will get back to you daily on one of these four subjects, or on all four of these subjects. Wish me luck. See you in August!